On general principles of law and reason, the oaths which foreigners take, on
coming here, and being "naturalized" (as it is called), are of no validity.
They are necessarily given to nobody; because there is no open, authentic
association, to which they can join themselves; or to whom, as individuals,
they can pledge their faith. No such association, or organization, as "the
people of the United States," having ever been formed by any open, written,
authentic, or voluntary contract, there is, on general principles of law and
reason, no such association, or organization, in existence. And all oaths
that purport to be given to such an association are necessarily given only
to the winds. They cannot be said to be given to any man, or body of men,
as individuals, because no man, or body of men, can come forward with any
proof that the oaths were given to them, as individuals, or to any
association of which they are members. To say that there is a tacit
understanding among a portion of the male adults of the country, that they
will call themselves "the people of the United States," and that they will
act in concert in subjecting the remainder of the people of the United States
to their dominion; but that they will keep themselves personally concealed
by doing all their acts secretly, is wholly insufficient, on general
principles of law and reason, to prove the existence of any such association,
or organization, as "the people of the United States"; or consequently to
prove that the oaths of foreigners were given to any such association.