The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1854-08-25
From the Raleigh Standard.



iner, what purports TO be an expose oil Inc Pflci'
pies and workings Of this secret Order. no"
much OF truth there is in this article we cannon
say; but if any member of the Order considers
that injustice has been done, we hold ourselves
ready cheerfully to publish such statement OF
facts as may be furnished US.
This order, we believe, was first heard OF IN one
of the abolition towns of Massachusetts, 1t rap
idly gained strength, and soon controlled the cleo
tions in Cities, and at last carried Philadelphia.
The Wings Of Pennsylvania closely connected
with it, their candidate for Governor, Pollock,
being member of the order, and standing like
wise on the platform of uncompromising oPposi.
ton to the rights Of the sIave-hoding States. The
last Pennsy lvanian gives number Of important
facts on the subject; and among other things the
first grip of the order, as follows:
sin shaking hands you take the person with
whom you shaking in the usual mode, and
press The end Of The middle finger on the side of
the knuckle joint OF the little finger, Of the person
with whom you are IN the act of shaking hands.
After you have given this gentle Know Nothing
squeeze, you let your hand fall gently by your
side, when the person who gave the grip says,
" whero did you get that 7" If your companion
is a Know Nothing he will reply, " | don't know,
do you?'' If ne is not a member of The order
he will, in all probability, when you ask the ques-
ton say, " get what ~ You will then turn it off
by referring to some part of his Dress and say,
" that breast pin, that coat" some like article,
selecting any item about him which would be likely
to attract attention. The instructions in this grip
are given Immediately after the main oath is taken
in the lodge. After the candidate is instructed in
the grip, the president gives him the password, by
IL I1olH LID IL
word, as we have already SAID, is "Traitor, be-
ware of No. 49,"
On entering a lodge you go 10 the outside door,
and make any number of raps you please TO draw
the attention Of the qua rdian, who when he hears
the rapplng, puts his ear 10 aperture in the
door. and you ask in low voice "what meets
here o.nighl?" The guardian answers 81 don't
know - you then give him the first word Of The
password, which is "Traitor." This word be.
ing correctly given you pass TO the inner door,
where you give four distinct raps, and when the
guardian appears you give the balance of the pass
word, which is, beware Of No. 49," This
being correct, you are permitted TO pass in. You
90 to the centre of the room and address the Pre-
sident and Vice President, which is done by plac-
ing your right hand upon your left breast and
letting your hand fall careessIy to your side"
The same paper gives the following insight into
the workings Of The order:
GAS our readers may desire to know something
OF the practical political working Of the nefarious
Know Nothing Order, whose secrets we have par
tally exposed we shall endeavor in the present
article 10 supply some information on the sub jecl
Whether the Order originally designed as a
means of successfully attacking the Democratic
party, do not know, but certainly it has been
prostiluted to that purpose in this city and State.
How' We will briefly explain. The leading
and influential spirits Of these lodges generally
if not universally, composed of men whose ruling
political idea, if not indeed the only they pos
sess, is blind spirit OF hostility to the Democratic
party. However much they may profess to hate
foreigners, or foreign influence, they hate Demo
Gratis and Democratic influence a thousand times
worse, and if no other method of successfully
warning against our party was presented, these
men, who may we'll be typfed by such political
prostitutes Judge Pollock and Mayor Conrad,
would be ready 10 kiss the Pope's biz toe from
one years end to another and sing poeans to the
g rich Irish brogue," and "sweet German accent"
every day Of their lives. Such men, we say,
generally, are the controlling spirits of these
lodges Ia initiating candidates. Of The OathS
requires them 10 note Such ticket as feed upon
By the Order. With this fact the whole secret of
the operation Is simply to preserve a preponder.
ance Of Wings and Natives in the Lodges. This
can easily be done. Up 10 certain point, an
earnest effort is made to entice Democrats within
It's leprOOS embrace, OaL dII6f mat proportion mas
been secured, all men inclined TO act with our
party are rigidly black bakted and e1ckatded. This
whole game is thus rendered a very easy one
The Democrats who are enticed into the order
have their hands very nicely tied and are COM
pletely in the hands OF their Toes. On all ques-
lions Of importance the Wing and Native Arneri.
can members of course out-vote them. 1t is the
old story of the very polite invitation, Won't
you walk into my parlor, says the spider TO the
fly z" 1t is true that occasional comparatively
trifng and insignificant stations are given to orr
ginaI Democrats, to still better disguise the real
purpose Of the order, but it is like the turkey and
turkey buzzard business between the white man
the lndian-the turkey. buzzard is always prof.
fered TO the Democrats. In the recent election in
this city, the result Of the movements in the
knowNothing lodges exempli6ed the truth of the
above statement, and a few Democrats who were
too wise to be killed off by such barelaced bam-
booZing and buffoonerY were bitterly denounced
as traitors and threatened with all the terrors of
Know Nothing inquistion. An active attempt is
now being made to establish throughout the State
lodges on the same system those we have here
Agents have been dispatched for that purpose into
every quarter, but have generally met with indif.
lerent success. The men W no are usually selected
to assist in setting the ball in motion in the differ.
ent towns are the same politicians who in 1852,
only two years ago. were afflicted with terrible
agony by the fact that the Constitution Of New