New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-04-17
TO NORTH AMERICANS.

rnsy be conci.ely termed Nstivism. II ran its hrst
course here in 1885, broke out again IN 43,
eourished in ~, and died away in 45; started
sffesh in 534, WIS rampant in So, and this is 20.
II swept over the States Of Massachusetts,, New
Hsmpshire. Rhode Island, New-Jersey, Pennsyl-
vania and Indiana in the elections preceding tie
last, end claimed triumphs also in Connecticut
Ohio ar d Michgsn. In every instance, its triumph
hAs been instantly followed by rehu1 OF the tide
which bore il on TO fortuDe There is not now
sir ole Free State in which "AmericanisIn" obtained
majority OF the entire vOte st the last election,
though thousands voted for its candidates in New.
Hampshire. Rhode Island, Connecticut, &c, who
have 10 sympathy with it, peculiar ideas, but sim
ply because the larger portion Of the Free-Kansas
voters were ranged under its banner The NUM-
cipsl and local elections evince the same tendency
Of " Americanism to decline and decay. Chicago
ST. Loui,, Springfield I'll }, Trenton, Hartford,
New. Haven and other cities in which it once
ruled have just gone largely against it-st. Louis
by the largest majority she ever gave Tor any
ticket; Hartford by far more than she ever I'LL
now gave for any ticket calling itself Democratic
So Cleveland has just given one Of its heaviest
lOI Inc Guam DcmVtIot.'
These results need not and should not have been.
Chicago would have given at least oue thousand
msiority against the enhancement OF Kansas; but
nearly half her voters are Of European birth, aud
they would not seem to favor, nor even to disre-
gard, movement looking to the Acknowledgement
Of their class. They would have willingly voted
for Universal Freedom, but not at the hazard of
their own Such, we are both publicly and pri-
yately assured is the moral Of that election; such
is that Of many others. Lancaster, Reading and
other cities which first carried or nearly 30,
BY "Americanism," have emphatically returned to
tie embrace of Sham Democracy.
The impulse in all these cases is such as We
have repeatedly observed in this city. Wherever
the selfstyled Democracy are in power, there the
Adopted Citizens, who form large portion OF their
numerical strength, claim and receive share OF
the Offices. This cbafes the lower strata of Demo-
cratic aspirants, who mutter TO themselves, " II
ait were not for these Dutch and Irish, zee should
abe cCnstables, policemen, &C. - without re-
neciing that but for the votes Of those same
Dutch and Irish the Offices would not come to
their side at all. 81, when Nativism first breaks
out, these grumblers 90 in for it with all their
might. Some of them thus obtain the places they
covet, others do not; but all feed fat their grudge
against those who so proyokingly stepped ST stood
between them and the goal OF their ambition.
Their wrath thus appeased, old party ties, tradi-
tions, watchwords, associations, resume their
sway: the Democratic Natives desert Natiyism for
Democracy; the Adopted Citizens have been
driven more unanimously than ever TO that side;
and our late Wing friends, who have gone wool
gathering amOpg the brambles of Natyism, come
back with precious little hide and no fleece at all.
How many more times shsll they try this before
they comprehend it
That there are abuses connected with Natural
izatisn under our present laws, we have always
felt and frequently asserted. Those abuses We
would gladly assist in correcting We do not think
European feons fleeing TO our shores ought ever
to be admitted to citizenship. We would refuse it
also to chronic paupers, because of the ignorance
ard dependence incident to their condition. We
would require every applicant for citizenship to
prove that he had followed during his probation
some honest, useful calling for livelihood and was
sober, upright moral man. So far we would
gladly 90 in the direction contemplated by Nativism
30 far and no further. To exclude immigrants
for twenty years from the voting list is to ex
elude thrfe-fourths Of them-the good as well as
the bad-for life; and this We cannot do. Under
such system, one. third Of community may often
give the law to the other two-thirds; and if that
be not olgarcby then words have no meaning.
1t is now abundsntly demonstrated that the
American People will not make Nativism the car
dinal principle Of their politics. 1t was proved
during the long contest for Speaker, that this was
not the ruling purpose, eren Of The Na,ires them
s,lres. They could not and would not unite en-
candidate for Speaker, because nearly all Of them
made the Slavery issue paramount. Even Lewis
ID Campbell, who thinks he and two Southern
men could settle the Slavery question in fl.
teen minutes, received Southern vote,
while Humphrey Marshall who is capable, aud,
aside from Slavery, liberal National man, received
scarcely one from the North. Slavery, then, and
not Nstivism, is the real issue that divides the
American People. History will give no indication
that the President We are about to choose was Ma
tive or antNatiye but il cannot fail TO say much
Of bis attitude with regard TO Slavery Extension.
Why, then, shall we not agree to act with single
reference to the real matter in dispute We speak
to men who concur with Us in earnestly desiring
that Kansas shall be Free State, and from those
only can we expect cooperation. We believe that
there is majority Of voters in every Free State
OF will be when the facts shall have been dqy pre-
scuted-yhO will labor and vote 10 add kansa. IN