The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-11-23

have 'iust a. effectively brok n no, root and
branch, the unity, the power aud the prestigs
Of the democratic party. Reckless spoilsmen
and clustering patriots and dirty csncuses, and
political bargaining and s-lling,
have done the work for both the old parties.
They are powerless-they are defunct. Their
fragments which remain con never e brought
again into cohesion. The old parties of the
last twenty five years are done away with;
there is wide opening for new party, upon
new principles, and for new pol cy: and the
Know Nothings have quietly organized and
spoDtane curly stepped in TO I'LL up the chasm.
Nor are we. much alarmed for the conse-
quences. We do not share in the al prehensions
Of Mr.. Wise. We do not believe that the Know
Nothings intend to wage war o ex,ermina-
ton against our Roman Catholic adopted fello p
citizens. We do not i'm CINE that this secret
order intend to overturn the constitution of the
United States On the otter hand, It is manifest
from their action in our late Me- York elections,
aud, still more s,rikingiy, in the r cent Massa-
chusetts election, that tie Know NOthings are
practically operating to uphold the cOostitu-
ton aud The Union against the seditiOus macn-
nations Of w. II Seward aud his Northern
esgue of anti-slavcry agitasors The Know
Nothings, upon this issue, have literally stepped
into the breach between the North and South,
defence of the constitution and the laws.
Nor is this new party purely of Northern
origin. 1t is of spontaneous growth North
and South, springing up mysteriously every
where, adapting itself to every locality, aud
everywhere powerful. The native American
experiment Of ten years ago was violent,
sbort-lived. sporadic affair. There were mobs
assassinations, and CONGREGATIONS; but the
thing was overdone; aud with the election Of
Mayor Harper, of New York, the political
achievements of that native American party
ended. There was reaction, and q reaction
so great that General Scot in 1882 made
clean Hetraction Of his native American princ-
pies Of ls4l. This proves conclUsively that
this new American party has been created
since The last Presidential election, and is the
offspring Of the dissolution Of the wing party
in '52, and the destruction If the democratic
party in 1884, through the demoralizing
spoils policy of the administration.
From the waste and loose m aterials, then, OF
Nothings, ike Minerva from the brain of Jove,
have sprung into life full grown and fnIl
armed. Such appointments as Soule, the fill
clustering French refugee, to Spain, aud Bel
mont, the Jewish agent of the ROtbschilds, to
the Hague; and such 'hings as the impudent
church mission of the Pope's Nuncio, Bedini,
to this country, have, it is true, given zest and
spirit to the Know Nothing movement; but
they are not the origin of this dreadful party
AS well might we say that the interference
some years ago, (under the influences Of
Seward,) of Archbishop Hughes in the affairs
Of our common schools gave birth to this wide
spread order of the Know Nothings. No. The
mission of Bedini, and the movements of the
Catholic hierarchy to obtain the monopoly Of
their church property in the United States in
the hands of the bishops, have given q powerful
impetus to the Know Nothings; but their origin
as great party begins with the dissoluti IN OF
the old wing and democratic parties.
It is very natural that the native American
republican sentiment of the whole country
should rise in opposition to the creation Of a
foreign landed aristocracy in these States. That
the absorption of the Catholic church property
absolutely, in fee simple, by the bishops, would
result in such an aristocracy, is very likely.
The idea is consistent with the proverbial weak
ness Of human nature. But the spirited oppo
sition of the Catholic laity to this project at
Buffalo, and in the late exciting se at Hart
ford, and elsewhere, shows that the body Of The
Catholics Of he United States are republicans
and Americans at heart, in spite Of the Pope,
his Nuncio, and his Bishops. We see meshing
Of this aristocratic tendency of our Catholic
prelates in the Protestant Episcopal and
Presby terrain churches. Hence their com
municants are comparatively small; while,
throughout The Union the Methodists aud
Baptista, whose church governments are
thoroughly republican and American, are
counted by millions. In view of this pre-
dominant American spirit, shared in by Catho-
lies and Protestants, depend upon it perse-
verance on the part of the Catholic bishops ia
this country to secure the exclusive possession
Of their church property, will result in q rup-
ture which they can never repair. The Catho-
lie hierarchy should allow broad margin be-
tween republicanism in Mexico and democracy
in these United States.
1t is against the spoils-secking Catholic
hierarchy and their Baltimore and New York
Councils, that the religion, hostility of the Know
Nothings is directed. 1t is against the cor
rupt political hucksters who aHic in
the votes of ignorant foreigners newly in
vested with the honors Of citizenship, that the
Know Nothings are operating as league of
the native born. We have no fears that re-
spectable adopted citizens, or Catholics, identi-
'ying themselves with the people, the institu-
lions and the interests Of this country and it's
laws, are to be hunted down and exterminated
by the Know Nothings.
In political view we recognise in this Know
Nothing movement something of positive and