Volcano weekly ledger., 1856-08-16
" Americans Shall Rule America" "

ours, and hearing the constant use by the
Know Nothings of the above phrase, would
be led to believe in the existence of party
in favor Of somebody else than Americans ru-
| ling America-Russia, for instance, France, or
England, or, perhaps, some of the Asiatic or
African powers. Indeed, the only reasona-
BILE conclusion he could arrive at would be
that party existed in favor of surrendering to
some other and foreign power the sovereignty
Of the United States; for within the bound
aries of the country he would be totally un-
able to discover aught else than truly
American element.
Taking it for granted that the Know Moth
ings themselves are not fearful of invasion
by any of these foreign powers and that
their cry of Americans shall rule America"
is intended solely for home application, we
would ask, in all candor, what common sense
what practicability is there in itY Americans
shall rule America! When have they failed
to since the Declaration Of Independence
Even were it taken for granted that all citi-
zens of foreign birth are opposed to the best
interests of the country, still they would be
poweress for harm, because they only num-
ber say one in ten or fifteen Of our voting
population. Are our Know Nothing friends
fearful that this small population of foreign
ers will be able to overpower the native
strength?
But again, we maintain that the Know
Nothings cannot justify their wholesale pro-
scrption of foreigners on any principle of
right or justice Were not our forefathers
all foreigners; did they not all emigrate from
the same countries that our foreign popula-
ton now come from? Are we any better
than were our forefathers, that we should
hold ourselves superior to what they were!-
! Alas the internal strife with which our be-
loved country is beset argues that we have
degenerated rather than progressed No,
Move are not better than were the foreign
ers from whom We have descended; not bet
ter than the men who left their European
homes and sought refuge in the frowning
wilderness of the new world, all for freedom.
They landed at Plymouth Rock, and at
jamestown, and at Philadelphia or wherever
on the Atlantic shore wind and wave carried
their barks and, defying hunger and naked
ness, graphing with the merciess savage
and finally contending against fearful odds of
country, they built up in the western world
an asylum for the oppressed of all nations
And now, in the year of grace eighteen hun
dred and ffty-six, shall it be said that the de-
generate sons of those noble patriots have
converted that asylum into nest of political
prescription wherein the oppressed may not
find the home that our forefathers promised
them? Forbid it, patriotism forbid it, the
memory of our fathers
Is the foreigner who seeks this land because
he wants to be freeman dangerous person
to be in our midst Would you reward the
devotion he thus manifests for republican lib
erty by depriving him of citizenship and civil
rights for twenty-one long years? Why, the
grave overtakes large proportion of our
foreign population before they have been in
America during that period of time Many
of them arrive here at middle age or in ad-
vanced life leave home, and friends, and the
familiar associations of youth, in order that
they may die and rest their bones in land of
liberty. Shall they be compelled to remain
Subjects" Ito all intents and purposes) on
our shores-shall they be deprived for twenty
one years of the boon they came to enjoy,
and most likely die before the probation has
ended? Know Nothingism teaches this most
uncharitable, unchristian, anti-republcan doc
trine but we have faith in the American
people-they will not so stultify the past and
glorious history of the country.
We shall be compelled to refer to this
subject again.
, More Trouble in the Camp.