, 1859-05-23

CHICAGO, Nay 9oth, 1s59.
Ep1ron or STATS ZErruSG-D<ar Sir:
On MY return from Supreme Court last even
ng, found your note Of the 18th, asking my
opinion, Us " Chairman Of the Republican Cen
trl Committee Of Chicago" "ofthe recent amend
ment Of tue Massachusetts Constitution.
understand that amendment to impose upon
naturalizcd citizens, restriction Of the right Of
suffrage, not required Of citizens born in this
country. regard this IS unwise, unjust, anti
Republican, and against the spirit, if not the let
ter of the Constitution Of the United States
When tue Constitution gave to Congress, the
power to fsta5l.*A On uniform system Of nat
rrazi-ation," and provided "that the citizens Of
each State should be entitled to oil the privi-
leres and im,uunities Of the citizens Of the sew
eral States,"it it certainly could not haye been
expected that any State, should impose rcstric-
tons uron tue exercise of the rights Of suffrage,
not required By the naturalization laws Of the
Federal government.
But whatever may be the Constitutional right
of Massachusetts, to adopt this amendment,
regard 1t rs most unwisc, unjust, and antagonis-
tic to the great principles upon which the Re-
lust to create distinction between native and
q uaturalized citizen, When man becomes
nuturulizcd, he voluntarily adopts our country
US his own. He makes our country lila country
BY choice, By preference. lie becomes one Of
III. His lone Is with us. His fortunes, lis in
terests, his family, h's aii. become identified
when he l,as thus clothed himself with the
rights Of American citizenship, be should be
made to feel that be was . welcome addition TO
the .reat hrothtrhood Of frcemen which compose
the iiepuhl;c:
While all must respect the feelings Of attach
mcnt with which all good men remember their
fatherland, yet it is clearly the policy Of our
country, 80 TO treat her adopted citizens, ms to
mike them regard all nationalitics secondary
to the grand idea Of -4mertrdA citizenship.
This amendment, crcating rs it does, An inrid-
ious distinction, has tendency to keep alyc
and active that elaft .fetitny which aIt should
seek to suppress. The discrimination which it
creates is as unjust to the memory Of the dead,
NJ it is to thu worth and merit Of the living
The history Of our country ia briiiiant with the
names Of ihose born in a foreign land, whose
lore Of our free institutions induced them to
connect their fortunes with ours. The names
De Ka1b, S1euben, Emmett and many others in
our earlier and later history show, that however
u narrow and illihe1al feeling lnay hare, nj
tines manifested itself in particular localities,
our county as q whole, iu its policy toward the
forcign-born, has been liberal and ecne1 Gus. In
deed, it is 50 obviously the interest Of our coun-
try 10 encourage emigration, and thereby dc.
,elope our vast territories still unimpaired that
no other policy eau preyail. The advantages of
emigration berc at the West, aud especially to
our own State and City, are 50 apparent, there
has never bccn any dIllereuce Of opin-
nuturalzcd citizens hare brought industry,
enterprise, wealth, good morals, and nll the ele
ments Of wealth and prosperity to the North
| west, md here they have engaged in generous
and not unsuccessful rivalry with us, in build
| ing up and advancing the prosperity Of our
umong US who would lessen their privileges.
The policy Of encouraging emigration, and ia.
| cilitatiny the settlement and naturalization ot
foreigners among US, in the early history Of the
republic, found its most earnest advocate in
Thomas J:fscson, that g!tax s'qtetnaa. ! trhot'
ty uton< In this policy. as upon the question
Of slavery, the so-callcd Democratic party has
abandoned the principles Of Jefferson. He EN-
bodied in tue Declaration Of Independence, u.
one of the grounds Of separation from the n1oth
er country, that : He (the King Of Great Brit
of these States; for tlnt purpose obstructine
the laws for the naturalization Of Foreigners
etc"
The Republican party, recognizing as the
basis of t!cir organization, the great principle:
Of liberty so earnestly advocated BY Jefferson
are seeking to bring back the Government Il
the dolicy. Of its founders. Since the so.eal!ee
Democratic party has passed into the exclusive
control Of the Slave Power, it has very natu
rally manifested jealousy Of the free labor o
the old world, and lis policy towards il hni
been narrow and unjust The rapid addition o
free States in the North West, the result, in (
large degree, Of the emigration from abroad
| boa ,u$n~o1l,- nj oad 4ta Cfnva
Hence the illiberal provisions Of the kansas
Nebraska acts; hence the voting down by Dem
ocratic staveholding Senators OF the amend
ments proposed by Republican Senators, to en-
courage the settlement Of the public lands
Hence the defeat, By the same influence. Of tha
slavery Democratic party to extend slavery owe
free territory; hence the Infamous Kansas out
t rages and l.ecompton swindle.
The policy Of the Republican party is to Sc
cure the unoccuried portion Of Of this toHfi"ra
| to thej FREE lA1or Of the tcorld. The Democratic
party controlled by the alare power is struggling
70 ajritaai-< it, to appropriate it to slaEe labor
Hence that party il the natural enemy of II
free labor which comes to Us from abroad. II
issue for 1860 il Rsadt up. The triumph Of tn
Republican party will secure The public lands t
free &dLor, without regard to birthplace.
The triumph of the Democratic party, will SC
| cure, SO far rs the influence Of the Federal Goy
erument can control it, the territories. to eta.
la5or. To furnish means Of accomplishing thi
tue slsve trude is already openly, and under
Democratic administration, carried on with i'm
punity.
With this great issue before us. doubt no
the American and German Republicans will
found fighting side by side Tor freedom au
free labor.
Our only strife will he to sec who shall i
most to secure the succe*s of those great priu
cipies of univcEsal liberty which animate aiik
the American and German Republican.
Very truly yours, ISAAC y. ARNOLD,
Chairman Republican Central Committee. Chicago,