American union. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1859, 1857-02-07
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violently denounced by its opponents
for its opposition to foreign influence.
The vilost cpithets known to our Ian
guage have been exhausted by Sag
NIGHT orators and Sag Nicht organs in
their denunciation Of the effort on the
part Of the Americans for the extension
of the period required for the natural
ization Of foreigners and the establish
mcnt of a purely American policy
In their excessive anxiety to attach to
the Democratic party the whole mass
of foreigners, some of the Democratic
orators, during the recent canvass,
even went SO far as to declare that if
ever the liberties Of this nation were
preserved, it would be done by tho for
eign born voters in the country, and
they have, for party purposes, endor-
sed the Infamous assertion of John
Mitchell, "that the Irish Catholic who
confessed to a priest, that confessed to
bishop that was appointed by the
Pope of Rome, was the most cffectual
champion of the true American idea of
government, and the most effectual
barrier against the spread Of foreign
influence in America" ...
All this fulsome laudation Of the
foreign element in our population is
simply assumed for political effect
1t is unreal and insincere. 1t is actu-
;ated not by any love for the "poor ex-
lies from other lands" "the refugees
from European tyranny" but from
the spirit Of demagogueism which i'm
pels the socalled Democracy to employ
any arti6ce whatever to attract to itself
the support of a powerful foreign fac
ton. At the same time that the Dem
ocrats arc abusing tho Americans for
their Americanism, We find the Demo
cracy, wherever circumstances render
1t useful to their purposes, Intensely
American themselves, and even ready
to adopt more proscriptive measures
than any that have been proposed by
tho American party. In South Caro-
lima, a Democratic Legislature has
recently passed an act to amend the
constitution of that State so as to re-
'quire of every naturalized citizen a
residence Of two years after being ma
turalizod as q qualification for the cxer-
else Of the elective franchise. In Vir-
GINA, the leading organ ofthe Southern
Democracy assails the foreign popula-
ton with a torrent Of invectives, more
violent than any that have been uttered
by Americans. The Richmond Fnqui-
rer, abiding to the proposed settlement
in Virginia of small body of Italian
refugees says:
The character of these immigrants
opposes an independent objection to
their introduction in the State. For
the most part, they are political culprits
driven from Europe for their revolu-
tiorary violence, and fresh from the
infectious atmosphere of some criminal
colony. Factle Instruments, indeed,
Of slavery propagdndism' Some are
ordinary offenders against the security
of life and property; others are soldiers
whom despotism dsmis5es from its SER
vice--the vagabonds Of the earth IN
the pay Of aboLittontsn,, and prectptta.
ted here upon US to destroy the value
Of our property and the security Of our
lnstitottions.
These are convincing indications Of
the prevalence Of public sentiment i'll
favor Of American principles. The
Democracy are beginning to see that
the American sentiment must prevail,
and they wheel round, and, in the face
Of all their recent laudations Of foreign
crns and their denunciations Of native
born Americans, in the face of their
party platforms and their party reso-
buttons, they trim their sails to catch
the popular breeze, and 60 far beyond
any thing ever contemplated byKnow
Nothings' in their abuse Of foreigners,
and even make constitutional distinc-
tions in favor of native born citizens e.
against naturalized citizens. There is
ngroSs inconsistoncy in the professions
and the acts Of the Popc-loving Demo-
cracy that iS singu!arly apparent
Having no creednor principles Of their