Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1854-12-23
NUMBER IS.


else of privilege secured to freemen, they choose
TO do so--and because they believe that their OBJ
jects can be best promoted by harmony and una
nimity Of sentiment, undisturbcd by the presence
of nterlopers the prying interference Of the Gu
riouH. Then, in the name Of common sense, why
may not "Know-Nothings meet in secret, If they
are peaccable, orderly, inofenaiye? Mr.. Wise him
self yields the whole argument In ono short SEN
tence. He says, " a caucus may sit In secret, to
consult on the general policy Of great public
party" a t a4-,
Then, II a caucus, composed Of delegates or
representatives, may do it, why may not the poo
pie, the source Of delegated power, do the same
thing? Have the representatives of the people,
in order to carry out mere partisan schemes, .
right to do that which the people themselves
have not right to do, in order to protect their
rights and privileges as frecmenf The exception
made by Mr. Wise Is q mere arbitrary one--which
yields the principle--and for which he does not
attempt to adduce reason. He says In the next
sentence, that Ia secret caucus) may he neces-
sary and convenient; but that even il reprohensi.
bic, If carried too fur" Why necessary and con.
venient? As matter Of policy, to prevent your
enemies from knowing your plan Of operations
Then why not " necessary and convenient !" for
the masses, In organizing to defend their threats
ened liberties, az for their representatives In or.
ganizing for partisan struggle? But, says Mr..
Wise, :" that is reprehensible, when carried tco
far i ~
Really, this loose and indefinite way Of limiting
the application Of broad principle, asserted with
such apparent solemnity, is below the standard of
Mr.. Wise's intellect. 1t completely emascnlates
the entire proposition of all force or definite mean.
ing. And 80 say "Know-N Nothingism" Is "rcp-
rehensible, when carried too far
F In the next place, Mr. Wise ass1mes that oppo-
sition to foreigners and to Roman Catholics ID The
only element IN the organization Of the "Know.
Nothings," How does he arrive Mt this conclu-
sion2 He has just before complained Of their Sc
crecy, and the entire uncertainty in which the
world at large Is left as TO their principles And
now he proceeds TO speak Of their purposes with
AZ much confidence as If they had published
9 platform Of organization. He says, "all we
know is, that persons Of offoreign birth and Of Cath
olic faith are prescribed, and SO are all others wlo
do not prescribe them at the pole" What does
he mean by proscriptionS Without admitting Mr.
Wise's suspicious, or the opinions he may have i'm.
bibed from the surmises and pretended exposures Of
the newspaper press will admit for the sake Of the
argument, that opposition to foreign and Roman o.
tholic influence in the administration of the govern
ment is one of principalobjccts ofths movement
Yet what evidence is there that there Is any dispos
ton to proscribe foreigners or Roman Catholics
Has Mr.. Wise seen, authoritativcly heard Of any
purpose to alter the constitution 50 as to deprive
them ofany Of the privileges Of the citizen TO de.
priye them of their equality under the law; Of the
trial by jury of eligibility to official station by tho
people, If the people see fit to elect thcmg Has
he ever seen or heard Of any disposition to pro-
scribe them socialiy-to deprive them Of the rites
Of hospitality in private lifeg Does the Constitu.
tion Of the United States prescribe foreigners
where II provides that none but native.born cit-
zen shall be President Of the United Statess Does
the Constitution Of Virginia prescribe them, In pro-
viding that none but native-born shall be Cover
nor of that StatcS
Did Mr.. w. intend to prescribe them, when he
voted for that provisions When Mr.. Wise meets
his brother Democrats In secret caucus and
unites with them in measures to prevent any Wing
being elected to any political Office docs he thereby
intend to prescribe a man because he Is whigs
If he answers in the negative, Of course, then, the
Know -Nothings cannot be charged with proscrip-
ton--because they choose 10 resort TO concert and
combination In the exercise of an unquestioned
right TO vote for whom they please; to defeat at
the polls set ofmen, whose elevation they believe
to be injurious 10 the country as Mr.. Wise does
that Of the WhigsY III he answers in the affirIna-
tive then he convicts himself Of the same proscip-
ton towards his own fcIlow-countrymcn, protesting
the faith, which be charges others with exer.
cising towards those not united to them by tho
same ties. etsF
In attempting TO show that opposition to the ele-
secution, not founded on any reasonable fear Of
danger from their increasing numbers, Mr. Wise
proceeds TO state the comparative number Of ma.
lives and foreigners, and Of Protestsnts and Roman
Catholics, IN the country at this time. He puts
down the number Of native whites At II 1s7, ,b7s,
and Of foreigners at 2,9lo,sso, the proportion
being aboutfeight natives 10 one foreigner and
that for the last thirtytwo years the average rate
Of foreign immigrants coming In the country, has
all "A ~. a.
Mr.. Wise / think this simple statement exhibits .
state Of things calculated TO excite misgvings with
those who are at all sensitive In regard 10 the pride
OF " native land" Even now, the foreign popula.
ton almost equals that Of our ancestors in the
Of the Revolution. But the cause Of appreheu-
sion does not Iie IN the mere amount OF the mum.
ber III in the progressive increase Of that num-
Der from year 70 year.
Csiises are in operation in the Old World, grow
ing out Of the political and social state Of the coun
tries there, that have given additional impetus
TO emigration for the last ten or twelve years. And
from the present condition of Europe, We may rea-
sonably suppose that these causes viii not only
continue, but increase In intensity. The average
annual rate OF increase in the number Of foreign
immigrants exceeds by far that OF the native pop
ulation, and this excess rs increasing every year
From 1870 10 1850, tho rate Of increase In the en-
tire population was 3.5s per cent per annum--
from 1910 TO 1850, was 1890 per cent per an
mum, compared with the previous decade. Now,
according 70 the principles Of progression, how
long win II take the foreign element In popula
ton TO become rival power-eye, win u not by
the end Of the century acquire the ASCENDANT
Although the overage annual rate Of immigration
for the last tlirtytwo years has been 100, loi-
yet in 1853 the number amounted 10 3ss,64s.
The same rule applies TO the Roman Catbolic
population Although the Eve Protestant sects
mentioned by Mr.. Wise exceed the Roman Catholics
fteen TO one, and the value Of Protestant church
property exceeds that Of the Roman Catholic nine
to one vet an examination OF the relative increase
for the last twenty years. win show that the latter
have increased In a much create eSproportion than
the former. But II Is with the Roman Catholic, az
with the foreign population. The danger does not
lie SO much in their mere numbers, NJ in the nfu-
ence they exercise in our elections and in the adj
ministrstion Of the government by their clsnish
association, their banded organization, their son
ccntrated action, as a unit. Coming here without
any knowledge, the ability to appreciate the value
of our institutions; with preconceivcd notions that
land Of liberty means land of unrestrained IL
Of them refugees from, justice