Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1855-10-20
nd a shame 10 America that such things are

and shame 10 America that such things are
| suffered.
As there is much ignorance, so there is much
paupersm among them.
In the State of Massachusetts there were
9,247 paupers. In New York there were 10000
foreign paupers to l9.275lnatve paupers. In
Pennsylvania 5,898 native and 5,653. foreign
paupers. In the whole United States there
were 66,434 native and 6S, ,53S foreign paupers,
with one-tif,h of the whole population, the for
eign paupers exceed the native paupers. This
number is certainly increased to nearly, il not
quite, 100, 900 in the United States, at cost of
one hundred dollars each. This would amount
to an annual expense of 100000 of dollars
to support foreign paupers in the United States
This OF course does not include the sums Civ
en- to street beggars, or persons not in the re-
ceipt Of public charities. By what treaty have
we become the poor house Of Great Britain and
Germany? BY what part of the Christian code
are We bound to do this! 1t is an outrage no
longer to be endured. Already has the Amer
lean sentiment aroused by the American party
begun to be felt Some of the States have be-
gun to act upon this point. This is the first
fruits-other and more important results will
follow.
The statistics of crime in the Uuted States
show that very large proportion of tho ins
mates OF our prisons andpenitentiaries are for
eigners. In Connecticut there were 645 native
and 305 foreign convicts. When we remem-
Der the small proportion Of foreign to native
population in that State, the disproportion of
convicis is enormous. In all, $50 convictions for
criminal offences 10 one year in that little State,
hardly larger than one of our counties What
change from former days! What moral re-.
Progression wrought by foreign influence!
In Massachusetts there were 1884 foreigners
convicted of crime in the year 1849. In New
York there were 545 foreign convicts in tk,.
three peniteniaries. do not include criminals
confined in the jails, but in the penitentiaries
alone. The mind wearies with these details
we may sum mp foreign convicts in the United
States as being not less than 10000. If we
add to these. convicts escaped from Justice on
the other side of the Atlantic, and convcts who
have been quietly sent away a. piece Of econ
omy by their governments, the criminal array
is greatly increased. 1t requires no reflection
to understand that the moral, social, and polit.
ical influence Of all this class Of emigrants is
most hurtfuI.
At one view, there are in the United States
more than 1000 deaf and dumb, blind, idiotc
and insane foreigners; more than 25o.O00 who
can neither read nor write; more than 10 1000 in
confinement for crime, and 100000 paupe.s.
Add to this the great annual increase Of i'm
migrants, and Of course an annual increase of
the above noxious elements. and you will con-
cur with me that something should be done to
arrest this evil. In this section of country we
have suffered but Indirectly from it. In these
remote mountains, the foreigners rarely finds
his way. 1t is the Northern Atlantic seaboard
which has needed moral quarantine to keep
out this infection. But directly and by indi.
rections ofgreat peril had arisen, thatif another
remedy had not been found, Gn this laxity OF
the pu bile morals in this corruption Of parties.
in this venaity of officers, in this incursion OF
crime, n the disregard Of the public safety
we might almost have initiated ancient ROM
and in extremity have appointed Dictator s,o
provide that the Republic received no detri-
ment" 4 Hssl ,5
But the remedy has been found. II I am.
not mistaken it will be successfully administesl(
I'd by the great American party-through Their
great principles, that Americans shall rue
America. Let this oil be poured upon the an
cry waters, and our ship Of State, now strained
and tossed, shall sail safely over smooth sea.