Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-04-11
Move N the Right Direction.

Election, 4tn may
Move in the Right Direction.
The Senate of Massachusetts, has, with but
one dissenting voice, adopted resolution, de-
claring, that no foreigner shall be regarded as
eligible to Office In that State, and we trust that
such provision will be incorporated, not only
into the Constitution of Massachusetts, but
into the Constitutions Of all the States, within
the next five years. This is one Of the funda-
mental principles of the " American party,
and it should be made an issue in every State
election, from this time forward, until our
motto Americans shall rule America" shall
be fully and thoroughly realized. The prines-
pie for which we contend in urging the adop-
ton OF this provision, is fully recognised in
the Constitution of the United States, which
prohibits foreigners from holding the office OF
President or Vice President of the United
States.
The principle is recognised also in many OF
the State constitutions, which prohibit foreign
ers from holding tho Office of Governor OF the
State, and being thus recognised az gust prin-
ciple, its extension to all the offices under the
Federal or State governments, cannot be resist
ed with any show of argument 1t isa question
solely of expediency--of propriety, and OF
safety. If it be justifable to exclude foreign
ers from the Presidency, or from the Governor
ship Of State, it is equally UNSUITABLE to ex-
clude them from the halls Of legislation, and
from the judiciary. Indeed, it is far more i'm
portant to exclude them from the two latter
branches of the government for the one OF
these branches enacts the law, and the other
administers it, whilst the Governor OF State,
under most Of our State constitutions, merely
executes the laws Of the Legislature as ex-
pounded by the Judiciary.
The Convention Of Virginia, which adopted
her new constitution in 1850, adopted q provi-
sion by decided vote, prohibiting any but
natipe-bom citizens from holding the office OF
Governor of that State, thus recognising at
recent date, this salutary principle, that it is
right, proper, and expedient, to exclude foreign
era from Office within the Old Dominion. This
was the principle then adopted, and we DEFY
any living man, to assign reason in favor OF
such exclusion, which will not apply with equal
force to any and all the offices created by the
| constitution The convention left 1t to the
people to decide for themselves, to what extent
they would carry out this principle in relation
to other Offices
But there stands recognition of the princi-
ciple ITSELF fixed, immovable and undeniable.
This recognition Of the principle of the exclu-
sion Of foreigners from the office Of Governor
Of Virginia, by the late Virginia Convention,
meets face to face, and refutes in unanswerable
language, the charge Of injustice "a. forsigners,
which demagogues have made against ourparty
Eeen Henry A. Viso was forced, by the can
elections Of his deliberate judgment, tien to
adopt this principle, and sanction its incorpo-
ration into the body Of the constitution He
voted TO retain that provision in the constitu-
ton, and thus to exclude foreigners from the
position Of Governor, when motion was dis
tinctly made in convention, by the Hon. John
Letcher, to strike out from the clause, fixing
the qualifications for Governor the words
"shall be native citizen Of the United States. !"
In what manner Mr. Wise can reconcile his
deliberate vote, in Convention, in 1860, with
the proposition contained in his manifesto"
against the Know-Nothings, published in the
Richmond Enquirer, October 81, 1854, to wit;
to admit foreigners at once to the rights Of
eitisenship upon their taking the oath Of ale
glance, is point on which we are not yet in
formed We should be happy to have this
matter calculated.
Nor are we yet advised in what light the
members Of the American party" in the Hon.
Mr. Letcher's district view his proposition and
his vote in the Convention, TO admit foreigners
to hold the office Of Governor Of Virginia.
Doubtless they win reflect on this question be-
tween this time and the last of May.
We trust that the American party" win
bear in mind, that the proposition to exclude
foreigners from Office, is one Of the cardinal doc
trines Of our party, and that when bestowing
their suffrsges, they should inquire Of each and
every candidate, whether or not he win sup
port and maintain the principle contained In
the motto; Americans shall rule America"