Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1857-07-30
ALIEN SUFFRAGE.

~ tEe cielzeDS Oi OuelDy county, tIou
which we take the following extract:
"You will remember. fellow-citizens,
that the Know Nothing party de-
nounced the passage Of the Kansas
and Nebraska bills in their councils,
through their presses, and upon the
stump, with a zeal and fury only ex-
celled By the Black Republicans Of
the North. They denounced our
party for its passage at time, when
the doctrine of popular sovereignty
embraced in it formed the pivot Of
controversy upon which the rights
Of the South and the safety of the
Union seemed to turn. The misera-
! BILE mad-dog cry of 'Squatter Sove-
reignty" and the sanctity Of the Mis-
souri, Compromise, proved of no eff
fect-the popular judgment sustain
ed the doctrines of our party. and
the highest Judicial tribunal of the
nation has stamped our position with
the irrevokabIe seal Of constitutional
truth. The Know-Nothlng speakers
and editors are greatly exercised upon
the question of "alien suffrage" and
charge that the Democratic party are
the advocates OF "alien suffrage" -
We tell these hawkers and pedlers, in
political notions, that the democratic
party controlled the legislature OF
States and Territories, before their
tu!elar deity Sam was brought into
existence, and We challenge them to
place their fingers upon the Consti-
tuition OF State, or the enactment
of a Congress, where the question Of
Ialien suffrage Was presented or pass
led as a Democratic measure Do
they point US to Kansas? We re-
ply that aliens have no more right
to vote in Kansas than they have in
! Tennessee. The Kansas Bill con-
tanned a clause allowing foreigners,
, who had declared their intention IN.
der oath, the right to vote in the
first election. The first Territorial
7 Legislature that assembled was EN-.
. powsred by the act, to fix the quail
fication Of voters. That Legislature
I was Thoroughly and completely Demo.
r cratic, and it passed law now in
}. operation, which excludes unnatural
8 lied foreigners from the ballot box
: As effectual is this the case in Kan
0 lsas as IN Tennessee. We further
challenge the members of this party
to point US single resolve Of Dem
ocratic Convention, either Nationa
: or State, that Incorporates alien suf
r frage as a part of the Democratic
, creed. We submit that this cannot
be shown. True it is, that many
7 good and sound Democrats insist tina
e foreigners who have taken the initia
e tory steps of citizenship. should b.
iailowed to vote as matter OF jus
Itice and right in the erritories, fol
the reason that these men share g
qually in. the dangers of a first set
tlement-that they incur all the haz
ards Of a pioneer life, and should be
allowed a voice in the legislation o.
a Territory that they assist to buile
+ up. These arguments have force
we admit, aud they go long ways
to justify John Bell, who defended
!, "allen suffrage" in the Senate, anc
!, G. H. Williams, NJ. P Gentry, 3. K
:, Zollicoffer, and Charles Ready, thu
? first two of whom voted for its TEN
porary existence in the Washington
and the two last in the Kansas, bill
? MIR. Fillmore also must have appre
ciated the claims Of the foreign pic
neer, when be gave the sanction o.
!. his name to the "alien suffrage leg
islation of his non know nothing
friends. This question is matter
however, Of little importance if VT
,, are to Judge Of its effect ia the pas
! history Of the country; but, whether
!, of much or little consequence, We
; candidly tell our opponents that THEY
now constitute but the remnant of a
: local faction, and it requires toe
!, heavy draw upon democratic pa
thence to expect US calmly to dis.
cuss national issues, with an organi.
, aatiou that can have no pretension to
a national existence. We tell these
men that in the whig party, Democ-
, racy had a foeman worthy of its
steel. The disruption Of that party
has brought about day Of small
things with the opposition that re.
6 flecting men can but regret and de-
'plore.
4 "Our limits, however, forbid ex.
tended remarks. 1t is obvious that