Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-11-29

ci,;,o, nc the Confederate States, and tas re
sided tho. prescribed time within the county,
city or town in which he offers to vote; Has
hn NOT then, the qualification necessary TO
n,.te MIN an elector under the Constitution
oe the Confederate States And the question
that T desire to throw out for your consldera'
tom is this: Can you, under the term quail
f3cst;oa,n introduce clause which amounts to
naturalization f-can you, whom the ConStliu:
lion saws that the requirements Of an cleo
t,r arc thu. he shall be n citizen OF the
Confederate States, and shall have the qual,i
cations necessary for electors Of the most nu-
mercus branch Of tie General Assembly, say,
under that clause, that although q natural;2ao
c;t;z.n of the Confederate States, he shall MT
;,,e unit! be mas resided n this State twenty
one Gears after he has been nsturalz-df Are
you not under an erroneous construction OF the
term qualification" which, / think, vas: 10,
te=dsd to embrace the kinds Of quaihcstioa'
whether Of property, payment OF taxes CT
otherwise, upon which We bave been passing
this morning, practically defesting so mucn o.
ths clause as confers the privilege oil an e'sciot
upon every citizen of the Confederate States
II man be citizen Of the Confederate States,
oa,ura'ized in any other State OF the Coniede-
racc according 10 the law of Congress, and
shall MIGRATE into this State, can you require
that he shall reside here for, the period OF
twen,1-ooe years before exercising the right
of suffrage, when native born citizens OF such
other State ere only required to'reside here
two years? insist that you cannot censis-
tea,ly with ice obvious meaning and spirit OF
III, CONSERVATION of the Confederate States,
thus make distinctions between these who are
equally cl,z2 OF those States. II foreign,
or from the North-for they are foreigners
under this Consultation just as much Us any
c.her-c"tnes to the Confederate States, he
rnrst hec@me citizen Ct these Confederate
States. according 10 the mode to De prescribed
OF Congress Tor the naturalization of suchper'
to 's v5,s 10 1a1hE
dence or property which this State may choose
10 prescribe in its general fundamental law
II ne ;ames up to these acquisitions, nam
tain, ,:r, that ycu cannot deprive him OF the
right of Suffrage; and think the succeeding
2 cl use in this section justiies that opinion 1t
is as follows:
"Bu, no person Of foreign birth, no: Cit
zen of the onf.derate States shall be allowed
to v,te for any officer, civil or political, State
or Federal" ....,., ,.,9.r.
This vas intended to meet the practice hist
prevailed in tie Northern States under the old
Constitution, of permitting any foreigner, upon
res ding in town for six months, or IN some
instances six weeks, to vote in contrsVenilon
of the plain spirit Of tic old Constitution OF the
United States But all these provisions point
to the sams object of uniform rule OF cltzen-
shin which is to be prescribed by tho Congress
of the Confederate States as the great ties.
upon that branch of q voters qualification.
Mr.. SuEFfEY shall not DISCUSS before this
body the question Of the power Of this body
II impose restrictions upon the right which is
proposed TO he given to naturalized citizens, to
vote in This Commonwealth. In the very lu :
CID argument 81 the gentleman from Fauqu!er,
(Mr. Sc Tr) be comedies the power but denies
the cxpediency. shall address myself there
fore. alone to The cxpediency of throwing open
the door to foreigners not oaly from beyond
the sea, but to far worse and far more dan
gerous class OF foreigners North OF the Pote-
mac and Of the Ohio, to pour.i upon the Viz
sin;a people upon the conclusion Ct peace
Tie question which this Convention hiss to de.
eide is who, for the next twenty one years, OF
within the next tsenty-one years. shall pos
ae.s The political power over the State OF Viz
siais and over her institutions. II, sir, you
throw npen the door to foreign Influence, by
which ! mean not merely the influence Of the
forcisa element which comes across the water,
bat OF that worse element which will come
from the States cow at war with US, what,
IN that period, will be the political
condition and the political complexion CT
Our State? We are bound. whatever the
Confederate Congress may do, to lock to our
own Interests, our own institutions, cur own
destiny; and if go do not guard against this
irs aus and pernicious foreign element that
will 8 ,w in upon Us when peace snail throw
open The doors 10 immigration, and clear the
avenues OF commerce and Of trade, we shall be
overIun with q E;7e!gn populst!cn which Will
take into their hands the control Of the destl.
MES Q! the S;a!e
We are so:dsT State, sir. It is predicted
hv some tia. Virginia will become the New
England of the S9u:h; that manufactures are
10 Sp.ing up upon every mountain slreaD';
tat every wster fall is to be site for manu-:
!ac:ures Be It So sir. But i i: shall become
80. the artisans will be from the New England
States and from abroad; and if you extend to
them not only the facilities Of commerce and
OF trade and all the other rights, privileges and
im;nunities, but in addition 70 these the right
to vote, you deprive the present citizens Of tue
country Of the political power, and transfer it
to this foreign element; aud 7ou will see, Sir,
as the result OF that transfer, that this tide Of
immigration will sweep over us; you will see
your S.ate become, indeed, the New England
of the South; you will sec that border, That
a5ol,:ouized boz der, which now env!rons your
State. from the rHux and tho foothold of this
very population, extending sod pressing South
wards, anG the great institution which II is the
duty Of this body and :hc interest of this State
to guard, pressed Southwark aud downward
until YOU s-e Virginia aoolitionized. The only
maGe 10 guard Virgins and her institutions
against this element OF danger, is 10 deprive ii
OF political power.
am willing, sir, TO trust the meu-all the
maa, rich acd poor, who are now citizens Of
Virginia, or who are now doing battle in the
cause uf the South. Bu. am not willing by
ny 1ole il framing the organic law Of V!rgi-
ma, t. throw open the door, not only for the
introduction of this foreign element but to
cloihe it with the power to rule or to ruin; to
control the future destiny of Virginia, and to
extend this border which now lies on our
Northern froatier, over the fair fields Of our
blessed mother Commonwealth. We sit here
rs the guardians Of the future Of Virginia. and
uuless NO throw over it the shield of Virgi.
MAS orr pro,ect:on--if we rely upon any
other po@.r, We may expect to see oar iEs.l-
:u:ions changed and Virginia become what it
has teen said she will bacoms-the New En-
gland Ct the South.
Contributions.
We haze resolved the following, which are