Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-01-02
AMERICAN ORGAN.
ron THE AMERICAN ORGAN.

| ron THE AMERICAN ORGAN.
RALEIGH N. O., December %, 1854
| My DEAR Sin: now propose to go ON viii,
my review of Mr.. Wises manifesto against the
Know-Nothings," at that place where left off in
| my lust
Mr.. Wise says, "this secret political organiza-
ton is against the spirit Of our laws, and the facts
of our history" In attempting to establish the
latter branch Of his propositionthat II is against
the facts ofour history am not willing to do the
injustice to Mr.. Wise's intellect, to suppose he is
serious in his method of putting the argument. i
can only regard it as a piece of pleasantly, for
which know Mr.. w. is remarkable, sometimes, IN
the midst Of the most serious discussion His po-
sition is ths--that inasmuch as wc are such a
youthful nation all our ancestors having been only
200 years ago foreign-born to the soil--it Is,
therefore, "against the facts Of history" that We
should now show any jealousy of Foreigners
If Mr.. w. is serious in this, he certainly does
not mean to insist that our right to guard with tho
most stringent provisions, our institutions against
foreign influence, is at all impaired by our youth
fulness as nation. He may argue it as a matter
Of taste Or sentimeat---ifhc DOGS, then, as have
said before, demur to such method of dealing
with questions Of constitutional right and privilege
But had always thought, such has been the teach
ing OF history, as have read it-that it has ever
been in their carly history that all nations have
been most jealous Of foreign infucnce--,nost sen
stive in regard to the preservation of their pecu-
liar institutions. The ancient Greeks were much
more tenacious of their freedom, and Jealous Of
barbarians Gas they called all the rest of the world
in their early history, than in their latter days Of
splendid cfomminacy, when their arts and sci
ences and luxurics had invited an influx Of for
egncrs from all parts Of the world. So with the
Romans. of@ f A
It is true, Romulus first invites the refugee and
the outcast from all Italy to assist him in founding
his colony and completing its deicnccs; but when
Rome grew strong, and became to have distinct
i've character, where was there ever people thai
possessed more marked and isolated nationality
And it was when the title Of Roman citizen began
to lose its once priceless valuc-when the millions
of the conquered provinces were admitted to cqua
rights and honors---that decay and degeneracy com
mcnced their work.
According to Mr.. Wise, the carly Greeks were
set of upstart pretendcrs, In their jealousy Of bar
barians. They should have recollected that Cad
mus, and Cecrops, and Pelops, were men of yester-
4 day, foreign adyenturers from Phenicia and Phry-
gia. The history of nations is, to a great extent,
| the record of the migration of races. How long
must q people be in possession of country before
they have a right to consider themselves the un-
doubted lords of the soil, and to provide against
foreign intrusion?
How long, according TO Mr. Wise's theory,
should the Israetes have been in Palestine before
they adopted their stringent laws against foreign
inAucnceY Mr.. Wise must think Moses was sad
ly contrayening "the facts of the history" Of his
country, in the jealousy exhibited against foreign-
ers in the commercial law. He seems to be in ex-
| tacics at the right extorted by Magma Charia, at
Runnimede--but yet, according TO the doctrine
here laid down, the Barons were set of beartless
foreigners-for it was not to the people at large,
TO the British or Saxon "Autochtous" Ito use one
Of Mr.. Wise's law words) that King John yielded
those rights but to the Barons, set Of quasi for
eigners, whose ancestors had come over with the
conqueror, only one century before. r
Mr.. Wise says, further, by way of showing the
Inconsistency OF jealous opposition TO Roman Cath
olic influences that only two centuries ago our an
cestors took possession of this country, "by au-
thority, either directly or indirectly, of Papal
power. His Holiness the Pope was the great
grantor of all the countries of North America
If such an argument as this had come from a
bigoted Papist, could have appreciated its bearing;
but, coming from one who, in another part of his
letter. boasts Of his Professionalism, / confess am
utterly unable to understand It. That the Pope OF
Romc as the pretended vicegercnt Of the Almighty,
| has claimed and still claims the ownership Of all
the domains Of the earth, am aware; that he has
| from time to time, affected to grant to his chosen
followers immense territories, / am, also, aware
Just as I am informed from reading my Bible, that
the Devil once offered to give the whole world
which he had just about as much title to, as the
| Pope of Rome has-to the Saviour, IL he would
worship him. But, if Mr.. w. intimates that this
ridiculous claim of the Pope has ever been recog-
nized in the public law Of Christendom deny it.
Discovery, possession, settlement-these are the
criteria Of national title to wild and savage lands.
How were the charters granted by the British Kings
| for the settlement OF North America, derived from
the Pope? Nt
Did the early English explorers of North Ameri.
ca plant the English flag ON our shores, In virtue o
| any papal bull Y Woro the settlements at Roam
oke, at jamestown, at Plymouth Rock, made in
| virtue of permission from Rome Certainly not.
This claim of the Pope TO distribute the domains
OF the heathen, has never been regarded, even by
Roman Catholic countries, except when followed
by settlement and established dominion Mr.. w.
says foreigners, In the name OF the Pope and the
mother church, took possession Of North America"
&c, "and now their descendants are for excluding
foreigners and the Pope's followers from an equal
enjoyment ofthc privileges of the same possession
The first part Of the proposition Is not warranted
by history. The country was originally settled by
a Protestant population As 70 the latter part Of
the proposition, II Mr.. W. is serious, he must mean
that We are under obligations TO the Pope and mo-
'o f'"h@hsb w Vot '''o
main, and, consequently, an obligation rests on us
In return TO reciprocate the boon. u.y
IL must mean this II il means anything. Let
me ask Mr.. Wisc-do you believe the Popc's bull,
granting heathen lands TO any Power on earth,
has any validity in the public law of nations, in
virtue Of his Pontfcal character, or In the unbi-
assed condolences Of mankindY II you do not,
why do you gravcly contend, that IL Is ungrateful
In u.s. not to appreciate what you have just before
termed as fiction Z" If you do, then you cannot
consistently call yourself Protestant any longer.
In speaking Of this pretended power Of the
Pope, 10 grant heather lands, he says, further,
"what would have become Of our national titles
in the northeastern and northwestern boundaries,
but for the plea Of this authority &c.2 Here
Mr.. Wise is again at fault. No such doctrine was
contended FOR by either power in either OF the
treaties with England, settling vexcd questions
Of boundary. There Papal bulls were referred to,
and very uscfuly, too, in settling disputed ques-
tons Of date, and also Of recognized boundaries at
! certain times.
But neither England or America, or their diplo-
natists ever advanced the doctrine that the more