Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1854-09-20
WEDNESDAY, sEPT.2o, l85
FOR GOVERNOR,
HENRY a. WISE,
OF 4'0G0M<1C,
Subject to the Decision Of the Democrats
State Convention
carve feel that an apoloov is due 10

EBWe feel that an apology is due 10
our lady readers for occupying their por-
ton Of the Register, to-day. with the stu
pid nonsense that will be found on our
first page; but as our object is to present
the Know Nothings in their true light, If
possible, we are confident that we shall
receive the forgiveness Of those who have
contributed so much 10 the intelligence Of
the present age.
On our first page, to-day, will be found
what is claimed, by themselves, to be a
true exposition of the forms, ceremonies,
principles, &c, Of the Order Of Know
Nothings. We publish it from desire
to give the public as much information on
the subject as possible, yet with some
doubts as to its correctness, since we are
informed that several in an adjoining
county, who had been induced to enter
the Order under the assurance that they
might withdraw at any time that they
found its principles conhicted with their
|
TO it, that the expos,ions given by us a
few weeks ago, were correct. But be this
AS it may, the present exposition Of the
Order is certainly sufficiently objectiona-
be in our mind. to merit the opposition of
every person who believes in the inalen-
able rights Of man, and every lover of re-
Iigious liberty.
The article starts out, after giving the
means by which the information was OBJ
tanned. with the platform of the Order,
LIST, 2d, 81, 18th and 9Th. The platform
given here, with the exception of the 81,
has been ours for a number Of years, and it
has been m tier Of great regret to Us that
it has not been more generally adopted
by the American people; yet we do not
deem it either necessary or proper to at
tempt the propagation Of even those sound
! principles by any secret or indirect means.
But even if this manner of operation was
either necessary or proper. as against 'po-
| Utica! demagogues or men who aim to live
jects of the Order and the manner of at
tanning them, are so anti American and
anti -Rrpuhlican-so much in opposition
to religious federation. and the American
doctrine that all men were created cQuaI. :
that we could not for one moment coun
t"nanc" it. The little good is so swallow
H., 6 -. :. ~ =.
diff cult to perceive the small redccminr
quality it possesses, and the adoption Of
the Know Nothing principles would not
only make things worse. but destroy the
great features which distinguish our gov.
ernmrnn from the petty, unstable rcpub-
lies Of South America.
But the unhluShing hardihood with
which they avow themselves in favor OF
"a religious federation" in their platform.
ana then s7redr their initiates to ''nevel
hereafter vo'c for any Roman Catholic for
Office" is truly surprising; and notwith
standing the attempted ''explanation" Of
the "apparcnt inconsistency, it remains
a glaring deformity upon the Order The
) mperturoc bic gravity, too, with which
they nrrogatc to themselves all the "patri
otism," is really quite amusing. Another
principle of their pretended platform is
! Ito oppose all influences tending to change
: in the least the time-honorcd institution:
! of our country" If we mistake not, il
. has been one Of the ''time- honorcI insti
tutionS of our country" to fill our public
Offices with men whose qualities and ca
pacities had fitted them for the perform
ance of the duties appertaining thereto
without regard to birth. sect or creed
But Notwithstanding the platform, the
t Know Nothing is s1Corn to support no for
eigner or Catholic for Office. How Justly
indignant would be Washington, Jeffer
: son, Franklin and their compatrots, coul,
, they be told the principles of the govern
2 ment they established, prescribed abou
one-third of the signers Of the Declaration
of Independence, besides a host who hal
5. spent their time, money and blood tc
| maintain that Declaration. What short
. sightedness coulbpossibly have permitted
them to publish as the principles and Ger
emonies of the Order, such a platform
with such obligations, We cannot possibly
imagine. But we ask our readers t.
carefully peruse the whole account of the
ridiculous ceremonies of the Order, and
mark the sanctimonious egotism with
which they SO Jesuitically mourn over the
loss of patriotism by the people. and boast
of their supply of the article, while they
swear their candidates TO do that which