Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-11-18

al -LntsLEgenoer, in defence of the Missouri
Compromise-he being one of the very
few, if not the last, surviving members of
the Congress of 1920, which passed that
measure. The concluding article of the
series he devotes to the causes of our ma
tional troubles, which he attributes TO nut
l1fcatlon sLavsry and forcigmism. 1t is an
able document, and we transfer brief ex-
cerpt upon the last head, which is as just
as it is strong and cogent 1t is as fol
lows:
'Among the agents Of national disturbance.
deterioration, and transition, none has been
more efficient than foreign Influence TIE
| tide Of immigration from the lowest stratum
of European society has for The last tvenrv
years increased annually with such rspi3itv
and has already sweled to such an enormous
volume, as to alarm every considerate patriot,
native or adopted. To guard against the dan
ger our fathers appreherded from such in
congruOus and disturbing affusions. they took
from the States and delegated TO the General
Government exclusively all power TO naturaliza
foreigners. But that power has been so relax
ed by Congress, and its nationol objects have
| been so much evaded and perverted by some
| OF the States. as to have ceased to even check
| the evils 1t was intended to prevent And
| now. although the founders of the Union, in
| Gliding at their head the Father of his Coun-
| try, were alarmed at the immigration of TWEEN
/ ~ Thousand foreigners of all classes annually,
| politicians Of this day not only manifest 10
! uneasiness al the portentOus tide of half mil
| hon of the SoOrst sort every year, bnt seem
| anxious that still more and more shall come
To occupy and rule the heritage of native-born
| American citizens. And can any one of that
| class OF modern politicians believe thar such
copOus intusi"ns of snch foreign elements can
improve American blood or American charac-
ter, or elevate the standard of American mo
| rails or of American mind? Every Intelligent
! citizen mus see their pernicious influence
| social, political, and ecclesiastical. Their
| cial tendency is TO REORGANIZATION aGd down
! ward leVelisu., disturbing the homogeneous
! ness and crushing down the lOftnpss of our
| Anglo-SaXOn nationality. Their political ten
dency Is to anarchy. resulting from the predO-
minance of GoiU over Ian, of passion over
reason, OF matter over mind, and consequent
ly OF ambition over patriotism and of dema-
| gogues over statesmen. And their acclesiasFi
| cal tendency is 10 servility of mind and of con-
science to foreign sympathies aud transatlan-
tic power. Patriotism, intelligence mental
| IndependenCe, and liberty of conscience are
! the cardinal principles we'll fruits Of free
and eQnaI ReTublicanism. WithOur their pre-
valence there can b. neither liberty, security,
order, peace. On these foundations our
constitutions We're laid, and on these alone can
they rest. But the masses of foreign immi-
grants lack these essential elements of Conser-
vatism. They ST. generally poor and igDo-
rant, and superstirious, and they import their
Instructive prjudices and local attachments.
They re ignorant Of our peculiar nstTu-
tions, prejudiced against the most essential of
nf ita nd Obi of
all of them. Most of them trained to trust in
the Vicegerency and nfalhbility of the Roman
Pontitf, and in the authority of their priests
TO grant 6ispensation and indulgence, cannot
be truly American in conscience or in mind
but are ecessarily, in some degree, under for
eign Influence, and cannot sufficiently dscrim-
mate, as all American citizens should d. he
tween Church and State. And a urge nlnj0r-
ity Of the priests are foreigners exported to
them By the Pope and his council. Their reli-
ei0n, therefore, pure in faith it may be, must
inevitably be too foreign and political for the
principles of true American independence.
The American theory is that, Christianity be-
ing personal, "e0ery Tub must stand on ITS Oa0n
bottom ;" and that, consequently, every person
must be permitted to enjoy perfect liberty #
conscience, and be INDUCED without disfrau-
chsement or legal penalty, il his own relili- !
Gus faith. This Is, therefore, Aneric0H reIj- |
g3OH, which alone can separate ChulCh from !
St0te. All tie various forms of religion tOIv-
rated il the United States are of this Ameri !
can type, one only excepted; and all of ,ur' |
except that one are organized and governed Dt /
american authority. To fully Americanrzr |
that one also it should, like all the Others cut
loose from all foreign power aud ecclesiastical
utilization, and recognise no other han domes- |
tic authority in the appointment Of its prelates |
aud other teacher. When il shall do this and
also, as il then would be more inclined to do, |
shall encourage the circulation of the Bhlr |
and the exercise of liberty Of conscience. II |
VIII be more political than other denumi- |
nations. But if there be any who are anvil |
ling 10 become independent OF foreigu power !
and to exercise absolute liberty OF conscience. |
then, as power over the conscience is dominion
over the will, l could not, a. u faithful Ameri- |
can cit Zen, trust such a rUcus8nt non Ameri- !
can with political power. | could trust with |
power no man who teels auy foreign allegiance. |
or whose mind and conscience are serViIe. /
would defend his right To erjOy his own chris |
rian faith in bis own way. But, if am salts
fed that his will Is not his own, | could moi |
conide to him any political trust. Many of |
the Catholic church my friends, aud some |
OF them my kindred, and mulutudes of the |
more enlightened are, | believe, truly AIneri- |
can IN feeling and ia principle, and nOwise R0- !
mans. Ofsuch | would respectfully inquire, why |
they do not assert American independence in |
church, as they enjoy it in State; and it, for my |
opinions on this subject, they 100 choose TO pros |
criOe me, when they pr fess the same senti- |
ments, l could not but feel that Their conduct /
would be inconsistent, unwse, and iusr. /
Believing that most # the modern IN i. rants |
from Europe are under foreign influence, that
belief greatly increases my desire 10 see rlr Ir
numbers diminished, their probation proloDg-
ed, aud their Influence overcome. AltrOug
a minority, yet they even now constitute the
power, for which deuagogue-
bid aud TO which sycophauts bow. And this
IL prolific source of prostitution AMI factipus
agitation, and therefore IS also too essentially
tntt- Union, GHti-AUlericaH, and GHti Wash
iHgtOaian.n