Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1854-11-16
WASHINGTON, D.. G, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1e 1854
THE aKNOw-NoTHINGs.n

THE "KNOW-
We do not belong TO this association, and
!" know nothing" of it except from common re-
port Our information may, therefore, be in
correct or at least imperfect; but assuming
that public opinion does justice to the views
and purposes by which the association is actI-
ated, we incline to the opinion that stern ne
cessity called it into existence, and requires its
continuance.
II will be readily admitted that all secret So
cieties are liable to be abused to bad purposes,
and especially political organizations whose
proceedings are secret because they are not
restrained by the wholesome check of public
opinion; and hence the individual members
are not 80 essentially controlled by regard to
their reputation as they would be if what they
propose to do was subjected to public animad-
version. Known Nothingism" may, therefore,
DC an evil, or may become one of great magni-
tude by the abuse Of power; but, on the other
hand, It may, if directed by right motives, ef-
feet great good and counteract evils of the
greatest magnitude; and evils, too, lor which
we know no other remedy.
II we are rightly informed, the association
has been got up to counteract the political in
fiuence OF Romanism, by resisting the political
elevation of foreigners. 1t does not propose to
exclude from Office or authority, Legislative or
executive, Romanists as such, but only foreign
ers. Yet, as the great body Of Romanists, in
this country, are emigrants from Europe, il
cannot be denied that the exclusion of foreign
ers will necessarily affect the Roman Catholic
Church more than other churches; and this,
SO far from being political evil, may be shown
to be necessary to the conservation and per-
petuation Of civil and religious liberty. And
hence 1t may be asserted with great propriety,
that an organization such as the "Know- No.
things" constitute, is essential to the welfare Of
our country, as the only adequate means Of
counteracting Romanism; the most secret and
the most formidable association that human in
genuity ever devised, and which, from its very
nature is, and cannot cease to be, hostile to the
principles of civil and religious liberty.
That the Roman Catholic Church is secret
society, directed by its hierarchy absolutely
controlled by its priesthood to degree which
has never been exercised by the leaders of any
political party in this or any other country lis
evident by its religious creed, and its practice
everywhere. The confessional is a secret tri-
bunal, before which every member Of the
church is required to make known, not only
every immoral action, but every thought and
purpose of the heart, upon pain of incurring
the anathema Of the church, which is equiva-
lent to sentence of eternal damnation. The
secrecy of this tribunal is not only admitted
by the church, but gloried in. Even the priest
dare not reveal what is extracted from the pen
itent under the seal of confession, unless he
be authorized to divulge it by church authority.
This will not be denied, we presume but
this is not all. The priest is thus put in pos
session Of secrets which enable him to hold his
penitent under secret obligations which he dare
not violate. The priest, as we have said, is
bound to secrecy, but may be released by his
superiors from the obligation, and always will
be, as he always has been SO released, when
the good Of the church requires it. The pcni-
tent must have been a very correct man in all
his relations if his confession does not place
him absolutely in the power of his priest, even
in regard to his worldly interests but in re-
gard to his spiritual interests, his absolute de-
pendence on his confessor is unquestionable.
He has been taught to believe that priestly
absolution is essential to his salvation and
what is still worse, that the validity and eff
cacy OF this absolution depend upon the secret
intention OF the priest who administers, or
pronounces 1t, so that If it be pronounced with
all formality, and according TO the established
fof.natttd of the church, it is wholly unavailing
uhiOSo tiiO pGltsb las u TiVuG f1ltcfitlOfr In
the exercise of his function.
Thep penitentis, therefore, wholly in the power
Of the priest for, although his confessor may
90 through all the outward form of receiving
his confession and giving dissolution, yet he
must be lost--forever lost-if his priest has moi
been 50 conciliated as to exercise right in
tention in his own mind. This is the doctrine
Of the Church as laid down by the so-called
holy, infallible Council of Trent, the last oecu
menical council Of the Roman Catholic Church
Now we put it to any man Of reason and
common sense, II you believed all this; If you
believed the priest had all your eternal interests
in his power-could send you to heaven or tc
he'll, even while he administered the rites Of the
Church outwardly, by exercising or withhold.
ing secret "right intention" in the admins.
tration of the sacraments, or the power of abso.
lution-if you believed in these doctrines Of the
Church Of Rome, would you incur the displea.
sure of the priest for any earthly consideration
But If not, is not every Roman Catholic under
the absolute control of a secret society, by con.
siderations not only of temporal, but Of an
eternal weight9
But it may be thought that no sensible man
can believe all thisl Yet IL a man does not be.
lieve II he is not Roman Catholic at all and
Why ohy p"s ouNh Ndh ~ w CUnleoslOu, III
country where no legal authority or political
advantages arc made to depend upon going to
confession, we cannot divine. In Roman Cath
olc countries, where all social and political ad-
vantages are made TO depend upon being in the
Church, and the being in the Church is made
TO depend upon going to confession, at least
once year, we can easily conceive how an
Atheist may be induced to conform TO the re-
quirement, as he believes In no future judgment
or accountability. But why even an Atheist
should profess to be Catholic, and conform TO
the requirements Of the confessional in this
country, we cannot imagine, unless It be from
desire to secure Catholic votes and influence
to aid his political aspirations
Having, then, among us very large secret
society, governed by priesthood, who are be-
heved by the members Of the association TO
exercise by divine right the power to fix and
determine their eternal destiny, and this priest
hood itself being the subjects Of foreign pom
tiff, prince, and potentate, by what means can
such influence be controlled but by combi-
nation Of its opponents And how can such
af,r,, 10 ofJNct II l..l II.