Year: 1859

Its a noteworthy fact that those who advo-
cate the proposed amendment to the Constitu.
tion, do not, as general thing undertake to
argue the question on its own merits. The
Boston Bee has much to say about the mat
ter; but the conductors of that paper appear
not to understand that bad vocabulary is not
good logic.


The truth is, the proposed measure is not in
accordance with any principle of either the
Know-Nothings or the Republicans. There
fore, nobody is satisfied with it; nobody
defends it on its own merits. Most of those
who favor it, do so, not because it is
what they want themselves, but because
they fancy its adoption will satisfy somebody
else. In its origin twas merely political de-
vice, well meant, undoubtedly, but not well
considered. No party in the State has ever
endorsed it, or is likely to do so. A part Of
those who voted for it in the Legislature did
SO merely to give the people chance to vote
it down, intending themselves to vote against
it at the polls.


The Republican party of Massachusetts
which had pledged itself to sustain the Plila-
delphia platform, could not stultify itself by a
formal endorsement of any measure of the
kind If some gentlemen connected with the
party have exchanged VOWS over the Tive
Years Amendment, this is their affair and not
an affair of the party. We shall not question
the purity of their motives; and it is certrinly
no part of our intention to make war upon
Rrtt ,c oxyiIo 41on,r
not the best; and we trust that they will now
consider the propriety of adopting the manly
principle of Senator Wilson :-"BETTER BE
RIGHT IN THE LIGHTS OF TODAY, THAN BE
CONSISTENT WITH THE ERRORS OF YEsrER-
DAY"


The American party proposed a very extern
sive revision of the Naturalization Laws.
Their policy was to give foreign born persons
probation of twenty-one years. instead of five
years, precious to naturalization But that party
never at any time intimated purpose to sane
ton measures for capricious and proscriptive
determinations among those who actually be-
come citizens by naturalization or otherwise.
Their measure was to operate on foreign born
persons, not after naturalization, but before
and they proposed to carry it out, not merely
in Massachusetts,, but throughout the Union
not by amending State constitutions, but by
the legislation of Congress. AT any rate, that
hurried and evanescent organization never
brought forward such measure as this Two
Years Amendment. The party had successes
in several States; and in Maryland, which vo-
ted for Mr.. Fillmore, it was quite supreme.
But nowhere save in Massachusetts has any
body proposed such a measure.


1t will be very remarkable proceeding if
the people of Massachusetts add to the Con-
stitution of the State an amendment so ill con-
sidered in itself, so little satisfactory to any,
body, and SO little in harmony with any prin-
ciple that any party has advocated. There
should be no such triaing with the Constitu-
ton. 1fthe proposed amendment were perfect
in form and in perfect harmony with some
generally accepted principle, it should never
theless be rejected for matters of this kind
should be provided for by enactments of the
Legislature. Being what it is, it should be
voted down out of respect for the Constitu-
ton, if for no other reason.


One thing in the talk in behalf of this measure
is surprising. We mean the representation
that we should mock at and spurn the counsels
and entreaties of our Republican brethren in
other States. We must bid them "mind their
own business" we must taunt them with
"black laws" and other iniquities which pro-
slavery Democracy has entailed upon some
of the States in the Northwest. "Why," it is
asked, "should we pay any attention to the
wishes of few Dutchmen in Wisconsin? Let
the Republicans in that quarter attend to their
own affairs while we attend to ours" And
the Boston Bee says Just as many Ger
mans and Irish and Yankees as choose to vote
with the proslavery democracy in 1860 are
welcome to do So" 1t is fortunate for the par
ty that our Western friends who hear this of
fensiye language, will understand very well
that the Bee is more an American than
Republican paper but it will not be very
fortunate for any prominent man in the party
to have it understood that the Bee speaks his
sentiments.


The style of talk to which we refer is an in
suit and an outrage to the Republican party
and to its hope of triumph next year Is our
expected triumph in 1860, or anything that
may be necessary to secure it, merely per-
sonal affair of "few Dutchmen in Wiscon-
sin ?" or merely local affair of that or some
other State! We think it will not generally
be regarded in that light. 1t is difficult to be-
lieve that those from whom we hear such
things really desire to see the party successful.
They must be demented or troubled with night
mare. They cannot be in their sober senses 1t
would be difficult to point out State in the
Union that has deeper interest in the success
of the Republican party than Massachusetts,
She is every way interested in that success;
and who is likely to succeed in this attempt to
persuade her people that anything necessary
to secure the triumph is only local affair of
Wisconsin,


Moreover, the Republican party of Massa-
chusetts has covenanted with the Republicans
Of all the other States, that it will not counte-
nance any measure of prescription or unjust
discrimin alton. We have pledged ourselves
to maintain inviolate the great principle of
equality Of rights. We did this in Philadel-
phia when the party was organized; and we
did it afterwards in our State Convention,
where the Philadelphia platform was accepted.
Is it then impertinent for our brethen at the
West, and elsewhere, to ask us to keep this
pledgef And more especially, when they


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