The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-10-08

"American" is inserted before the word meas
ures." This is samp of the duplicity with
which the campaign ia conducted. +
Mr.. Banks addressed he mass meeting. L,
the course of his speech he said +
"There is another lbject to which our al,
tentioo is forciby called by every days histort
and upon which / do net hesitate to pronounc,7
my recorded opinions 4 think it may be
stated as general truth, beyond question, tha'
the right TO govern this country belongs to thu
American people. speak it in no proscrip
tive sense, but in the free and generous spirit
which it was spoken by x merican states men 4
the Convention that fra:ned the Constitution
to those of foreign birth sho had incurred viii
them the perils of the. Revolution. We ma
extend to foreigners Z hit of participation i,
our Government, but We ought not to surren:.
der, under any circumsssnces, our right of sbs
solute control. In othsr times they came Is.
small numbers, and ue,e the ardent friends O.
Liberty. Now they CONE in clouds, and whiL,
they claim our sympathy as refugees from 90.
preston which has driven them from theis.
homes, they become base, with some excep.
tons, whether Intentionally or not, the sun;
porters of policy thft we think is likely 10
fasten upon an entire Continent the worst sysJ
tenn of oppression the world knows, and which.
threatens the existence IF Republican Liberty
here in its last stronghold. In recognition o.
the conceded truth that every man is not oapa
BILE OF participating in,overnment, we requin,
OF Its native sons lohe and severe pupilag,
before admitting them 10 the inestimable priv,
leges of the elective fsnchise. But the sam,
is nowhere required osdhe foreigner; and la
some parts OF the couLery, within year of hia
arrival, he becomes feelaedged citizen. W.,
have reason to believs that in too many in
stances large numbers of them take instrk !.
ton in regard to political duties from ecclesias
tic authority, which is not necessarily ident!
fed with the country esther in sympathy G..
citizenship. H
ave cannot be unmiadful, that, perhaps With
out intentional wrong on their part, in on
crowded cities, unprincipled men of our ow
race make use of the ssaserial afforded them i
the large number of smigrsnts who suddenl
become voters, to viti0te the franchise of free
men and corrupt elections. | assail no ma
on account of bis rergion, or because of hi
birth place; but these; things, in my opnio,
demand some attentiSl. think there shout.
be established, in some manner, higher te,
of the capacity Of an applicant for CITIZENSHIP
TO appreciate and exercise the powers of fires
men that the manner of comforting the priv
lege of citizenship should be made more solem ,
and impressive; that Legislative safeguard
should be thrown around the ballot box, to prt
tect the rights of the public from the giganti !
frauds which have been committed, in whic 4
fresh and uninstructed voters are perhaps u,
consciously, made participants in great viol, ;
ton of public right. / am opposed to militia, :
organizations composed exclusively of foreig. :.
era, and l believe that the term of residen, ,
now required before citizenship or the right :
vote is conferred, should be materially exten
ed that its recipient may have opportunity, II
patient observation and study, in the langusk }
of Milton:
Both spiritual power and civil; what each means, >
What sewers each, which few have learned :
Entertaining no doubt that the great body
the people of this State concur in such views,
shall cheerfully concur in every wise and ju t
measure which promises an adequate reme6 2
for the evils of which we complain"
Here. again, in his speech, he thrusts Il |,
Know Nothing issue on the Republicans, d r
claring that the naturalization term must | o
extended, and admits himself, by the stronge t
implication, to the fourteenyears propositio j,
which was defeated in our last Legislature, a, 4
| is to be renewed in the next. BE also libe 3
the naturalized citizens, in accusing them If
supporting, with some exceptions, the pi =
| slavery policy, when he knows that at the Ia It
Presidential election scores of thousands If
| Scandinavian foreigners voted for Fremont, o.
| larger proportion of them sustained Fremo it
| than of nstive-born citizens. He knows tn
| they were voting for Freedom, when the favor e
| of his friends, Joel I. Headley, was leading N
| in the Fillmore movement; to which, above III
things else, Fremont's defeat is due. If Nr
Banks means to charge on foreigners, that in
| past years they have sustained the Democra ic
party, with its pro slavery policy, it comes W in
all ill-grace from him who, up to the time Il at
he joined Know Nothing council, in the c ty
of Washington, in 1854, had sustained that So 1e
| party and that same policy.
| The whole pro, ect of the nomination of r.
| Banks, holding such position as he does, as
conceived for the purpose of breaking do IN
the Republican organization in such qt et
and gradual manner, 80 that the honest n en-
attached to it should be unconscious of wYat
was going on. This ia seen in forcing tJr.
Banks on the Republicans while he was b, ID
ing allegiance to hostile party, and at he
same time protesting that be was Repp Iii
can. 1t ia seen in Mr.. Banks thrusting he
Know Nothing issue into the campaign, b th
in his letters and speeches, and in his cauti JUS
omission to do anything which shall com all
him to the Republican Platform, made at hbl
adelphia, and the organization there effec ed
1t is seen in the call Tor the Ratification Meet
ing, scithom distinction Of political creed or
organization" and in the invitations give. tc
| Fillmore men to cooperate in it. 1t is see, in
the Know Nothing resolution passed at pa,
meeting. The process still goes on. s me
county and district Conventions have ger
called, which have been called, not IS Re
publican Conventions, but inviting call the
| friends of Mr. Banks" Nor is this all. Che
| Republican and Banks American Con gen
| tons, except for Governor, nominated dis
| tinct tickets for Lieutenant Governor aud 9th
| State Offices. Mr.. Banks declines to say wfict
ticket he supports; and it ia rather an anosssly
in politics, that a party shall have candidate
for one Office who does not support its ethel
candidates. The Republicans would Eaydly
have supported William L. Dayton for the Jics
Presidency, if he had refused to support Ere
mont for the Presidency. 1t is, however, nov
proposed for the Republicans to abandon Ger
tain candidates ON their ticket, and subs tut,
Americans for them. The Americans de sant
that Oliver Warner and Velorus Taft, WI . vo
ted against the fourteen.years Know Nohipe
amendment in the last Legislature, shall b,
stricken from the ticket. Thus it is pro- oseC
10 make Know Nothingism a test of Re
pubhcauism, and to prescribe every Rei abli
can who will not pledge himself to its pra Grip
tive measures.
1t is quite possible that the earnest Rel ubli
cans would foregos their opposition to Mr.
Banks, if they had the same confidence 50 hi
fidelity to the Anti-Slavery canse, derived iron
his long devotion to if, that they have IL tn,
fidelity of Governor Chase and Willia,i H
Seward. They might then, say that, no, gith
standing his dubious relations to existing par
ties, if once elected, he would immediatel, all,
himself with the Republican cause, and O nsol
idate its supporters into one well defined s;srty
clear of all nativisp. 1t is even now VII sper
: ed, by some of bis friends, when they CO, GERS,
L yxiih iho IL / L.