Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1856-06-16
NaturaIized Citizens.

Inc fOllOWlng sensible anu well IlHeu re
marks upon the exercise of the right of suf-
frage by naturalized citizens derive additional
value from the fact that they express the opin-
ion of one who is himself naturszed citi
zen, of German BIRTH In letter to the Jour
nal Of Commerce, he says:
It is nothing but natural that The Americans
should wish to be their own masters at home,
and that they should try to reserve unto them
selves the privilege of excluding such immi-
grafton as to them seems far from desirable.
Foreigners, on the other hand, should never
lose sight of the immense advantages offered
TO them, by the admission of this blessed
country, urtrammeled as it is by professional
limitations and coercive enlistment, with its
free press and liberty of worship. They ought
not to lay claim to the privileges of a citizen
rs their right, but they ought, on the contra
~, to look upon that privilege as boon, to
be used discreetly, and with due sense OF the
responsibility which attaches itself to it. Un-
fortunately, this point of view is in most cases
wholly lost sight of, and it cannot but wound
and gall ths true patriot of America, to see
on election days bOisterous gangs OF foreigners,
talking in an accent which is odious to the ma
tive ear, psrading through the streets with
banners flying the easy prey to the political
knave, who knows how to drown their con
science the soonest in foods of beer and BRAN
dy. Nay, l have myself been a witness to
scenes still more revolving have seen drOves
of drunken sailors, fresh from on board foreign
vessels, carried in triumph through the streets,
and from poll 20 poll. | turned away in dis
gust, and at that time, now five years ago, felt
my admiration OF the republican institution
IL - ,sNL H.
and enlightened citizens, false ballot boxes
brought to light, and the destruction of Others,
what could be the result, but an election Of
officers who very soon proved TO be a public
disgrace; and how could this be otherwise, IS
long as 80 per cent of the number OF electors
did not even know by name the candidates on
the tickets placed 10 their hands, and less by
reputation, be it for good or evil
Now, here you have a ground for indigns-
ton in every honest man, whether he sa" the
light of life first on this side of the water or
on the other; and You native Americans will
see Us all rise, like one man, to repress and
subdue, united with you, this fragrant outrage
alike on the liberties of us ALL and on the safety
of what we possess in the end; and, as il 10
admitted by every one, that there is lack of
control at the polls on almost every election,
there ought to be close supervision and q
frequent challenge. A salutary change will
be effected by the Know Nothing party in
This respect; and if it had attained nothing
but this one reform, we should all bess its
action. But as long as fraud presides unblush
lngly at the ballot box there is no use in spec
ulating on the weight that will be thrown into
the balance of the popular choice by the votes
of foreigners, who will not stand the only ones
liable To blame. And is q foreigner who il
apt to be nisled when landed quite fresh, not
quite a. open to corruption five, ten or twenty
years lateTl Has not the bad example been
before his eyes for the last ten or twenty years.
1t il, therefore, not so much the length of his
residence in the country, which should be
looked TO with a view to his qualification TO
vote, but his capacity to act as al independent
citizen is expected TO act.
In republic where every citizen constitutes
an integral and active part of the whole, every
man admitted to the honor of citizenship
should necessarily be able TO understand the
laws OF the land and the language in which
they are written. Therefore no body should be
admitted to citizenship who does not read and
speak English. This would include, at once,
both the ignorant Irshman, the block -headed
pc SAINT OF Hesse and Bavaria, and many a
ma Tci ditos done" who sometimes passes q
quarter of century in America, in lis exclu-
sive Frenchdom, and can read no American
paper except the Courier des EtGtS Unis.
And if this reading, mot to say writing,) aud
a certain knowledge OF Erglsh, were laid
down to qualify Us for citizenship, you would
probably arrive at the wisest reform which
the greatness Of the evil so loudly calls for.