Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1854-12-19
AN OLD GAME.

The know-Nothing organization is not the lrst se-
cret organization for political purposes that has dar
kened the page of this countrys history. Washing.
ton warned s countrvuncn against "scf-constituted
secret societies tor political purposes" "i'. ''
case their attempts have been exposed and their a-
thors and ube,ors covered with public repro0ation-
Twice before was an effort made to obtain control OF
the government BY means Of secret organizations;
hut tho ONLY trace left is the odium with which free
and enlightened people crushed the s,ealtly machine
,iops. The first was the Hartford Convention, held
during the war Of 1872. This secret association
tsays the New Hampshire Patriot "its members
were bound to nvolabe secrecy US to its objects de-
siens and doings, and it's under officers door
keepers messengers, &c., were not allowed to know
its proceedings It's design was reasonable, and if
it had not been Indignantly frowacd upon by the great
body OF the people, it would have accomplished It's
objects and dtssored the Union. But its secresy ex-
cited the suspicion of honest and patriotic men; they
condemned it, at first because its doings and designs
were kept secret rightly concluding that honest wor
thy and patriotic purposes did not require secrecy and
darkness for their promotion And when its rsal OBJ
iects became known, the public condemnation was
but confirmed and rendered more marked and lasting
then carefully remembered and regarded. And this
was 80 apparent that the members OF this mia
NOUS conspiracy could not fail to be convinced ot H.
for Harrison Gray Otis in his vain attempt to screen
this secret reasonable conclavc, from the odum
which properly attached to it, was forced to declare
that thereafter similar associations for political pnr-
poses rN be inerpcdicn, unrise and tmpoi'te. P"6-
hc opinion the added has become consolidated R d'S-
appreciation Of such conventions for political OBJECTS.
..Ihe other precedent for KaowNothngism was
the washington Benevolent Societies which were
concocted fsw years later. These were professcdly
charitable associations and were organized on plan
similar to that of the Know Nothings but they were
really political associations organized by the leaders
of the old federal party for the sole purpose of over
throwing the Democracy and obtaining control OF the
Government. and their charitable profession was sim
pv mask to conceal from the public their real OBJ
octs But neither the charitable pretence, nor the
name Of the "Father of his Country" which they had
sucriegiously assumed, was sufficient to turn from
them the suspicion Of iniquy which their secrecy was
calculated to bege to cause patriotic men to for
get the warning of Washington against such assocIa-
tions and the popular indignation was excited against
them to such extent as to render them harmless,
and to cover them and their members with well
merited odium, which history will porpetuate and
confirm.
"The Hartford ConventionistS pretended to be pa
trots and Christians, while they plotted treason
against their country, humanity and God. The mem-
bers Of the Washington Benevolent Society protested
be phlanhropists merely while they labored in BE-
crecy and darkness, by fraud and rickery, to obtain
control of the Government for selfish purposes
know-No,hngism makes no more high-sounding pro-
fessions; it works with the same Instruments III Sc
crecy and darkness the oath bound secrocyof spro.
ceedngs inevitably leads to the suspicion that its real
purposes are scarcely less worthy Of condemnation;
and it becomes patriotic men to remember the admo-
milton of Washington, and to separate themselves from
it without delay, for We believe it is dangerous, and
is destined to become as odious, either OF its prede
cessors to which we have referred"