Smyrna times., 1854-11-22


ism, or any other secret political organization, /
ought not to receive the countenance OF ANY |
lover of free government Secrecy and hyPo- !
cracy are the iaVOrite Instruments of kings ANA /
dcspO.s. no country can long remain Tree |
after It's great principles are abandoned, and
the government itself becomes the spollS "i 'he
tricky, Stalking politician. l conceive the
Know Nothing organization Of tins character,
or why the organization at all III country Ike
ours, WHARF every mar has Il voice i'll Tic Icgls-
lation Of the land Where 10 privileged Or..cr
is established or countcnnnccd by law, canrpt
conceive Of a single thing affecting those gen
tlelnen as citizens which does not IN the saHIc
sense affect every other man IN the couHtry.-
II their designs arc just and patriotic, they ale
surely sustained by reason; and l think the
same reasons which have convinced them wi!
also convince us of the same things, and there
can be no necessity Tor secrecy IN the prosecu-
ton OF honorable PURPOSES.
But there are evils resulting from such assO-
Cations which ought not to be overlooked. Ia
republican government the basis OF our secu-
rity is guLLic conEdeuce Whatcver strikes at
public confidence, strikes at republicania.n.-
Whca the Wing party beats the Democratic
party upon an issue nladc public, the defeated
party gives up the cor:ostas honorably settled.
In turn he openly gains Tor his own party an
cqua, triumph, ami the opposition as quietly
acqu.esce in their overthrow. 1t was dOal
openly; they saw how ii was done and were
satisfied.
Bat in the success Of Sccrat political socic-
ties public confidence is undermined; it gives
way reign OF terror commences; another
gccrlt organization Of Know Something's are
orga 1iZed; and they, 100, may triumph, and the
disulyed Know Nothmgs may not so tamci!
subn it. They, in revenge, apply the munitions
Of secret warfare. Long before the charter
was granted to any OF these organizations mid
night was deemed an suspicious time for secret
depredations, and 10 more powerful means than
the spark oi ire, or the simpler modern lnycn-
ton called luciter matches, would be needed to
assist IN secret resistance to the superior trick
OF the victorious party.
NJ less sacred a citadel than the temple Of
worship and family altar viii be lighted up and
Il!umne the earth with their fires. Aye, s!r,
| already has the Internal work begun under the
auspices Of this modern institution of reform
already have Catholic churches been burned to
/ the ground or battered down by the hands OF
! the laWlcss irresponsible mob, patronlzed by
! those grueeless demagogues who would reform
the world ard maintain the super-exccllent
! character Of Christian Gentlemen, whilst they
use for most enormous crimes minions heated
by mad fanatic.sm, the worst and bascst of the
whole family Of man.
! Where is th2 church burning to end, under
the auspices OF such au extended, and power
full, and sly, and neartless band! All yCul
churches may lie i'll RUNS upon the Garth
Then may your monaster;esand nunneres share
the same fate. BY this time church-burning
may become fashionable, and the hand long
trained to incendiGrism may, with the same Ia
cility, try his experiment upon the Methodist
churches: which, like Catholic churches, may
be devoured by flames. But the dwellings o.
priests and the houses Of Methodist preachers
may endure a similar fate, as they become sub
iect to the overrulinr mandates of KING AlO6
Indeed, the torcbodlhgs TO one accustomed Il
melancholy feeling are truly frigh'ful. To the
sober-minde the fearful results of such orTani
. cations promise no less than the overthrow o
: free government 1t was their secret pOtitica
reformation which preceded the French Reyo
, luton, and contributed to the trophies of Mara
, and Robespierre.
: The results are p ain and natural, and it re
uuires far more OF fortitude than wisdom t
n torlsee a nation Of Christian republicans civ
), ing way to vandalism until she is overcom
y with pure barbarsm, and seeks prutectio
y and plGadssior quarters beneath the hospitabl
Y throne of and absolute dcspotisn. 1t surel
requires no vast stretch of ina Cination to traV'
q back to the reign Of our Catholic and PrOtes
!. ant English Kings and Queens, who have lie
n nothing to posterity but lOathsome memoI
: of their prosecutions inflicted upon congcel
W tious MEN for no other crime than the vOluntal
!. worship of the living God. Indeed, SIR, ii
I, memory of the illustrlous Calvin has been sol
l. ed by the reflection of prosecutions intllct'
ID upon his dissenting contemporary, Servctus.-
~ New England, both the cradle and the gra'
m of true liberty, destroyed the portrait OF h
n Plymouth landing by interposing the fright
ar spectacle ofhanging Quakers and Baptists
IS their opinions; and who that has had absolu
nd power has not thus appropriated it! and with
If. generous forgetfulness these our mutual wron
N. and mutual suffering are consigned to obi
er ion.
ms What high-mintled, intelligent Catholic
NV Protestant would ses these scenes re-enacI
ro. upon the continent of America, though th
on wer. regulated By law! Who, in the namt
nj liberty, would seek their introduction by Ii
violence, under the sacred g0rb OF rciigl
IN wearing the sacardotal robes of the temple
nv God There may be wrongs IN every ecci'
tho astical organization. Ii they conflict wlth
his RIGHTS of citizens, the law under our colSt
asst ton is abundanly able to correct the evlli
rht they do not conflict with those rights, IT roma
rn. question with man and his Maker without
by intervening power
ms, There may be wrong in our laws wh'c
her not sufficiently scrutinizlng and severe IN
ical prohibition OF the emigration % i"' ~
eral Pers and Jore'gn eTi"a,"a'S--il ti,". ~
Iept those laws DC aflehoeo' anu -,
tual foreigner VIII relo3ee III t',e M. W,
m Of is made between virtue and vice. Ihat We
ter. be leveIling blow, indeed, at one fell ST.
mn. struck down the good with the evil, the '
with the foolish, indiscriminataly. But
= in is Know-Nethingism in its inception God
900, knows the end ana may Ile !" merry 'Ofe
lists US the worst 49,
lam, my very dear sir, your sincere Fl
,ner- and fellow-eitizen, bound by the fratcrnnl
pre. ings OF holy ard liberal Christianity. =
ylous -. HENRS CLAY De-