Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1854-12-04
Our Principles.

Our Principles.
If there DO any one mlsehood which the adj
ministration presses strive more zealously and
continually to present in the garb Of truth than
another, it is that which represents the Ameri-
en- party as hostile to the interests and insti-
tutions of the South.
Planting ourselves upon the constitution
advocating the pcrpetuation Of the Union,
and equally maintaining the separate rights Of
the Statcs--our party is nevertheless calumni-
atcd and slandered by those presses, who date
the decline Of the rotten dynasty they seek to
sustain, from the advent Of the American party
upon the political arena. Their warfare is
waged for selfpreserration. But they must
fall.
Tho corrupt political organizations which
have existed for years past, and which have,
Ia turn, degraded themselves by their efforts to
propitiate foreigners in order to obtain power
are fast disappearing, and new order Of things
Is coming into existence. An american party,
in the true and broadcast sense Of the term, will
soon be installed, and viii control the destinies
and platform are broad enough and sufficiently
national in their scope, to enable all patriotic
Americans to rally around our standard, and
to pledge themselves faithfully to its support.
We eschew sectional differences. We throw
behind us oil former political controversies on
points Of policy. We form great national
party, whose ends are national, and whose pur-
poses will not interfere with the rights Of the
States, or Of any portion Of the American peo-
PIE We seek to purify our government, to
make it american in its policy and action, and
TO provide against the evils and dangers which
threaten its existence.
That our party should be opposed by those
in power is natural, for selfpreservation is the
first law Of nature, but, that yituperation abuse
and Misrepresentation should be resorted TO by
our opponents, is not in accordance with our
notions Of an honorable political contest.
We are opposed by tro apparently rioal
parties, and on contradictory bases. The adj
ministration presses, under the lead of the
Washington Union and Richmond Enquirer,
oppose us, because 0hcy say) we are allied
havo over and again shown this charge to be
unfounded. On tho other hand, the National
Era, the n. Y. Tribune, and other anti-slavery
presses, denouncc us as being subscrvicnt to
slavery, and opposed to their notions of hui
man rights. We ask the calm perusal Of the
following extracts from the N. Y. Tribune Of
the I'd instant, in relation to the questions we
have now raised to wit:
"Myron II. Clark, Greene C. Bronson and Ho-
ratio Seymour were the rival candidates for Cover
nor when the KNOWN othing" Grand Council met
in this city TO nominate ono. All three were ma
tives and Protestants; the hrst-nsmed had long
been jealous and prominent member of the Or
tbodox Congregational Church, and most un-
doubted anti-Papist. He had tried also TO become
Know Nothing, and had failed, IL at all through
sou,e Technically which did not cast a shadow Of
donbt on his attachment TO the principles of the
order. He was the temperance candidate, and no
man questioned hisdevotion TO liquor prohibition;
while both his antagonists were license men. lie
was a consistent and earnest ants-Slavcry, anti
Nebraska man, while both his antagonists were
committed 10 acquiescence in the triumph Of Dou-
glasism. How came Il, think you, that he was re-
iected by the Council and fourth candidate, who
was neither Temperance nor anti-Slavery man,
was nominated insteadS How came they TO pre-
fer defeat with Ullmann to triumph with Clark
Does this question admit OF more than one answerg
eve know that a candidate for Congress in this
CITY. who was himseifa +" Know Nothing was rcqur-
"a Nv the Council to pledge himself preliminary to
bis nomination by that body, TO vote infcxibly
against WIN. II. Seward for President in case he
should be candidate for that office and the election
should 90 TO the House. And this Is but one OF
many cases OF like character.
We do not know single instance in this State
where prominent ant-Slavery or Maine Law man
has been nominated for Office by the " Know Moth
ngs~ though we believe one Is promised good
berth IN Massachusetts,. But we do know many
Temperance men who were for Prohibition hrst and
other things afterward until they became Know
Nothings; since when they have tried to make
Temperance subseryient to Natvism, and have
voted down Maine Law candidates for Assembly,
electing Authorization Know Nothings instead.
"we hear that the late Nnow-Nothing grand
council at Cincinnati, formally resolved that the
order shall be neither pro-sldUery nor anti-slarery
That is nominally the position maintained for the
last twenty years by the late Democratic party and
we may fairly expect the American party as
party, 10 take position on the slavery question
abreast of that Of Tammany Hall.
1--WE believe the Know Nothing array is dcs-
tined to prove the deadiest foe Of anti-savery tenn
perance and every other reform movement; and we
see that the slavedriyers beginning to vic with
the Union savers IN hailing the "Know.Nothing
lodges as admirably suited TO their uses And IN
any movement like this, politicians by trade, like
the slaveholders, win always outmanage the mer
who live by their own labor, and can bestow but
casual attention upon potcs
ave might multiply these considerations but
enough. We AJAX those who really mean Anti
slavery aud Temperance TO look on calmly for .
season and see II We are not right Those who