Clearfield Republican

A Nut for the Nativists to Crack

In these days of testing the patriotism of our citizens, and comparing their relative merit one with another, it is not strange that we should often find ourselves mixed up with strange bed fellows. A spirit of hostility to citizens of foreign birth is abroad in the land. To prefer our native born citizens over those of any and all other countries, is natural, and we would not, if we could, extinguish that feeling.- It is perhaps natural to all countries, and peculiar to none. But as ours is different from all other countries, in almost every other respect, we hold it to be our duty to make it different also in this, so far as it is in our power to make it so, without committing any wrong, for which we shall incur the displeasure of an overruling Providence. We repeat, our preference for native born citizens is natural. We cannot help it. But if that preference begets the entire and total disfranchisement of all foreign born citizens, who come to make their homes among us, without regard to their conduct, their merits, or their qualifications, we hold that we thus commit a public sin, and justly incur the displeasure of the Supreme Ruler of the Universe,- It is a virtue in us, then, to try to overcome and suppress this prejudice, rather than to aggravate and nourish it. There are many reasons why we should do so, God seems to have planted the Anglo Saxon race on these shores for his own wise purposes. We are all foreigners, or the descendants of foreigners. The North American Indian can alone claim this as his native land. But in this day and generation, foreign born citizens have done, and are doing very much, by their wealth, their talents and their labor and industry, for the honor and prosperity of our country. It is therefore our duty, as faithful guardians of our own best interests as a nation, that we should do every thing in our power, compatible with prudence and sound patriotism, to encourage well disposed foreigners who forsake the land of their birth and cherished scenes of their childhood, to spend their days with us. We should essay to divest ourselves as far as possible of our national prejudice, so as to make them welcome, and thus enable them the sooner to become useful and honorable citizens. But, upon the score of gratitude, for the valuable and indispensable services of foreigners in the dark days of our bleeding country's struggles for liberty and independence, if we had no other motive, we are bound by the most plain and holy of God's high injunctions, to treat the brothers and descendants of these pure patriots, with the utmost kindness. We are now thrown among strange bed fellows, however. This natural, innate preference for American born citizens, is seized upon by the designing demagogues and visionary fanatics to light the fires of persecution and proscription, and to steel the true American heart, not only against the best and dearest interests of his country, but to blot from out his heart every impulse of gratitude.
The attacks of Know Nothings and Nativists are chiefly directed against the Irish and the descendants of Irishmen. To remind some of our citizens of what they are doing, when they undertake to proscribe this class of our citizens, we will call to their recollection the services rendered our country in her dark days by Irishmen. The facts are not claimed as our own, and after satisfying ourselves that they are facts, we freely endorse them, and submit them to the serious reflection of our fellow citizens. Before the war of Independence commenced, several Irishmen took part in preparing the public mind for an armed resistance of the British. In South Carolina, the most eloquent and energetic asserter of American liberty was John Rutledge, the son of Irish parents. In Pennsylvania, Charles Thompson, born at Maghera, county Derry, Ireland, was not less earnest. In 1774 he was chosen Secretary of the first American Congress, and held the office until 1780, when the adoption of the Constitution of the Confederacy closed its functions. John Nixon, an Irishman, was the first who read the Declaration of Independence from the centre window of the State House in Philadelphia. John Dunlap, a native of Strabane, Ireland, was the printer to the first American Congress, and in that capacity rendered essential service to the cause of the patriots, and the first to print that immortal document for general circulation. John Binns, an Irishman, and a valuable citizen of Philadelphia, still living, was the first to publish the same document with the facsimile of the signer's names, (1818.) Of the signers of the Declaration of Independence nine (including Sec'y Thompson) were Irish or of Irish descent. These were Matthew Thornton (afterwards Chief Justice) an Irishman, James Smith, an Irishman: George Taylor, an Irishman, who arrived in America in 1717 so poor that his services had to be sold to pay his passage; George Reed, the son of Irish parents. He was subsequently one of the authors of the Constitution of Delaware, and also of the Federal Constitution._ It was he who replied to the attempt to bribe him to the side of England. "I am a poor man, but poor as I am the King of England is not rich enough to purchase me Charles Carroll, of Carrollton. was of Irish descent , Thomas Lynch, was the son of an Irishman. Mr. M'Kean was of Irish parentage. He was successively U. S. Senator, Chief Justice, Governor of Pennsylvania, and President of Congress, Edward Rutledge, brother of John before named, was also a signer, and afterwards Governor of South Carolina. Of the thirty-six delegates by whom the Constitution of the United States was promulgated in 1787, at least six were Irish, or of Irish parentage, viz: Reed, M'Kean and Rutledge, already named, together with Pierce Butler, one of the Kilkenny Butlers : Daniel Carroll, cousin to Chas., and Thomas Fitzsimmons, of Penn'a. The first Governor of Pennsylvania after the adoption of the Federal Constitution was George Byron, a native of Dublin. The first Judge of probates in New Hampshire, after the