Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-05-19
In UNAVAILING poBGE.
.LIEN suFFRAaR."

This y another one Of the ridiculous clap-traps
gotten up by our opponents for political effect
Properly speaking, there sno such thing as "alien
suffrage Alien is defined by photographers to
mean, Foreign; not belonging to the same country,
land. or government If this is what the Know
Nothings mean, they are practising a fraud when
they represent that any number of Democrats ever
favored the policy of authorizing such persons to
vote in the territories.
In the Washington territorial BILL which was
passed during the administration Of Mr. Fillmore,
was signed and approved by that gentleman, and
which was voted for, we believe, by Mr.. Bell and
all the Know Nothing members from Tennessee,
then Wings, the following viii be found:
Sec s. And belt further enacted, That eUe7y lgEits
male iahabUGR above the age Of tWenty-one years,
who shall have been resident Of said territory al
the passage of this act, and shall possess the quail
iications hereinafter prescribed, shall be entitled
to vote at the first election and shall be eligible to
any Office within said territory but the qualifea
ton Of voters and of holding Office at all subsequent
elections shall be such shall be prescribed by the
Legislative Assembly: Provided, That the right Of
suffrage and holding office shall be exercised only
by citizens of the United States above the age Of
tWenty-one years. and those a5oUe that age cHo shall
hare dclared 0 oath Their intention To BECOME SUCH,
and shall hare taken an oath to support The CoHShl-
ton Of he United States and he PToDi0Rg Of this Gct
President Fillmore, we suppose, in giving this
measure his sanction, proceeded upon the idea that
a man who had come to this country to identify his
fortunes with it-who had gone as one Of the pio-
neers into the wilderness Of the West Drawing its
dangers and securing him hOme-haying declared
on oath his intention to become aScitzen, and sworn
to support the Constitution of the United States,
should by right be authorised to participate in its
local legislation involving his rights, his interests
and his all.
When the Kansas-Nebraska bill came up the
chairman of the committee on territories, following
the precedent that had been long established and
sanctioned by Mr. Fillmore and his administration
copied the above section, word for word, into that
bill There was an effort then made by Mr. Clay
ton and other friends Of the BILL to strike out so
such Of the above section as referred to others
than bona fde citizens. Mr.. Bell, of Tennessee,
though opposed to the measure, thought if the bill
passed, the clause relating to those whose citizen
ship was not completed sEouldR not be stricken out By
reference to the appendix the Congressional Globe
Isl session, SD Congress, page 938, it viii be seen
that Mr.. Bell said:
ssWith the principles Of this bill as they now
stand incorporated in 1t, coming from the House
without the Clayton amendment Il can be Of no great
importance schetber aliens be admitted to c0te in that
territory or not. If / considered that there any
such important principle in this bill the hOnora-
bic Senators from North Carolina and Georgia, and
other Senators, have commended for, I would vote
against this amendment If 1 eonld be convinced
that the condition Of things described by the Sena-
tor from Indiana would arise at another session of
Congress- and that the common sense or patriotism
of the country including the South as well as any
Of fbo uvou1d mi forha To a
measure so well calculated to produce an effect so
appalling, IwOuld not vote for it.
Again, if Senators from the South have made
up their minds that there is principle of such high
importance involved in this bill, principle con-
neced with the stability Of institutions, the in
tegrty of the Constitution, and the preservation Of
the Union, have nothing to object to it. They
right, according to their own judgment; and if l
believed that there the high principle alluded to
| by the honorable Senator from North Carolina,
| do not think would risk sending the bill back to
| the House. But what mean to suggest is, that II
there is great importance TO be attached to the pas
/ sage Of this bill, and great and fundamental
principle is 10 be established by it, then I think
they ought not to vote for this amendment, and, if
understood that was the sense of clear majority
! Of southern gentlemen on the subject, l would not
vote for It myself; but, sir, know Of Of
drawing such conclusion, that can rest upon sat
isfactorily If honorable Senators from the South
| have made up their minds to vote for this bill,
whether the amendment carries not, think there
is a very decisive reason which has not been stated
| yet by any gentleman, why they should not vote
/ against the amendment.
If the South shows disposition to exclude these
aliens until they become naturalized citizens, when
we know that some half a million flowing in
upon US every year, and that these new Territories
and not only these but every other Territory in the
northwest is TO be filed up with this class Of
population arby should the South paut hostile feet
igg IN the bosom Of rb0Ie districts and counties Of these
German immigrants to sag nothing ofthe Irish Vhs are
| likely 10 90 into these Territories
/ Such were the views of Mr.. BELL when the Kan
1 sas bill was under consideration. He thought 1t
! could be d" of no great Importance whether aliens
be admitted to vote in that Territory not"-that
il its importance in other respects were such its
friends represented it, they ought not to vote for the
CLAYTON amendment striking out the alien clause
that the South particularly should not show dis
! position to exclude them, and thereby implant a
hostile feeling in the bosom Of oho7s districts and
ties Of the German and Irish smigrants who were likely
to go into these Territories. Abortion of the Dem
ocratic Senators thought on this point as did Mr..
Bell, others thought differently.
Whether the principle discussed is right or wrong,
the Know Nothings, under the high sanction of Mil
lard Fillmore and with the appreciation and support
Of John Bell, inaugurated and Incorporated it into
the laws of the country to the extent that it now ex
lists there In Tennessee at least the opposition to
the Democracy, should show little more respect to
the two great leaders of their party, Fillmore and
| Bell, than thus to condemn measures in the sup
port Of which they were both so thoroughly idenG-
fed It affords but another instance Of the inter
minable labyrinth of Inconsistencies, into which
the Know Notbiugs have been driven by their over
! throw in November. Overwhelmed by the torrent
of public indignation against their odOus doctrines
they attempt to drown the recollection of their So
cety and its Ostensbe aims, by diyerting the pub
lie mind into new channels In the vain effort they
have foundered more deeply into the mud and mire
than ever, and in order to make up new issue with
the Democracy they have been obliged to hold up to
public reprobation the official acts of the very men
whom they even yet recognise as the leaders and
! ezpounders of their faith. Alas poor Know Moth
ingism thy bitteres enemies could not have desired
! for thee a deeper humiliation.
BG- A correspondent of the Patriot Of yesterday
| writes as follows:
! 81 wish you would fix some plan to get the Edi-
tors Of the UNION AND AMERICAN TO tell US Tonnes
| scans why it is they excuse the Democratic party
for giving to the H0H-SlaUsb0idiRg States millions Of
acres of land to aid them IN stealing the negroes Of
! Middle and Southern States"