Thibodaux minerva. [volume] (Thibodaux, La.) 18??-1858, 1856-02-02
The Naturalization Question.
NUMBER THREE.

NEw ORLEANS, Jan. 30th, 1856.
EDS. MIsERvA-Gentlemen In further rep
to my friend "A Naturalzed Citizen of over for
years." / shall in this number try to show th
eaturalized foreigners cannot be invested ,c;M I'll
right of suffrage, in the States or the Territorie
consistently with the Federal Constitution, Sta,
rights, Or our governmental ethics.
At the outset, restate the following conclusions
arrived at in my last paper, viz:
/. That the founders of our Federal Republi
advocated, and provided for, the admission of 70,
egners to citizenship, and the securement of thei
allegiance, for the purpose of increasing the NJ
mercal strength and material prosperity of tn
nation and not to obtain their assistance in gov
eminent.
2. That naturalization means endowment Will
merely civil rights, and it is to be done by tn
Federal Government, as the agent, for that pur
| pose, of the people of the United States-th
| nation.
8. That the people of the States only can civ,
political rights, such as the right to vote, ETC.
Assuming these conclusions as correct, let Ill
come to the question above stated as to the power
of the States to bestow the elective franchise OIL
unnaturalized foreigners.
Our fathers-under God-onginated nation
which has all the attributes and powers of sover.
eighty. These powers as the nation is at present
organized, are divided between the Federal govern
ment, the State governments and the people. But
they all originate in, belong to- and are exercised
for the people, so far as they exercised at all.
1--WE, the people Of the United States" have
created the Federal government and empowered
it. among other things, to naturaze foreigners, e..
to g;ve them civil rights and secure their a!le-
glance; and until this Is DONE they are not, and
cannot be, members Of the nation; for there is
no other way to make them such.
The nation was originally mass of persons,
civilly organized-legally connected. The only
reasonable idea as to new members, is that they
should be brought into the same civil condition,
and legal connection, as the original citizens. The
ideas of legal membership of-the enjoyment of
civil blessings under-and fidelity to, the nation,
must be kept in mind; for these are the dis
tingushing ideas of citizenship. In admitting
these Notwithstanding their allegiance-and
to them all the blessings of civil life
The object the people have in view, is to increase
he numbers, power, productive capacity, and
happiness of the nation.
The relation existing between sovereign and
the nation and citizen-s one
II protection on the one hand, and fealty on the
'ther. No other civil condition of civilized being,
Who is not pirate or an outlaw-hostis hunaui
'eneris-is known to law or governmental philos-
'phy. The obligation Of the subject, or citizen,
0 be faithful to the government, is allegiance. All
ivilized beings allegiance to some sovereignty
to the one under which they were
orn That allegiance is always due there, until
is transferred. In this Republic, the allegiance
J due to the sovereignty Of the people.
No one for a moment believe that the
ounders Of the government, or the people that
ompose the Republic, ever could have intended,
nat their rights Of citizenship land ortiori, the
ght Of sovereignty, of which shall soon speak,
hould be given to an alien, without the allegiance
t the donee being secured. The converse of this
wolves the unutterable absurdity of giving er
rata, the protection Of the government, and
u the blessings Of citizenship, to those who owe
lie sovereignty no corresponding duty Or fidelity
no, indeed, o~e allegiance to a foreign, ,,o,cer
IF allegiance is never transferred, except by some
It of the will of him who owes it.
Now, Eve the people of the United States"
institute one nation, and it should seem that a.
nation, we can have but one class of citizens.
e have created the Federal government, and t
ven to it the power to change aliens into citizens
the nation, and secure their allegiance. This t
'wer has been fully executed by the passage of q
II naturalization laws. And it should seem that {
g nation has, in the Federal Constitution, fully
cleared its will on the subject of citizenship-and
IS given to Congress all its power to admit C
W members; because the States, which had t.
fore 1857, respectively possessed the power to 0
turaize, seeing the need of uniformity of citizen
ip, in the nation they were forming; declared
at Congress should shave power to establish an II
yorns rule Of naturalization of course for all
2 States collectvely-for the nation.
Now it is selEevidens, that if any other power 81
making citizens should exist, and be exercised, O
iformity would be prevented, the above power
lifted, and the will Of the nation, expressed in 6.
. organic law destroyed. If thirty.two different
ates should exercise it, the greatest want of uni
NIFTY imaginable would be produced-the very
the nation had in view would be defeated
if any one State can naturalize-all can; and di
IL do naturalze, we shall have thirty-two DIFF 10
ent classes, or descriptions of citizens mongre
ion truly! the very thing the above clause was
signed to prevent Hence the idea of naturaliza So
n by the States, is an egregious absurdity. More
sr, in order that homogeneousness Of the nation u
uniformity Of citizenship, should begin at a,
,e, and continue forever; in addition to the to
we, and for the same mat;onis;ng purpose, the W
'pe provided in the same national Constitution, Is
t the citizens Of each State should "be entitled in
Ill the privileges and immunities of citizens in ar
several States" lyr,........ -.,-- is
Although there are other arguments equally n: ne
ent with the above, SHALL to avoid tedousness, To-