Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1854-09-26
THE RICHMOND ENQUIRER.
TUESDAY, sEpTEMnEH 26, 1854.
Tur wings AND THE KNoW-NoTlilSGS'

ciplrs and policy of me wing PAN. =,
pnuu,ar e1ecration. that the Richmond '"S "'u'
.he equally explicit and emphatic in explaining In
,iewsef the "Know-No:hing organizations Inc puoNc
will appreciate our disappointment wheh 'heE reao
the article in which the IVhig pr"fesses to respond to
. our INQUIRY touching its position; for they Will discor
.r that he Quixotic champion OF ''froios'an'ish
undertakes to conceal its purpose IN n manner ano'
rcther worthy Of q Jesuit contcssor. Bu'' despite "s
shallow ~sophis,ry and its disingenuous definitions
the Hhig plainly betrays the fact OF Il secret co"pae'
and alliance between the s~poilsmen OF the wing Put'
~ md the Kuow-Nothius conspirators. The puDhc
have long suspected the coalition. This suspicion
r;n roc become universal conviction. There can
b. no misconstruction of the language OF the H@'g'
When it speaks Of shielding Protestant rights
agains, Catholic domination" aud character'zes
the influence OF the foreign element III our Pop"m'
lion a. "the prevailing evil OF the Jay -"he"n
talks O: restricting emigration and OF revising the
naturalization laws, We cannot mistake us 'ee''has"
liz position. No man can resist the cohcius'"" ha''
80 far n, least a, the influence of the Richmond ""ES
can accomplish the thing, the Wing part? OF Virgin"
IL enlisted in the service OF the "hno~-No'hinss'
However eager the Wing leaders may be Tor an III
lance by which they hope to subvert the Hsce''."'!
Of the Democratic party, We do not tear that the QUIZ
of the Wing party will submit to any such degrading
association. We have sufficient confidence III The it'
t.llirence and independence Of the Wing gentlemen
Of V,rr;ris to believe that they will spurn the ALI
,nce. They will forbid the bans. The lash OF party
cannot compel them TO wear the yoke of this ih!a-
mons bondage. Their sense Of justice, their dignity
,b,;r honor. will revolt against Il league with u secret
association OF political banditti, who pursue the WORK
-. aud CONSERVATION uuipr cover oil midnight
,orRn,s,. II is not here in Virginia that gentlemen
,knlk from the gaze OF public scrutiny, and disguise
their poiitical creed by equivoca,ion and talsefood'
+, il not here that they refuse TO submit their primer
pl-s 10 the test Of public discussion. 1t is not i'll \lr-
yinia that n brutal biGotry and u vulgar prejudice oi
blood.can stife the voice ofconsciencea ana suppresStne
generous impulses Of hospitality. We much mistake
the character of the Wing gentlemen OF Virginia. II
they do no, shrink from the filthy touch OF know
No;hineism," as they would from the presence Oh
plague or the stigma of dishonor.
For our declaration that VIC will not support 4
"kpow Nothing for the office OF Governor the
,t'a.g accuses US of prescription. by The same logic
We NAV convict the Uhig OF the same offence Tor
il, will no, support a democrat for any political once
thus, according 10 its own argument, proscFl-
hing citizens for q mere difference oi ollnioa'-
Bu, j, it not singular that the ~arolosist OF The hno"'
Mornings should affect q horror Of prescription That
= uublic journal should plead Tor tolerance anu iioe-
raTty in the name of the meanest, most rindicsive,
mos, exclusive, most bigotcd, most malignant faction
the. ever brought reproacb upon una nnature' With
wha, face can he talk of the right of free discussion
aud Of private judgment, who svows sympathy with
.n association of bigots and nativists-of men who
-z,lI a ,,,I ;L.r,yo c coDcci.nro N tha Catholic. and
would repulse the foreigner from our shores
To a.! this the Wing replies by prosessng ignorance
OF he principles and purposes Of tn" kn"w-Nothing
iaction--u plea which il less credit"ble TO lis inteii'-
:.nce han e. is noiestv. 1t ia idle at this day to
-. NJ any such pretencc. y metsoi:cal exposition
al tie nature of hnow-N othingism Is not necessary
10 acomprehens;on of its Vaccinations and designs. 1t
reveal. its character in its works. The rios and rs.
.assina,ioss OF New Orleans, and the recent ,d asn9eGnhi
sufficiently Illustrate its spirit and purposes.
