Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-04-17
Our Principles.

Our Principles.
FSrst We shall advocate repeal of the
laws Of naturalization, or If that cannot be &C
complished, then such modification of those
laws, as viii prevent future immigrants from
becoming citizens, short Of residence Of
twsnty-one years, after taking the oath Of ale
glance TO the United States, and Of a6juration
Of all other powers, potentates, and princes
Second. We shall advocate the passage of
stringent law by Congress to prevent the i'm
migration hither Of foreigners, who are either
p0upers or criminals, and to send back to the
countries from which they come, all such for
eigners Of these classes as may, in violation Of
such law, hereafter reach our ports; and TO
require the President Of the United States to
demand from any government, which may
send hither such classes of its subjects inms-
diats and ample satistaction for such outrage,
and . proper indemnity against the repetition
thereof
Third. We shall oppose the election or ap.
pointment of any Joreign-6ort citizen to any
office Of trust honor or emolument under the
Federal or State governments, or the employ
ment or enlistment Of such persons in the army
or navy In time of soGr; maintaining, az we
do the opinion, that the natips-5orn citizens Of
the United States have the right to govern the
land Of their birth; and. that all immigrants
from abroad should be csntent with tho enjoy
ment Of life, liberty and property, under our
institutions, without seeking to participate IN
the enaction, administration, or execution Of
our laws
Fourth We shall advocate and urge the
adoption Of such an amended form Of an oath
to support the Constitution Of tho United
States, and to be administered to all persons
elected or appointed to any Office Of trust, honor,
or emolument under the Federal or State gov
ernments, as viii efectually exclude from such
Offices all porsons, whe shall not directly and
erplicitly recognise the obligations and bind
ing force of the Constitution of the United
States, as paramount to all obligations Of adhe-
sion or allegiance to any foreign prince, power,
potentate, or authority whatever, under any and
all circumstances
FIFTH. We shall maintain the doctrine that
no one Of the States Of this Union has the right
to admit to the enjoyment of free outrage any
person of foreign birth, who has not been fret
made citizen Of the United States, according
to the " uniform rule" of naturalization pre-
scribed by Congress, under the provisions Of
the constitution.
Sirth We shall oppose, now and hereafter,
any "union Of Church and State" no matter
what dAss Of religionists shall seek to bring
about such union.
SsosntA. We shall vigorously maintain the
oested rights of all persons, Of native or foreign
birth, and shall 1t III times oppose the slightest
interference with sach vested rights,
\ Eighth We shah oppsse and protest against
all a6ridsmsnt Of rsiioisus liberty, holding
it As cardinal maxim, that religious faith is 4
question between each individual and his God,
and over which no political government, or other
human power, can righth,lly exercise any su-
pervision or control, At any time in any place,
or in any form.
Ninth. We shall oppose ~ "higher law"
doctrines, by which the constitution il to be set
at nought violated, or disrsgardsd, whsther BY
politicians, by rsligionists, or b. ths Adhsrents
or followers Of either OF BY any other class Of
persona
fsnth. We shall maintain and defsnd the
constitution as il stands, the Union - Il ex.
lists, and the rights Of the Stasss, without al.
minution "a guaranteed therby: opposing at
al times, and to the extent Of our ABILITY and
Influence, oH who may assail them, or either Of
them. &f1
Eleventh. Wss shall oppose no man, and sus-
tain no man, on he srvzHd of his opposition
to, or his support Of, Democratic measures, or
HAig measures; but we shall oppose those who
oppose our doctrines, and sustain those who
sustain our docrines
Tpslfth. And lastly, we shall use our utmost
exerticns 10 build up an american party.n
whose maxim shall be:
ANRRIcANs SHALL RULE rHKIR CoUNTRYi
AN ACT for establishing religious freedom, passed
in the Assembly of Virginia in the beginning Of
the year 1856;
Well aware that Almighty God hath created the
mind free; that all attempts to influence t by tenn.
porsl punishments or burdens, or by civil incapa.
citations tend only 10 beget habits Of Hypocrisy
and mesnness, and are a departure from the plan
of the Holy Author of our religion, who being Lord
both of body and of mind, yet chose not to prop.
agate by coercions on either az was in his almighty
poNct w wi sans tno hupiouS pFthunpuou OI leg
islatures and rulers civil as wen as ecclesiastical,
who, being themselves but fallible and uninspired
men, have assumed dominion over the faith of
others, setting up their own opinions and modes of
thinking as the only true and infalible and as such
endesvoring to impose them upon others, hath es-
tablshed and maintained false religions over the
greatest part of the world, and through all time
that TO compel man to furnish contributions of
money for the propagation of opinions which he
disbeeves, Is sinful and tyrannica; that even the
forcing him 10 support this or that teacher of bis
own religious persuasion is deprving him of the
comfortable liberty of giving his contributions
to the particular pastor whose morals he would
make his pattern, and whose powers he feels most
persuasive to righteousness and is Withdrawing from
the ministry those temporal rewards, which, pro-
ceeding from an appreciation Of their personal con-
duct, are an additional incitement TO earnest and
unremittng hbors for the instruction of mankind
that our civil rights have dependence on our re-
ligious opinions more than opinions in physics
or geometry that, therefore, the prescribing of
any citizen as unworthy the public confidence by
laying upon him an incapacity Of being called TO
the of3cea of and u1.. L.