The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-06-22
SPIRIT OF THH PRHss.
Editorial Opinions of the Leading Journals
upon Current opics-C0mpiIed Every
Day for the Evening Telegraph.

Frong Tire " y. World.
We call the attention of our foreign-born
citizens to the attempt making by the Repub-
Ecans to revive the Know Nothing issue and
make a new crusade against the easy admis-
sion Of immigrants to the privileges of citi-
zenship. The odious Know-Nothing move
r ment of 1S53-57 was met and vanquished by
the Democratic party, always the friend and
champion of those who seek refuge in this
country against foreign oppression. There
is of late new eruption of the Know-Nothing
disease. Repeated attempts have been made
in this Congress to pass a naturalization law
conceived in the old Know-Nothing spirit.
The Tribune has zealously abetted these at
tempts, and the Times the other leading Re-
publican organ, is their cautious apologist.
The Times had an editorial on Monday which
would have graced any Know-Nothing journal
in 1856. We insert the following extract
SIT is the obstinate cngin&g & to oil. old nationalitles
TEN in its practical working The idea OF the foun-
ders OF our government was that all incongruous
political conviction and obligations should be merged
in American citizenship, and that every citizen
should be loyal to the established principles OF our
sThat we have fallen very far short of practical
realization OF that idea is painfully apparent There
obligations Of American citizenship on the part of
those Who have accepted by virtue OF naturalza-
ton. The fact that all are citizens alike is ignored,
and we find foreign political questions constantly
forced into our domestic politics.
1.-THE worst result WnlCh experience has shown TO
have followed in the train of this rule is the selfish
and corrupt use which is made OF II by demagogues.
The massng of the naturalized vote by natonaities
gives corrupt politicians an opportunity OF indu-
enctng il through its leaders, OF appealing to the
preiudces and interests Of the foreignborn popula-
tion and OF controlling their votes effectively
to make them dreaded and consequently courted by
improper means Legislation is influenced and
controlled, as was the case with the Naturalization
bill just defeated in Congress, and feeling of eXas-
peration is naturally aroused in the minds of the
native-born citizens. The evil becomes more aud
more serious and how to remedy it is one of the
grave political problems of the time" ..
Our immigrant population will not fail to
discriminate between their friends and their
enemies The new laws which have been
proposed to obstruct naturalization show that
the Republican party is infected with the
narrow, illiberal spirit of the Know-No-
things and now, as in the Know-Nothing
movement of 1856, and the Native American
movement of 1874, the only resolute friends
of our foreign-born residents are the staunch,
steadfast Democracy.
The Know-Nothing Republicans who are
seeking to obstruct naturalization are not
only enemies, of immigrants, but enemies of
the county. In wealth. population, and
developmeht,s the country is at least thirty
years in advance of where it would now stand
if it had grown only the natural increase of
the native population. Our Irish and Ger
man inhabitants multiply faster than the
natives, as any person may convince himself
by observing the multitudes of children that
swarm about their dwellings. Having
been educated to a lower scale of COM
fort than prevails in this country,
they bring their old habits of frugali-
ty with them, and marry and multiply
without any fears for the future. But even
assuming that they are no more prolific than
the natives, it would be easy to show that the
population of 1870, left to grow from its own
stock without accessions from abroad. would
have only reached about the same figures in
1870 that our population had actually attained
in 1840. One of the chief inducements
which has drawn foreigners to this country is
their e&sy admission to the rights of citizen
ship Our marvellous growth and national
greatness are the direct fruit of the liberal
policy of the Democratic party, which the
Republican Know-Nothings are attempting
to overthrow
The Times complains that orr naturalized
citizens do not Immediately forget the land
of their birlh. 1t is creditable to their char
aoter that they do not. If Americans should
emigrate in large numbers to Brazil or Aus
tralia, they would undoubtedly feel towards
one another as Irishmen and Germans do in
this country They would be Justly suspected
of moral degeneracy and loss of ennobling
natural affections if they did not continue to
cherish patriotic attachment to the land of
their birth. We dishonor both ourselves and
to do what we should consider unnatural and
despicable in Americans who had changed
their nationality. Our immigrants transmit
to their offspring the same virtuous senti-
ment which renders ones birthplace, and the
soil which contains the bones of our parents,
dear; but their offspring being born in this
country, their natural affection is given un-
divided to their actual home. In the second
generation all are natives, and the grandehil-
dren become SO blended by marriage with
other stocks that all traces of separate
origin are effaced. Even if the alleged clan.
nishness were an evil, it ought to be regarded
with generous tolerance, in consideration OF
the praiseworthy feeling from which it springs,
its transient duration, and the great advan
tages which result to the country from immi
grafton.
But we deny that it is an evil. We had
Irish and German regiments in the late war
1t would be easy for the new Known othine
organs to say that this kind of association
was clannish, and that in forming such regi
ments and brigades ''the fact that all citizens
are alike was ignored. But no regiments die
better service. None offered their lives
more cheerful sacrifice, or came back will
their ranks more terribly thinned by the
casualties of battle. Wherever there wa
danger, those brave regiments were in the
front Whenever desperate charge was to
be made against batteries belching fire, they
rushed forward to be moved down like grass
Their thinned ranks and tattered flags, a.
they marched through our streets after tn
close of the war, should have protected then
forever from Know-Nothing assaults, and in
sulting, impertinent reminders that the,
'ignore the fact that all citizens are alike.