The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1854-08-29
A LETTER TO THE KNow-NoTHINes.

~ ayertue dangers which, in your opinion threaten the
republic and you have already given ample proofs OF your
mowers of action Every election secures for you
new triumph And who will wonder at your success ?
You have hit upon of the most popular prudices Of
the age and thousands win join you in your crusade
against Catholics and foreigners.
In olden times when disease broke out the poor Jews
we're charged with poisoning the ciserns Nowadays
the Catholics and foreigners have done it.
The evil Of slavery the corruption Of the body polite
the contempt labor the arstocray OF the upper classes
all this will vanish as you have banished the Gath
Ollie and the foreigner from posltoh Oh Poueh equai
with his tellow-men.
Passion and fnacisn will cease TO ember the slavery
api,aton The slave States will agree 10 gradual eman
cpaion of their slaves and VIII insist upon the prohihion
of slavery in new States and Territories provided the free
states cease TO exasperae them 10y bndiy insisting upon
absolute abolition where II is impracucable Members OF
Congress will scorn accept their eight dollars day and
their mileage and viii become angels OF purity and patriot
ism No man will henceorth be allowed to become a
ddae for Congress unless jury has decided that he pos
sesses all the intellectual patriotic and moral capacities to
qualify him for the task Those who prostitute the sacred
principle of sefgoyernment by panderng TO the vest
passions Of the yest mob and who sanction the Jesusm
that sef-goyemmeni includes usiiies the rig hit OF
doing something which is wrong will be pronounced trait
ors God and their country Those who stick to the letter
ofthe constitution but all the while disregardng its spirit,
and who thus lay foundation for Jesuitism aud despot-
Ism will be likewise looked upon traitors JUST bypo-
critics who repeat the words of the prayerbook but who
disregard the spirit of religion will be looked upon as n-
edged The Knckerbockers of New York the Puri'ans OF
New England the old families of Maryland, the gentry OF
Virginia and Kentucky will drop their morbid family
pride The aIstocracy of wealth in the large cities VIII
own the soft Goldfish impeachment and will lny aside their
Alterations Rich and titled foreigners will not any longer
be received like demigods in society Boston viii cease to
be thrown into bystcrcs OF admiration 10y the arrival OF
an English celebrity American artists they happen to
ally odesy genius viii not any longer be treated with
contmely and indifference Splitting, chewing, gambling,
drinking staggering dealing in slaves sWindlng, VIII cease
toreyernoe Anglican bishops will cease to shake hands
with the Archbishop of Rome and begin 10 ymathze with
the Unitarians idea OF practical Christianity The Gospel
of Christ will guide every citizen in his private life and the
gospel of Washington in his public life The intellectual
and moral power of will be and appre
GATED and the cold, systematic beneyolence IN the ilee
States will be enlened and hnmanized by infusion of
genuine active practical sympathy and in the South the
nowprevailing sensual rowdyism will disappear IN the
same degree rs slavery disappears to make place for u
higher tone and for modesty in The
Old Worlds horrible policy of allowing evils to accunu-
late until too huge to be reached they disease the whole
human family, will be superseded here by the Chrstlke
idea Of preventing evils from originating, and leave the
gigantic efforts Of pulpit choohouse and press 10 keep
soul, heart and brain in healthy growth and progress,
Life will be held in higher value and houses, railways
aud steamboats, will be built with view of preventing
accident
In one word society will be cured of all its diseases and
all this will TO pass as Catholics and foreign
es are crowded out from the ranks of citizens II is
consummaion deyonty to be wished for but imaginative
foreigners are il doubtful whether they thought
of thus becoming negative instruments for the regeneration
of a world.
But the matter is sad TO admit of pleasantly The
idea of ignoring mans individuality and of giving him
badge in society according to the accident of his BIRTH
of the main results it is Of the chief props
of arrogance in and of despotism in governments
man is born Christian and he has all the character
iaiics of the Jew
man is born Jew and he has all the impulses Of the
Christian
man is born Roman Catholic who detcss Pope and
Jesuilism
j. man IS born Protestant and his nature
iaads him 10 the most sensuous religion.
4 man is born in Europe with all the instincts OF
publican
man born in America with pvocyities to exclusive
and aristocracies
Don't You see your shortsghtelncss2 Iou cannot
Judge by what they profess to be- or by what from the
inference of their BIRTH you suppose them to be You must
Judge them by what they II you wage war against
all who corrupt whether born here Abroad whether
Catholics Procn, you will succeed because there is
justice and common in your From the moment,
however you descend from that comprehensive platform
and single the other accidents Of birth as your
special enemy You will not only fail in your endeayor to
reform but You will destroy the republic which you wish
to save by destroying the principles of religious liberty
and political equality upon which it is founded.
Let every man worship his God according to bis
fashion And if YOU prove and that Jesu
ism has poisoned the world ana that oman Catholicism
i only compatible With despos there are legions of
others ho ready to prove, not less emphacally that
Chske tolerance and mercy are rogcneatlng the world
and that the majesty of practical Christianity Embodied
is in enlightened repubcanism will crush and smver
pieces the influence of Pope and Popery all the world
Every body admits the mschevous influences SPRING
ing from the mental blindness of the first generation Of
foreigners everybody admits the mschevous Influences
of priests and Jesu and undoubtedly we subject our
selves much suffering by tolerance But we would