New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-11-18
TILE AMERICAN PARTY"

IL 10 tne ney-udy Ol prosperity ioI this nc"
conglomeration, and most of the Journals are Sc
duced into fayOriDg il or bullied into silence.
Those which refuse to bow down and worship il are
threatened with its most rele ntless prescription,
and we have many wellmesning friends WHO urge
that we ought at least to be awed into silence
with regard to it. One writes us as follows:
"What think you Of Know-Nohingism
81 sent YOU Dearly 100 subscribers last winter aud
spring. You must change your course on that sub
ect, or you will lose Dearly all our sabssrioes.
advise De friend of The TRIBUNE. and Greeley in
particular Respectfully, JOSEPH IRWIN"
Another more courteously demonstrates Ia the
following terms:
In opposing the Know Nothings, not
that the premises lay down are false or your ar
gume hts falscous but all attempts, byresson or ar
eument to stay the stampede toward the mys-
terious Order ere futile as they would be in stop
ping prairie fire.
Know .NothDgism is an epidemic, which will,
and must rage You err, therefore, in wasting labor
in opposition to it, thereby prtudlcing the minds OF
many against you, inducing them TO withdraw from
your subscription the loss Of which may be OF ftle
many good principle, which has been planted, nur-
tured, strengthened their hears by your efforts;
" You may be able to lose your subscribers but
your Subscribers cannot afford TO lose The rRIBUSR
and though they will only bite their own noses oT
by stopping it, yet il is aquestion whether they ought
TO be permitted TO 90 So when such Catastrophe
can be prevented by any policy of our own which
does not require The sacrifice of principle. Keep
the hearts Of the public warm and their heads cear
on the Temperance and Slavery questions, bat let
them 90 the length of their tether on Know Nothing
sm else they will break loose from all restraint
Another writes US after this fashion:
"wby does The TRIBUNE stand up for the Irish
and the Catholics They never went with you on
any question never will. They are for Slavery,
Ram ard Ignorance; you are for Freedom, Temper
ance and Education' so you always Will and always
must be opposed to each other. Then why don't you
give them up and go with those who are naturally
your frendsl'
To these several criticisms and queries we
propose now to make answer:
/ We have no expectation that the great ma
joriN of the Irish aud Germans Daturslized among
US will ever vote with US. We expect to con-
front them at the polls so long as we shsll live.
But it is one thing to vote that your neighbor is
wrong on some controverted point, and quite
another TO vote down his right to a voice in de-
Gliding the question. We believe the great body
of the American citizens who we're born Irish or
Germans have been imbued with erroneous views
on most current political topics; we will vote
down these views when we can; bat we will not
vote away their right to q voice in the premises.
There are very many Americans born who ha-
bitually vote as we do rot; we hbor TO convert
or overbear them; but we do not want them dis.
franchisei, and would resist any movement to
that end. Let every man have his vote; then if
we are voted down we will submit TO the will of
the majority; FIVE triumph, we expect our an
tagoDi..s to do that same.
2. Nov as to Freedom. We have accepted in
good faith the Republic IN theory of Government.
We believe that "All men are created equsl;"
and that deficiency of natural ability or literary
attainment, while it necessarily limits the inau.
ence of a citizen, should not deprive him Of his
vote. Now suppose the Irish and Dutch were all
wrong with regard to Slavery. shall we mend the
matter by practically enslaviDg them Isthe de-
MAJ of Political Franchises to some the true way
to Rights for All We cannot see it in that
light.
We know, moreover that the control Of the
Know. Nothing" machinery was long ago Sc
cured to the Pro-Slavery wirewerkers, and that
one Of the chief objects Of the movement is the
crushing OUT or smOthering Of an Anti-Slavery
sgitation. Thus The Baltimore Patriot exultngy
says:
I'VE infer that the secrecy Objectionable that it
is condemred by the Jesuiis has been necessary
10 eject he Liberation OF the citizen from the thra
dom OF party. Anopen attempt At fusion or abandon
nspt of the party flag might have been rebuked and
defeated. The people have had therefore To meet 10
secret ike the Relormers Of every age The affairs
Of Liberty. ike those of Religion, mus, sometimes be
hidden fnom the eye OF power. But infer thar the
great purpose Of the American patty is the preserve
iior of the American Union. That the means cOu-
tenplsto. consist in expunging every principle of
sninOsty sgaiIst the country or its institutions.
We ask if it be not 40 inevitable infereace
from the acts of the American party that they will
rtbDke and repudiste this abolition rule Of Office
VIII not the American party exclude this question
from The balls OF national legislation they would
Catholicism or Al-nism viii they not restore
harmony which alone makes the Union useful honor-
able or desirable We do rot pect from the ner-
can party any expression of opinion upon the merits
OF ue question; We only expect that Abotonism
WI De thrown out Of the national issues and RENTED