Shall our Naturalization Laws Be Amended?
The insatiable greed of dominion that is engendered in the human breast by the exercise of arbitrary power is something that seems incomprehensible—almost appalling—to the lover of rightful and legitimate rule. History is one continuous record of contentions, by holders of unlawful power, to extend their arbitrary sway. But no act of modern times is so startling in its significance as that of the Roman Pontiff, tremblingly seated on his rickety chair of state, calling together from all countries a council of his religious magnates, for the purpose of seating him on the throne of the political world. And his followers now boldly declare that all rightful political authority comes from him. Recent events in this country show that this is not intended for idle talk; but that it is the intention to make good this preposterous claim. The gauge of battle is thus thrown to freedom, and we have no election but to take up the strife. The emissaries of this potentate are doubtless swarming among us, engaged in their Jesuitical work. “The battle of the Boyne” is to be fought over again in this country—it is needless to try to dodge it—with these differences, however: The same greed for tyrannical power on one side, will be met by a determination to keep firmly separated all matters of “church and state,” on the other. Secondly, moral, instead of physical forces, will decide the contest, and the missiles will be ballots not bullets. There is a large number of voters among us, of foreign birth, who have never intended to throw off their temporal allegiance to the pope. These, of course, are hostile to constitutional liberty, and in this contest will be arrayed against it. Our lax manner of naturalization is accountable for this. Prudence demands that our laws be amended in this particular at least, so that every applicant for citizenship should be required by oath to renounce all allegiance to every prince, potentate, or ecclesiarch whatever, claiming temporal power, and especially to the Pope of Rome. This last-named potentate having assumed a hostile attitude should be especially mentioned as one to whom he cannot owe any sort of allegiance and be a citizen of the United States of America. Many, doubtless, scoff at this idea of danger; but if we are wise, we will face it as real. The most revered of our early and great statesmen left us, as his legacy, this warning, that “eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”—Sel.