Revolution, was Matthew Sutton, an Irishman. John Orr, an Irishman, was also one of the earliest Judges of that State. In 1780, John Sullivan, second son of a Limerick School master, was a representative in Congress. and elected Governor of Massachusetts in 1807, and re-elected in 1808. Irishmen and the descendants of Irishmen were certainly not less active in the field during the revolutionary war. To the honor of that nation, we can point out the names of Montgomery, Thompson, Wayne (Mad Anthony,) Clinton (George,) Hogan, Clark, Hand, Stark, Read and Sullivan, each of whom held the rank of Brigadier General under Washington. Sullivan, last named, together with John Langdon, also an Irishman, may be said to have struck the first blow on the American side When the news reached Portsmouth, New Hampshire, that the export of gun powder from England to America was prohibited, they with a company of townsmen surprised the fort at New Castle and carried off one hundred barrels of gunpowder, fifteen light cannon, and a considerable quantity of small arms. Henry Knox, the son of Irish parents, was the first to form the ordnance department, and to command it on the side of Independence. The favorite aide-de-camp of Washington, was Col. Fitzgerald : then we have Cols, Clinton, his brother.in-law J. Mc. (ilary, I vin, Thompson (William,) Stewart (Walter,) Malone, Nixon, and Butler. The latter five commanded regiments in the famous Pennsylvania Line. Moore, M'Alister, Grier (born at Braik, near Londonderry) &c. &c., But we must close this list. To enumerate all the officers, under the rank of Colonel, who were of Irish birth or parentage, would fill a column, without any reference to those no less brave, nor less earnest, who fought as private soldiers from the ranks. Nor was the prowess of the Irishmen, and the national aid they afforded to America exhibited only upon land. The ocean and our inland seas, give testimony of this. The first naval rupture made in the name of the United States was that of the British sloop ship, Marguerite, in Machias Bay 1775. This bold attempt was made and effected by five brothers, the sons of Maurice O'Brian, of Cork. who then resided at Machias. John Barry. a native of Tecumshane, county Wexford, Ireland, was the first American Commodore. Under him were trained those ornaments of the American Navy. Murray, Dale, Decatur and Stewart all of whom become Commodores in their time. Matthew Pearce, an Irishman, distinguished under Paul Jones in the Bon Homme Richards : Porter was also an Irishman, and distinguished himself on board to Constitution; Capt. Magee, an Irishman, was also an able seaman on board of other ships in the Navy. There were several other Irish Officers of minor grades, who afterwards rose to independent commands. In 177 1 Rev, Dr, Carroll, and Charles Carroll, were sent with Dr. Franklin and Mr. Chase, on an embassy to Canada, which had the effect of securing the neutrality of the French Canadian population. In 1780, when the American Army, but half fed, unpaid, and ill clothed, In Philadelphia merchants contributed by subscription the sums necessary to revive the credit of the nation. Of these 20 were Irish. or the descendants of Irish, and the subscriptions of these 20 amounted to $442, 500. That the services of Catholics were known and recognized at that period, it will be enough for us to give an extract from the address which they, as a distinct body presented to Washington after he was appointed first President of the United States, they said: "This prospect of national prosperity is peculiarly pleasing to us on another account, because, whilst our country preserves her freedom and independence, we shall have a well-founded title to claim from her justice, the equal rights of citizenship as the price of our blood spilt under your eye, and of our common exertions in her defence under your auspices and conduct; a right rendered dear to us by the remembrance of former hardships." To this, Washington, in his reply said: "As mankind becomes more liberal, they will be more apt to allow that all those who conduct themselves as worthy members of the community are equally entitled to the protection of civil government. I hope ever to see America among the foremost nations in examples of justice and liberality; and I presume that you fellow-citizens, will not forget the patriotic part you took in the accomplishment of their revolution and the establishment of the government, or the important assistance which they received from a nation in which the Roman Catholic faith is professed." Our limits will not permit us to pursue the catalogue further, and we must therefore pass over the brilliant services rendered our country by Irishmen and the descendants of Irishmen in both the wars of 1812-and our recent war with Mexico. Enough has been given to show that our country is deeply indebted to this gallant nation for the services of its gallant sons in the days of our country's saddest trials. Will Know-Nothingism say that naturalized citizens have only in common with them the right to shed their blood, and peril their lives, and pay their taxes in defence of our national independence and honor, and in support of our government,—but they shall have no civil rights; they shall not be recognized as citizens when it comes to dividing the honors and emoluments of civil offices? Away with such fiendish ingratitude. Was (General Jackson the worse American citizen because his father was born in Ireland ? Is Gen. Shields, the mangled hero of Cerro Gordo, and the now brilliant Senator, less an American because he was born on the wrong side of the Atlantic?- He has baptized his devotion to his adopted country, with his blood, and yet this band of proscriptionists would consign him to a life of degradation. The people must awake from their slumbers, and rebuke these Know Nothing enemies of American liberty. Their conduct marks them as a secret band of conspirators, and if allowed to accomplish their fiendish purposes, will sap the foundation of public liberty by striking a death blow at religious toleration.