True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1858-08-11
Foreign COnvicts,

heartily assent. We allude to that res
Olution which protests against giving the
rights Of citizenship to foreign cOnvicts
and psupers. There can be little objec.
tion 10 the ingress into this country of
persons from all Others, provided the
immigrant is not a convict felon in the
land from which he comes, and is honestly
seeking TO improve his condition by re-
moving to a region where he believes that
his labor and talents may enjoy better
opportunity of exertion and reward. But
experience of late years has proved that,
says the Philadelphia Evening Journal,
among the crowds of adventures who
yearly land upon our shores for the pur'
pose Of pushing their fortunes, there are
hundreds, perhaps thousands, who, if their
moral characters, their fitness to support
themselves, ,and their personal antecedents,
could be subjected to inquisition and tried
by wholesome rules Of eligibility 10 Amer
lean citizenship, would probably be re-
Jected ty any enlightened and faithful
Board Of Emigration.
Blu, the difficulty, If not the impossible
ity of any such system of election as we
have indicated, renders it necessary that
all must be admitted or all excluded. The
only means, therefore, of mitigating an
evil from which it seems we cannot en-
,irely escape, is to modify the laws Of
naturalization in the several States, 80 that
while the emigrant is allowed to gain a
home on the soil and is accorded the lar
gest freedom in the exercise Of his indus
try, he shall not be admitted to political
, rights before be is fit to be entrusted with
them. This is precautionary measure
which is obviously essential to the safety
, and happiness of the community which
o receives annually an immense accession
o of population from all quarters Of the
o globe; and in its operation itwould moi
be ungenerous, nor oppressive to the i'm
migrant, but quite the reverse. For il
% he has the spirit which ought properly tc
- actuate him towards the State Of hi:
n adoption, he will be desirous to have its
- civil institutions and liberties perpetuated
v and will be disposed cheerfully to submi
!. to any disabilities imposed on himself tt
that end. No man of sense will deny
,s that government, especially popula
IN government, cannot be too prudent in il!
Limitation of the privileges and rights o
citizenship; that 10 practice policy il
the matter which is dangerously libera
!, and ndiscriminate, would not only be ex
ceedingly unjust to Itself, and perhaps
N ultimately destructive. but that the bes
70 hopes and interests Of the class in who's
w favor so false policy is sanctioned, woul
he inevitably be involved in the decay of th
q. social and political prosperity of the natio
TO which they had fled for refuge 70
. themselves and their posterity from gov
y, ernments less free and benefcient.
There is now, and we have no doub
there will continue to exist, unless salts
y factory reform is affected, an increasn
'' public solicitude with regard 10 this que:
ton. We have just as little doubt Ii;
or the best portion Of our adopted citizens
J" particularly those who are settled among
g US, who have sons and daughters GROWN
nc up here, and have acquired an intelliger
=" comprehension Of and pslriotic interel
IL in our civil system-will cordially acqu
r. esce in any modification of Stale and Fet
J" eral laws, respecting naturalization, whic
VI is needed to protect that system again
g abuse and the evils to which it might lea'
80 But, whether we are right in this opinio
y or not, we are perfectly satisfied that II
Nv popular judgment Of the country is qui
n' unanimous in believing that the mo
50 stringent measures should be adopted
prevent the contents Of European prisol
he from being emptied upon our shores.
e" e" This evil would be grave enough iftl
'" persons discharged or escaping from Il
dungeons Of Europe, came hi'her Of ,ht
ia' own accord; bu, it assumes much mo
ing serious aspect when we learn that tn,
ny governments are aiding or forcing the
n'' to remove to this country. We do 7
'en know TO what extent this monstrous il
10 position is practised, but when we find
Zen recommended by the most influential {
'ot, gaus Of public sentiment and policy abrol
pie there is occasion, at leas',for apprehensi
in this quarter. 1t is not very long 9
The tina! an ingenious article appeared in
lar- Edinburg ReUiew. entitled "The MI
'rse agement and Disposal of our Crimi
we Population" in which many argumel
are urged for exporting British crime
hall any and every region to which it can
J, 10 sent. to rid England of the danger and
tier. tax it imposes, and, though the thou
ense is not avowed, we may infer that the U
n ted States were contemplated in the sp
have ulation as most convenient site 70
have penal colony. The following paragr'