The IEhjs entreats for Kuow-Nothingism the same
federation which We extend to the Masonic fraternity
and TO similar Notwithstanding that the only
objection to the former is the secresy in which 1t
shrouds its operations. the Wig cannot deceive
the public by any such ~sophistry. The utmost cam
dor aud publicity could not render the principles Of
Inc OtiAlHe U%SSItoOAS ~ tN ~
pie, bm: the association derives additional infany
from the dark and treacherous manner in which the
,piri, OF religious bigotry and political prescription
seeks 10 strike down is victims.
From the Richmond Wing of September %
THE ENQUIRER AND H kNOW-NO-
THINGS.
We have no hesitation in responding 10 the interrogatory
Of the 'Ta;y, but we did not suppose that any ~iu,elligen,
person could PROFOUND it. The course Of the Enquirer
in respect 10 ACKNOWLEDGMENT" has been, from the be-
ginning, uniformly and empha,ically dcnuncistory. and we
ire -~urp-iscd ,ha, the Wig should not understand our
position. To relieve the Whig's perplexity, however, we
assure II that, under no circumstances, VIII the" EMqH'rfr
support, 4 Know Nothing Tor the Office of Governor.
VIII The Uhis be equally precise and emphatic 10 de
ansa. its position" touching the Know othinss'- IRieh.
aorG EHgtircr.
The Enquirer has at last answered our enquiry
and pledges itself not 10 support n acknowledging
for the Office Of Governor" As u consequence, too
natural and obvious to admit of doubt Or cavil, the
Enquirer is equally pledged not TO support any cand;-
date for the office of Lieutenant Governor, Attorney
General, or Congress, or the Legislature, who is II
Know Nothing. This ID certainly sufficiently explicit.
Here, then, we have prescription for 0ptn"0n$ SAKE,
with Il vengeance. No matter how faithful and true
mi honest Il man may have bcen-no matter how
lofty his patriotisn-pure his public and private lie
md un-1ceptionable his political antecedents''. yet
ri! 'hes" nre ms dust in the balance" in the Enqaircr'S
estimation. il ne il free to exercise the undoubted
r.At. o! sp American citizen. and Differs wth the
Enquirer on the question Of Foreign influence, or
IT'IEI- u i anu tl ~ illtl II lAllZ'H, w VI
iic",-tn q Catholic and Il Foreigner. The Enquirer
advocate. " freedom Of opinion" and yet proscrihes
IN. man who di-s"nts from lis views on Il mere qucs-
ton Of cXpcdicncy in political organization.
We need scarcely inform the public We assume and
will main,ain 20 the end, II ground directly the oppo-
site OF that taken by the Enquirer. We will not
prescribe II man who is faithful, capable and true to
The Constitutions; who il n good citizen, an honest
man. and Il trustworthy politician, merely because he
- a Know Nothing. We nre republicans i'll feeling,
in faith, in action. We have implicit faith in the
y.onn,i work of oar republican institutions, and III the
high integrity aud genuine patriotism of the Inrri-
clV P"opLc; and we have ever been taught "from our
youth upward 10 give full crcdencc-in practical nc
,ion--to tho right of every citizen To fora aud express
his own opinions, and to aG, up, i'll public, 10 his own
CONVICTIONS. AS Z consequence of this cardinal ira-
turG in ogr republican faith, we shall never prescribe
a tried public servant merely because lac, under
hi. own honest convictions, differs with us u
10 how far the Naturalization Laws are too lax or too
stringent. How far i; il c~Spcdi,nt TO exercise II re-
stric;ivc policy on the millions Of foreigners who are
yearly emigraung TO America. How far, anu to what
.x;ent, il! is advisable to shield Protestant rights
dcut to our political organization, and are entitled to
Il free and full exercise of opinion by each voter.
We are "f the opinion, that i; would be Is just i'll
III 10 prescribe II candidate, because he was n Metho-
dist, all Episcopalian, a Baptist or Presbyterisn.-
Would this be tolerated. II men are left free to cXcr-
else their own Judgments, on these questions, why, We
ask, is an American citizen, born on our soil, reared
under our institutions, assimilated, in every feeling,
with American Interests and American principles, Ia
be prescribed, disfraucbisod, POLITICALLY speaking
c&tia;rcd, because, an hiS gytntoa, it is proper 10 uni,c,
quietly and peacefully, with those OF his trllvw-citi.
2eas who happen to agree with him, for the purpose
OF checking the prevailing evil Of the day, aud thus
- :vach the American statesmen that they are not Ia
Icly on the foreign vote as To the "balaucc wheel iii
elections
We again repeat, VIC are not of this order, know
nothing Of their secrets, have no Insight into their
Interior purposes, nor do We intend to become ""ne
Of them" We ure not, nor do We design becoming
Their advocate. We shall maintain our known posi-
ton, and we shall advocate tho true principles ct the