Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-05-11

step back wnri-, hu nrrtru-::aGo march "t centuries,
an from light mi" TINT drrkmes. again of which
We had once emerged with much pain anI diihcul-
Is. Ii Il people so enlightened as | had iundlv be-
liryod uuI t0 be, be Induced "a make such re-
iru.radr march this, slnl; begin II lose faith
in human progress, Gu iar that the political rrrn.T
rolls the atone at Ssyphus, which rcncil
The expected goal. But why does this prriy
lccI the ,roliC Church the particular object ut
lis prescriptions They certainly seem 10 hnvr be-.
-cd, borrowed, or in other way uhtniurd som,"
Lending ilcns from that Church. and which, in my
npnion constitute iis most objectionable features.
! Old John Milton somewhere rcprnaChcs his Pro,cs
brethren for certain prosecuting practices, niH
they have fallen into the" most P"p'>h oiPali-;
errors" | think the be said ni this Know.
Nothing party Do they oh oct 30 :nc secret lnqus-
,i;nn of TINT Church, which inquiries into spiritual n'
! frnrrs!-huvr Hcy no. secret irGusitinnr which IN
quircs into political offences! bors il sit upon
your character md mime, try us when We cannot be
heard, condemn Us when WE had not been hrralgncd
and rSccIl;- ta sentence without serving upon The
victim notice OF iis eXstencci
The old Nghmc tribunal, - terrible Tor It's secret IN
QUESTION and visI.aOns, used Ia inkc are NJ least,
ihRt tho bowl and tho cord should be laid by some IN
visible hand NJ the bedside u! he vctlE ~ give HIM
warning hen ho awokc of the fato that awaited him
Bu!horc - an QUESTION whose Sentences arc "N'"h
teal without rvuu that prcmuIitipn. DO H." Know
N"!hIn-s object tia. tho Catholics deny the right ~
private Judgment III nlutcrs oi conscience! surely,
ley d" the sane thing with rrgnrd "a the Caho.ic,
when they proscrlbc aud prosecute him account at
bis Religious opinIuEs They refuse Ia allow linn tn
worship God according to hjs Conscience except
unlcr such pains and penalties they choose 10 pre-
scribe. Do they object TO the CarhuIi,s II. mem .rs
nj political community because "v believe III the
SUPREMACY ui thc church in spiritual mnitcrsl Why
iicn do th'y d"clnrr lar more dangerous doctrine,
and assert the supremacy "t their c"unc, in matters
! temporal and political! 4 man may bclcv" i'll IN"
spiritual supremacy of church, and Yet discharge
his Political duties arcoriiu" 10 his individual! con-
science Hud cOnvIct"ni but he who admits tn" po-
ltcal supremacy "f II council cnnn"t perform his
duties a. citizen according II his own Judgment
and conscience. When the ed"i is once pronounced
by ;hu council, il neither Gsl,uic,! nor G-v-
bcycd by thu members. After tins. !iIcr. must be-
neither maIurItIcs nor InorcS IN the Order but all
mist move, net and apruk together, II with Oh"
will That grrRtrst uf all lbclIirs-ils Milton called
1.-THE liberty 10 know, t0 argue, and To utter freely
according conscience, not one of their privileges.
W;!h what iacc, then. can pnr;y. holding such doc
tnes these, prescribe men i"r entertaining lar less
dangerous OPINIONS, W lIdT the practices O these
Know N"t!u.- may be- with regard 10 confession
and nbaoluton, know not; but it il very clear. that
il the power command the moral action ot indiviu-
al- exist, the power 10 ai-"vc them from tho c"lse-
u!enrcs nf s!II Ought 10 ~ along with it,
liu, this party is not content with prescribing Ca
, tholics, and treating them aliens III tho bosom %!
American society II ire about .,1buGOO foreigner
amongst u.s. and these, too, tn bn considered ns
incapable ui aolknS utcc under the g"Ycrr nclt-
Not only thoy tD he forever Disqualified for office
but hereafter tho tenn VI probation tor naturalization
il To- bD u3thomcd tn mike the lnw itso iluso
~. |; is I" b" observed, yha what il proposed 10 hc
: done wall not diminish much he number III emf
grants vino hereafter will com" - shores, noi
Il prubtbiy intended when ;hL, Urcr orr nntcd that
rrIrh mn effect should l." produced, orrcHsnnS which
will presently give. Tnr proposed policy will i""
riuhc the quality ot the emigration, l; Will shut cat
men al fortune and CducRlluu, brrarsc they prefer
Institutions aud drsir" to incorporate themselves
into tho rrl b0!v Of Am"rcun succiy. 10 share lis
privl and partake Of ts destiny: II will cut oil
those, too who come here from choice, not from ~
desire expectation "i "llicc, but who would b" u
, willing to live where they could never bc capable al!
