Greenbrier weekly era. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1854-1861, 1856-05-20

at tic bottom of civil society, :hat no
foreigner should be permitted to taks 4
part III the government. There mi eht
have been, MIR. ii. acknowlcd sed, indi-
vidual exceptions, and there may be a.
gain, to this general rule, but it was nc.
cessarry to make regulations general and
he believed the dauger arising from ad-
nitting foreigners, generally to citizcn
sLip, would be greater than the inconve-
nie"ees arising from deharring from citi
zenship tho most deserving Foreigners.
lie believed it would have been we'll for
this country if the principle contained
in This amendno mt had been adopted
sooner he hoped it would now be adopt.
ed"
1t will be perceived that Mr.. Harper
went further than the American party
now propose to go, and that, too. at u
| ttmo when the practical evil was not
Of onc.tculh the magnitude it has now
attained. Yet who questions his patriot
lsm! Who dreamed that he was array
ed against the ''cause Of civil and rel.
gious frcedoui!''
In the samo debate, Wm. Craik. of
Maryland, said
D ale WAS disposed to 90 much further
than is proposed in this bill, in restrict.
ing alcns from becoming citzrus Of this
country. lie should have 10 objection
to say that no foreigner coming into thi,
country, after this time, shall over be-
como Il citiZeu."
James y. Bayard, Of Delaware, said
"Alicns cannot be considered rs mern-
hers Of the society Of the United States.
Our laws arc passed ou the ground of
our policy, aud whatever is granted to
! aliens Is IL nero matter Of favor, and if
it Is taken away, they have 10 right to
complain"
Upon the general principle Of discour-
aging excessive immi grafton will, on
this branch Of the question, quote but
one other authority, and that is from the
writings OF Thomas Jefferson.
Candor compcls ME to admit that
when Mr. Jefferson became a candidate
for the Presidency, lie relaxed bis op-
position to foreigners to very consider
able extent, and that after hi, election
ho recommended IL change in the law of
l79S, which had been passed under the
administration Of his great rival and
political antagonist. John Adams, so as
to reduce the term of rcsidcucc to five
years.
But it will be seen TINT Mr.. Jcfcrson's
lis notes on Fir ,iuia, and his practice
whilst President as shall here fter
have OCCASION to show,] conformcd to
the doctrines Of the American party
In his notes on Virginia, he says:
"Every species of government has its
specific principles. Ours are more pc.
cu'lar thnn those Of any other in the
Universe. 1t is Il composition of the
f:eest principles Of the English cops.itu.
ton, with others derived from ta:ural
reason. TO these, nothing can be more
opposed thnn the maxims of absolute
monarcby-yct, from such we are to cx-
poet tho greatest number of in migrants
They will bring with them the principles
Of Tho governments they imbibed III their
early youth; or if able to throw them of,
it will be i'll exchange for an unboundcd i
!'ccntiousncss, passing, as usual, from
one extreme TO another. 1t would hc n
miracle, we're they 10 stop precisely at
the point Of temperate liberty. These
principles, with their language, they will
transmit 10 their children. In proper
ton to their numbers, they will share
with us the l'gislation. They will ln-
fuse into it, warp and bias its direction,
aud render it heterogeneous, incohc.
rent and distracted mass. I may nppeal
! to experience during the present contest
tor vcrllicatlon Of these conjccturcs.-
But if they bc not certain iu event, arc
they not probablel Is it not safer to
wait with patience twenty seven years
and three mouths longer for the attain
! mcnt Of any degree Of population desired
or not expected May no. our govern.
ment DO more homogeneous, more pcacen
bic, more durable Suppose twenty
millions Of republican Americans, throw
all of sudden iIto France, what would
be the condition Of that kingdom ? If
it would be moro turbulent, less happy,
less strong, VIC may believe that the ad-
dition Of half million Of foreigners to
our present numbers would produce a
similar effect here"
III l707, Mr.. Jefferson was qnite as
emphatic and much more practical in
his opposition to foreigners In a pcti-
ton to tho Legislature Of Virginia, which
he prepared in that year, he said
"And your petit oncrs further submit
| to the wisdom Of The two Houses Of AS
scmbly, a1hc/hcr the SQ/cty of The cs1i.
1e"S Of this Commonwealth in Mciy
persons, their 1ropcrky, their ht7cs antl
gorer"mcHt, ttocs a& require tint the
cupacsfY ko act IN tic importonk oNics
NJ @j"ror. Srandor pcltyciuN or crsmi.
2af, sh0nM he restrained in future to
"dht0c citizens ofMc UHited States. or
s"ch as acre citizens ak tic dotc oT tic
|cHfy Of pcucc, which closed oar royo-
lutlonary war, and whctbor tho iunor.
ancc Of our laws, and natlral partiality
to the countries Of their birth, arc not
reasonable causes for declaring this to
be one Of the rights incommunicable in
future to adopted ci,izeus." JcGrrsou',
Writings, v. 8, p. 453.
| How docs that sound in tho cars ol
Democracy?
What would Mr.. j. hayo ihouubt Il
! ha cDulI hnvn sco, tho I,, rr.; ,,