The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1856-06-21

which he had only lately been reelected,
and became secretary of state under Pres
dent Polk. Nor is it necessary that W
should recapitulate his services in that de
partment. They are fresh and familiar il
all minds. His argument in favor Of tn
clear and unquestionable title Of the Ameri
can people to all Oregon, won for him tn
applause of the whole liberal world, ant
was published in several languages in Eu
rope. The state papers, on other grea
questions, proceeding from his pen durin:
the four years he remained in the depar:
ment OF state, were SO many contribution
to the column which celebrates his emnen
fitness, and his unsullied integrity.
Mr.. Buchanan remained in connection
with Mr.. Folks administration until Marcel
4, 1919, when he once more returned t,
Pennsylvania, and from that period up t
the election of the present chief magistrate
he engaged himself in pursuits congenial Il
q statesman Of large and extended expert
ence. The conflict between the enemies o
the constitution and the democracy, did no
find him an idle spectator. He was in th'
fore front Of the democratic party, demand
ing for the south no hollow and hypocritica
platform, but broad, radical, distinct re
cognition of those rights, which cannot b.
equal, unless they are shared honestly ant
fairly between the people Of all the section
of the Union.
During the Presidential contest in 1852
Mr.. Buchanan stood in the van Of the de
mocratic ranks. The following remarkable
passage from his speech delivered to a mas
meeting of the dem cracy of Western Penn
sylvania, on the 7th of October, 1852, a
characteristic of the man and his opinions
that we do not hesitate to copy them. Re
member that, at no time did he ever yield
jot or little to sectionalisn. He was agains
1T instinctively, and from the start II
said:
From my soul, abhor the practice 0
minsEng up religion with politics. Th'
doctrine of all our constitutions, both frde
raj and state, is, that every man has an in
dcfcasible right 10 worship his God accord
iug to the dictates of his own conscience -
He is both bigot and a tyrant, who woulC
interfere with that sacred right. When
candidate is before the people for office, tn,
inquiry ought never to be made, what form
OF religious faith he processes; but only, in tn,
language Of Mr.. Jefferson, Is he honest, il
he capable z
name fot native American party. Wher
all the records Of our past history prov.
that American democrats have ever opened
wide their arms u receive foreigners tyln,
from oppression in their native land, anC
have always bestowed upon them the right,
Of American citizens sitter a brief period o
residence in this country. The democratic
party have always gloried in this policy
pulation and our power. with unexainp p cd
raptdity. and TO furnish our country witt
vast numbers Of industrious, patriotic an
useful citizens. Surely the name OF demo
cratic Americans was an unfortunate desIg
nation for the native American party.
The Native American party, an 'Ameri
can excellence and the glory of its found
er~hip, belongs 10 George Washington -
No, feIlow-citzens, the American people
~ sia- ~ ---.L --~-i -. vi.a-i~-.@ 49,
memory Of that ilIustriOus man from such
im, ,.utation. As long as the recent memory
OF our revolutionary struggle remained vi
yidly impressed or the hearts OF our coun
trvmen. no such party could have ever
existed. The recollection of Montgomery
La Favcttc. De Kalb. Kosciusko. and a long
list of for isners, both officers and soldiers
who freely shed their blood 10 Secure our il.
bertics, would have rendered such in .rati
tude impossible. Our revolutionary army
was filed with the brave and patriotic ma
tires of their lands; and George Washing
ton was their cOmmander-in-chief Would
he have ever closed the dor against the ad.
mission of foreigners to the rights Of Amer
can citzenss Let his acts speak for them
selves. So early as the 29th of March,
1890, General Washington, as President OF
the United States, approved the first law
which ever passed congress on the suhJecto:
naturalization and tins only required a re-
sidence of two years, previous TO the adop-
ton of a foreigner as an American citizen.
On the 29th January, 1875, the term of re-
sidence was extended by congress to five
wears, and thus it remained throughout Ge-
neral Washngton'S administration, and un-
til after the accession Of John Adams to the
Presidency In his administration, which
Will ever be known in history as the reign OF
terror. as the era Of alien and sedition Laws,
an act was passed on the 18th Of Juhe,
1898, which prohibited any foreigner from
becoming citizen until after a residence Of
fourteen years, and this is the law, or else
perpetual exclusion, which General Scott
preferred, and which the Native American
party now desire to restore.
1.-The Presidential election Of 800 secured
the ascendancy of the democratic party, and
under the administration of Thomas Jetfer-
son, its great apostle. on the l4th of April,
1902, the term of residence pre- ,ious to m.
turalization was restored 10 five years, what
it had been under General Washington, and
where i, has ever since remained No, fel-
the father of his country was
4 "a
excellence never belonged to him"
And when the campaign resulted in trI-
umph, President Pierce rendered TO Mr..
Buchanan the leading foreign mission, which
was accepted. Circumstances have trans
pired, within the last few years, to make the
American mission to the court of ST. James
singularly important, and it has happened
that during MIR. Buchanan's stay in London,
several great quc ucstions OF vexatious and
complicated character have disturbed inter
course between the two countries. However
important to both the cultivation Of conti-
nued peace and good will, the fact that
Great Britain sees our growing progress with
jealousy and alarm, and the fact that we be-
hold her PrdgmaticaL interference upon this
continent wherever an opportunity is pre-
sented to her with Indignation, render our
TtIdtiOHS Will NTcdt OI tue IuOSt uS
licate character. The very intiDcy of our
business connections, constituting, as 1t
does, the real cord which binds us together.
is apt, moreover, to come in conflict with
political considerations, and the commercial
attiition, so to speak, throws into dangerous
neighborhood English ambition on the one
hand, and American progress on the other.
1t has become proverbial that the selection
of wise, able and experienced man to rep
resent the United States at the British
court, is one of the first duties OF an execu-
tive, hardly secondary to the selection oil Its
own chief cabinet ministers, because the
English mission is always intensely impoor'
tant to the immediate interest Of our people
During the trying time of Mr.. Buchanan
mission, the whole nation seem to have be.
come impressed with the importance and
Justice Of these observations. They felt fha'
in the American minister they had man
upon whose safe character and wise counseis