The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1854-09-28
For the Union.

VIOLENCE THE NATURAL CONSEQUENCE OF THE
KNow-NOTHING ORGANIZATION AND DOC
TRINES.
The public press has recently been filled with the gross
and sickening details of riot and crime in cities and
towns growing of the know-nohing organization
and the spirit its have provoked II has been
found that in this country which proudly boasts that
the law of the land supreme and acquiesced in by all
the constituted authorities found incompetent
willing repress disorder and protect from violence the
lives and property Of the citizens We question much
whether during the last year. under the of Russia
him of France frequent fragrant outragcs
upon the rights of personal liberty and property have taken
place than those which have brought the blush of shame to
the cheek of every American citizen Private houses
given the flames, churches destroyed murder
stalks boldly FORTH unrepessed and unpublished whilst the
authors of these outrages not satisfied with such achieve
ments find ample time for attacking the peaceful assem-
bages of their opponents and for blackenng the
character of those native Americans who will join with
them in the cry, that every Catholic who goes
confession is ewd every priest sworn foe to liberties
and every Roman Catholic incpent traitor to the
sttution.
There at least fortunate feature in all this spectacle
Of caumny and crime 1t is leading everywhere TO
reflect upon the and progress of these moral heese
and bestr themselves 10 the task of their removal The
calm and rejecting of all parties beginning TO appre
cate the fact that free Institutions won by the blood
stancy zeal, and vigilance 1t is not enough to chant
peans to the Of Washington, Patrick Henry and
Jefferson but bring home their teachings the
popular heart and by the example of their tolerant and lib
era doctrines shame those TO silence who have either for
gotten repudiaed the principles ingraited upon
constitution by those illustrous patriots.
The conncxion between the doctrines of the know
nothing native American party and the recent deve
opments of crime and outrage is too obvious to be
looked. What is 'know-nothngism' but the turning Of
the bad passions of fallen nature into particular d.
recon? The evil feelings of malice and hate and into
GRANGE to opponents, to which humanity is but too
prone, have been ndustriousy stimulated and
traed upon the adherents of particular faith and upon
the helpless and unfortunate emgrant Who fleeing from
tyranny and thanking God that his feet have at last
touched the soil of freedom finds to his dismay that the
spirit of persecution is before well behind him. and
meets with scourge where he hoped for asylum And
this is republican hospitality constitution and laws
which offer heart and hand to the emgrant and the Roman
Catholic but secret organization aspiring to override
both constitution and laws which substitutes for the olive
branch of peace the sword and dagger of relentless big
oryl When men, instead of being taught to feel their
own SINS to amend their lives and purify their
conduct are the contrary, daily and hourly admonsh
ed by their leaders that there class of their neghbors
whose faith full of perncious error and yet rap
idv increasing and that it must be put down, not by
gument by the light of holy example or the generous
rivalry Of deeds of charity and mercy but by denying to
the adherens of these presumed hereses all posts OF trust
and honorable preferment-thus making them the only
pariahs outcass in land of equalitys 1t strange
that the growth of malice and hate should be rapid and
quickly bring forth its appropriate fruit Of riot sedition,
calumny and murder? This lesson, which all history
teaches US was familiar forefathers who wisely in
grated its consequence of religions liberation upon the
constitution; but have among u.s. it seems class for
whom history affords warnings for toleraon but only
precedent for revenge and persecution and who use daily
for their purposes the of revolutionary patriots
whilst they studiousiy disregard their precepts.
There is another why these consequences should
ensue The know-nohing organization is secret one 1t
repudates any appeal to argument public discussions,
but aims obtain its proseytes by private appeals and
caoey and to compass its objects by secret and rrepon
sibe machinery Is it wonderful therefore, that these
men, when mel with the calm voice of reason should fly
passionate nvectye drown the voice of conscience
that they should interrupt by violence those pnb meetings
aud discussion, whose effects they justly fear entire
ly to discard them from their plan of operations that
they should finally, when all other have failed
sort to the pistol and the knife
1t will be obvious too that the weapons of violence
much more readily and conveniently handled by them
than those Of logic and argument 1t may take
month famarize himself with the writings of
our fathers and the principles of the constitution and his
studies may then add but little to his knownothing
zeal but the sarriest and simplest of the "order'
readily handle pistol bludgeop know-nothing
may argue with Irish Catholic by the hour ard fail to
convince him that be is doator traitor, and there
fore fit Subject for prescription but resort to the knife
settles the ton speedily for all practical purposes and
your dead freshman VII hardly disturb by his replies the
convictions of his antagonist so poinedy and eoquenty
expressed Five hundred pistols may be hired, and as
many risbmen made bite the dust in less time than
will take to produce good arguen, n favor Of religious
prescription The midnight lamp wasted in the vain and
fruitless attempt to find in the writings of Washingon
e. IT, III ,,l,, Of Nrn1ir
ious test" for office may be conveniently and fifty en-
poyed in firing the Irishmans house where his wife and
children find miserable shelter from the clements or in
burning the edica ip which he offers that sacrifice OF
prayer and peuitence which the knovrcthng bgot kind
ly assuming the province of Deity unhesitangy rejects
as hypocritica idoatrous 1t may cost them some
pains read the constitution or the Gospel of Peace and
it singular that they shk the disagreeable task for
the by far TO them, Of reading the heart Of nan
and pronouncing upon his motives and his integrity
Men, too beginning to ask, where IL 6 this violence
and crime to end7 If the Catholic is to he attacked,
who indeed win be safe hvdy does NOT Arrays drac
nice distinctions and he demon hate and religious bgoty
hn one object exhausted readily eoaures up another The
man or villain who by setting fire to the houses Of Irish
men, acquires fondness for such glowing spectaces will
not always be content with such limits for his
taste but viii apply his principles and his torch to those
who are guess of drop of Mesan blood 1t is, wei
doubt not susceptible of demonstration that the house of
Of an Irish Romanis and we suspect that his blood will
in tie end be fully acceptable and sweet to many of those
who prominent in this work Of hate We win not in
-. =. / II