holding il. But oil those who move from necessity
ir. the Ul subsistence. must SUI come, Tor even
tho Known No.hngS will give them leave 10 toll
Then tr-c constitute the grcn! "t foreign emf
grants that cnnc IL oar shores. III" question, hcm
j., IN ;hcir treatment after they reach here Shall
they be denied all political iranchi-e- Shall they be
treated n. aliens i'll midst, uml thus mndc indIcr
cn or perhaps, hostile iu government and ins
tutiui>, Or, shall they be ,rrard, heretofore, by
oar fathers and ourselves, who Nsc sought Ia bInh
them 10 country by the ties Of sympathy aud m
t,rrst and for that purpose have held out reasonable
hope that plncr should hc made tor them III pn-
l'"nl society, as soon a. they cnL show by certain
evidences, that they are iii inrl;'
Here Ii immense power III our nIIdrt. HE qu"s-
ton il. how sha he rcnted! Shall we bind il III by
the kindly ties ui arr"'iun and tho still stronger bonds
"l interest shall we hcnate nn! cstrHn@ct! That,
hcn is III" true iISnc 81 principle L" which -shii
speak; There are minor questions nt detail, which
Invr not time discuss In all the Trcht opera
;"Gls pt society, certain evils Incidental, which
NUT be prov idrd Tor they uriSc uoG by destroying.
but by regulating. the syf'm 81, too the process oi
nssmilung the foreign clement into American s"cle-
- has Its Incidental cvll., which may bo met u tlu
special arise for some the police powers of
the States arc AMPLE nnd others may be guarded
against by tho Federal Government, without. disturb.
ing tho general fca;urcs Of the process itself What
manain IL, that this now elt nnnt ought To be as
simulated with the grca body ut American society,
far as il be done. and that n place ought to bo
made for the foreigner III our political society a" soon
iis htitr i,r
In discussing this ISSUE | may be permitted, trust
H. Umtcr Il little into the history nt the question ITSELF
Al all times tho tide ot human emigration seems 10
hav. been directed by law ot maturc, which
thus provides for that fusion and ntcr-cnmmunica-
ton o races, which hns been proved To be necessary
to the general progress of the whole. There is not
great people lilInn record who did not spring from
nlx;urr ut races. The Greek, the Roman, the Eng
ls' and tho French, all Sprang from mixture ~!
stocks. The jewish exclusive, but il IL nsO
IL he remembered that they lost power and empire
The rniwrntiuns from which all this resulted IN nn
! cicut times, forced "r armed rmgruii"ns. Inc
stronger nud weaker races, when living slGe by side,
owed their proximity tn Tho fact, that the former had
brought tho latter To their homes as slaves, or else
sci2Inr the country OF the suhiuxnrd had settled III II
n bcIr more dcsirnhG thnu their Thus il
was, in ancient tiin2-, thar ;c necessity for an inter
change uf the habits, thoughts and characteristic
ideas nf the different races WAS satisfied. Routes
through which the forced emigration ni the African
| slave WAS conducted before the Egyptian pyrnulds
were built, are, OF them still used tor the same
purpose The irrup,ions OF the GotIis, the NauInls
uud liuns were 50 inrny armed mmigrau!Is, aud te
same nav be suii of tho Crusaders. All these seem
tD have been designed 10 -nmo grcat PURPOSE III
the ccnmnmv Of nature by mln.ing different rHcrs,
and utcrrhaugng amongst all, the ideas ana tpaS'
peculiar tr each. The discovery al America, which
made - many changes in the I" human affairs.
u!-o Ia have presented new INV ioi The dir"c
ton ~ tl!r stream Of emigration. Tho great law n
trade. the law OF demand "nd supply now ntcrvencI
10 inpr MID regulate H. WILDERNESS was 20 be !
opened. nni the field IGrg" enough for ai who
might choose Our inrcnfhcrs held ont every
induc.;ncnt tO encourage eIn-rnliDn from abroad.
Upon this subject the policy of Virginia vas pecn.
liurlv liberal, and lands given TO those who
woud settle amongst Ii. At the time Of the DCCln-
ration "f Independence, it mnde cnnsc of COM
,aint n.uns the Crown thu; obstacles had been inter
posed in III" way ot foreign emigration. Atcr The
adoption "t the present Cni-itutinn nnd during the
administration OF Washington, n law was pn>"cd n- !
lowing foreigner IN be- nntrraltZci, after II residence
Of five years. Under the Federal Administration of !
John Adams, the period wa" extended To fourteen |
years bu: the five years term was restored nSn'r
when the Republicans party came III under Mr.. J"Frr-
sD Thus IL hna Stood with no cSlrCh-I"n OF dl-sati-
faction, until within Il few years past, with the single |
cyccpon n | believe, Of the Hartford CouveiIa on,
which sought 10 revive the fourteen wears term.
Under this lc-sln:On the of emigration has
been rapid and generally supposed until late.
w. beneficial to the country. Inc foreigner settled
beside uS 10 participate in hopes and Car"s, 10
share with us the chances "t lie, aud contribute bc
resources of his mind and body TO the growth and
p-o-peritv OF American society i'll which tor the most
mart; hc felt n common interest with Uur-"iv"+. III
was the boast Ot the Old Hun, that grass never gre"
after the tread "f his horses hooi it was not with
th- emirrant who came here; l.. made two hlnics OF
grass grow whore grew before. nnI helped 10
gladden. the waste places OF nature wt I! inc hrtso
cultivation and civilization. To trace the agency OF
,his foreign eensn, in the various developments OF
American society believe, would Do 7tnrtIin2 enough
:, ,hns. who have not much considered the subject
Certain ii s, tlat our growth would have been much
less rapid withoutit. Think t" that an examination
Of rI,. history of this emigration will show, TINT if
nature bs left free 10 pursue her course, there