Weekly North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1858, 1854-08-23
THE ORDER OF "KNow NoTH1NGs. I"

WORKINGS OF tnlS secret order. How much OF truth
there is in this article we cannot 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 furnish
| cd us.
This order, believe, was first heard of in one
of the abolition of Massachusetts, 1t rapidly
gained strength. and controlled the elections 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 likewise the platform of
uncompromising opposition to the rights of the slave
holding States The last Pennsylvania gives a
number Of important facts on the subject and among
other things the first grip of the order, follows:
in shaking hands you take the person with
whom you are shaking in the usual mode, and press
the end of the middle finger the side of the knuc
ke 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, "where did you get that?"
If your companion is Know Nothing he will reply
81 don't know, do your" If he is not member Of
the order he will in all probability when you ask
the question say, "get what?" You will then turn
it off by reflng to some part of his dress, and say
that breastpn, that coat" some like article Sc
lectng 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 resident gives him the pass word by
which he is enabled to enter lodge, which pass
word, as we have already said, is "Traitor, beware
of No. l3. "
On entering lodge you 90 to the outside door,
and make any number of raps you please to draw
the attention of the guardian, who when he hears
the rapping puts his ear to Aperture in the door,
and you ask in a low voice "what meets here to-
night? The guardian answers 81 don't know" you
then give him the first word of the pass word which
is Traitor" This word being 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 60 to the centre of the room and address
the President and Vice President. which is done by
placing your right hand upon your left breast and
letting your hand fall carelessly to your side."
The same paper gives the following insight into
the workings of the order:
"As our readers may desire to know something of
the practical political working of the nefarious Know
Nothing Order, whose secrets we have partially ex-
posed, shall endeavor in the present article to
supply some information upon this subject. Whc-
ther the Order was originally designed as a means
of successfully attacking the Democratic party,
do not know, but certainly it has been prostituted
to that purpose in this city and State. How2 We
will briefly explain. The leading and influential
sally composed of men whose ruling political idea
if not indeed the only they possess, is blind
spirit of hostility to the Democratic party. How
ever much they may profess to hate foreigners or
foreign influence, they hate Democrats and Demo-
SRsfs natRSaS ntqRsace o thousand times worse and if no
party was presented, these men, who may We'll DO
typified by such political prostitutes Judge Pol
lock and Mayor Conrad would be ready to kiss the
Pope's big toe from one years end to another, and
sing pueans to the erich Irish brogue," and "sweet
German accent every day of their lives. Such men,
say, generally the controlling spirits of these
lodges. In initiating candidates, of the oaths
quires them to cote such ticket is eed upon by
the Order With this fact the whole secret of the
operation is simply to preserve prep0nderance or
Wings and Natires in the Lodges. This can easily
be done. Up to certain point, an earnest effort Is
made to entice Democrats within its leprous
brace but after that proportion has been secured all
inclined to act with party rigidty 6tack-
balLed and excluded. This whole game is thus
| dered very easy one The Democrats who are en-
tced into helorder have their hands very nicely tied
and are completely in the power of their foes On
| all questions of Importance the Whig and Native
| American members of course out-vote them. 1t is
the old story of the very polite invitation, Wont
you walk into my paror says the spider to the fy!"
1t is true that occasional comparatively rif1ing and
insignificant stations are given to original Democrats,
to still better disguise the real purpose Of the order
but it is like the turkey and turkey buzzard busi-
| ness between the white man and the Indian-the
turkeybuzzard is always proffered to the Democrats
In the recent election in this city, the result OF the
movements in the Know-Nothing lodges exemplihed
| the truth of the above statement, and few Demo-
| Gratis who were too wise to be killed off by such
barefaced bamboozling and buffoonery were bitterly
denounced as traitors and threatened with all the
terrors of o Know Nothing inqusition. An active
attempt is now being made to establish throughout
the State lodges the system those we have
| here Agents have been dispatched for that pur-
pose into every quarter but have generally met with
| Indifferent success. The men who usually se-
lected to assist in setting the ball in motion in the
different towns the same politicians who in 1852,
only two years ago. afflicted with terrible agony
by the fact that the Constitution of New Hampshire
contained religious test, yet who are now seeking
to establish here in defiance of the Constitution
of Pennsylvania. There is no occasion for any man
to join this order to merely crafty his curiosity in
be patent to the world and any quantity Of amateur
bodies may be establish where all the motions y
and ridiculous performances of the Society, may be
gone through with without any of the guilt OF part
cipating in its illegal obligations, or without any ne
cessity for Democrats to throw themselves into the
power of their political foes even by an oath which
is extra, judicial and not binding, for
"ThOugh he commits a sin who swears unto sin,
1t is greater sin to keep sinful OATH.
But it must be borne in mind that in thus attempt
ing to strike down the Democratic party by this sys
tenn some of the most illustrious members Ofthe op
position party must necessarily be sacrificed, ant
the same machinery which enables unprincipiee
tricksters to strike blow Mt the Democratic party
affords them equal facilities for crushing out tn
honest portion of their party who are their po
itical rivals. While Know Nothngism strikes at al
citizens of foreign BIRTH matter what their merit
or deserts it strikes not only at Democratic ascen
e Sxt-z I,,k IN fHa u