The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-10-17
THE GERMANS IN AMERICA.
REMARKS OF GENERAL JAMES SIN oNs BE-
FORE TIE GERMAN DEMOCRATIC CLUB,
MONDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 12. 1858.

General Simons said:
Mr.. President and Gentlemen Of the German
Democratic Club Of Charleston
It has4given me great pleasure to accept th'
invitation OF Your distinguished President t
address you this evening The kind and graft
fying terms in which he couched his invitation
have given me the liveliest satisfaction. Whe1
he said that the "Ge1mans of Charleston hat
for years been my attached friends and earne :
adn-irels,' 1 might have supposed that those
words sprung from that consideration ant
friendship which he has personally felt for nl(
for many years, and which it has been my pride
and pleasure to reciproclte with sincere
esteem; but have had so many substantld
proofs OF the confidence and estimation OF youl
people extended, not only to me, but to my
family, and rank so many of them among my
clentage and patrons in the arduous struggles
Of my professional career, that take this op'
portunity thus publicly to declare my thanks
and gratitude, and will be more than re e"aro,
ed II ANYTHING can say on this OCCASION WILL
afford you entertainment or instruction.
1t would be no disparaSement TO any people,
European or American, TOR speaker 10 De
clare his pride and satisfaction to have tho op.
portunity to address Germans, and the sons OF
Germans in their adopted country. That peo-
pie are we'll worthy of the high st consldera-
ton, OF whom learned and distinguished his
torian has said, in speaking OF the Roman
view of them IN their early hi tory, that
"valor was the grace of their men, ind
Chastity the virtue of their women "
And in later times, as civilization advanced
and the ruder age gave placa to the cultivation
of the arts Of peace and the maintenance OF
social order. it ID 20 disparaSement to the
greatest of modern nations to say that none
have surpassed the Germans In the arts and
sciences, in music, painting, poetry, prose. his
tory or phllosophy-for in all these varied de-
partments the German schools have their
masters, who. il they can be equa;!cd, have
not been outstript in glory aud renown.
But the occasion requires that ! should
more particularly refer to the political views OF
the Germans. So early as when tho foman
historian, Tacitus, wrote OF them, ne reprcsGn.-
ed that their ''ail-absorbing and epgrosslng
passion was for liberty" It Is SAID that they
ssscorned restraint, considered independence
as the most precious OF all things, and were,
therefore, ready 10 give up life rather than llD-
erty."
When Europe threw off the shackles of the
Feudal system, the idea of Dem cracy-that is
to say, the participation by the people IN their
own government-foundi its cradle IN Germany.
The division Of the municipal community lato
what is called "Estates-which has Its parallel
in our own government. in the Executive De-
partment, the Legislative Department COM
prisipg the Senate and the House OF Represen-
tatiYes, and the Judiciary Department-was OF
Teutonic origin, and iu the early stages OF
their existence were only found in those coun-
ties which were occupied by the posterity OF
Teutonic tribes-at least, such is the credit
given to them by one of their great historians:
that nation, in the revolution OF European at
fairs, restless under the slow progress OF Eu-
ropean ideas towards the proper participation
by the people ia the administration OF govern
ment, should have sought the chores OF this
country, the character and elements OF the po-
litical institutions OF which were in lnison with
those principles that originated among their
own ancestors in the earliest period OF their
history.
On the other hand, it may well be matter
of surprise that the people of this country
should ever have countenanced a policy which
would have excluded from their territory, among
other foreigners, that people who were tn 8
prepared, as it were by their history and or
ganization, to fraternize and assimilate with
the very elements on which our whole pohtlcal
structure was founded and upreared.
such, then, it seems TO me, arc the political
characteristics Of the German people who have
sought citizenship and domiciliary residence
in this country by adoption; and it is no more
than the merest justice to say OF them that, in
addition to these political tendencies and SEN
timents in addition to the education and train
ing not only in letters, but in the arts of life.
in which they have been reared by the pecu-
liar, social and educational system prevailing
in various German States, they superseded a
society, thrift, industry and public spirit, and
a love Of law and order which not only mako
them good citizens, but contribute to the am
pie development Of all the natural resources or
the communities of their adoption.
In the great divisions, tuen, of the parties
which agitate this country, On what side would
the Germans naturally turn thelr eyes!
In the tirst place, / will allude to very deli
cate subject, and IN my apprehension tho most
difficult of the complex and impenetrab!e pro-
blem which is before US. How can the Ger
man, in this country, with slch an inheritance
Of political sentiment anu tendencies, frater-
nize with party who insist on o probation OF
five years residence in this cOuntry-a reuun-
ciation of all allegiance to any and every for
eign prince, potentate, state or sovcre'gnty-
an intelligent, comprehendin5 aud ardent ap.
probation and affection for the Constitution OF
the United States, and judicial proofs in a
court of record OF all these things, before q
German can be naturaized and accepted as o
citizen OF the United States; aud yet, that same
party at the same time shall, by one word, by
one stroke Of the pen, b.; q simple ukase OF
despotic power, in utter defiance OF that very
constitution, and in repuSnancc to the nanl-
fest natural sense and instinct OF the European
duO AuleIlCau I1Co, oi0Tdeo w SitiEonouiP @oo
perfect equality whole Face who do not, as a
mass, possess single qualification so rigidly
exacted from the foreigner.
Secondly, have shown you that the Teu-
tonic race were the first WHO conceived the
idea OF political estates" in the establishment
OF political constitutions, or governments. 1t
is proper to explain what is meant BY the term
estates. 'sEstates are those political bod es
which partake, either directly or by represen-
tatlon, in the government"
Thus in many European nations the king,
the nobility, the clergy. the people, and among
these last, in some States. subdivisions, fur
nish apt illustrations.
In this country we have no fcstatcs" in gov
crnnent; but We consider that oil power cma.
mates from the peop:e-and in this doctrine
give my hearty cCncurrence-for hold it as
dogma that the people IN q well organized rep
resentative government are capuble of govern
ing themselves.
The government, however, must be divided
into distinct departments, which, 1 have al-
ready said, in this country are, by the constitu
tious OF the several States, the Executive, the
consisting Of q Senate and House
of Representatives, and the Judicial depart
ment.
These are indispensable foI the purpose of
mutually checking each other, and thus crea-
ting balance OF power between them, and
herein is the parallel OF the ancient German
idea.
The party now in power have broken down
this DIVISION, and seek to vest the whole power
Of the government in the hands Of the Legisla-
tive department, and chiefly i'll the House Of
This suits them now be-
cause they have vast majority III the Fl )use;
indeed, o large majority III the Senate also. In
this endeavor, President Johnson exercised
his executive and constitutional power wisely