Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1854-12-11
SPIRIT OF THE MORNING PRESS.

The Union concludes from tho comments of
the press upon the message, that the country
is highly delighted with tho manner in which
the President gets up his State papers. Com
menting on the protest Of the Know Nothing
council against the edict Of their grand coun
Gil Of New York, ordering all the members of
the order to be put upon their oath, relative
to their vote they gave at tho recent Guberna-
torial election in that State. the editor says :
1--WE are not surprised at the action of the
Grand Council. Our only surprise is, that any
considerable number Of American born citi-
iens, living under just and equal laws, and
protesting to have higher and holier regard
TOR the country and its free institutions than
by any possibility can be possessed by those
who labor under tho accidental misfortune of
foreign birth or foreign parentage, should sur.
sender their consciences, preferences, and as-
lions to the keeping and control of a small
body OF irresponsible men-in q word that
should become the blind, submissive instru-
ments to fight the quarrels and promote tho
official aspirations Of mon unknown to them.
or known only for their faithless and unprin.
cipled career as politicians. How humiliatins
to Us, as republicans, is tho startling adnis-
sion in the above preamble, that the attempt
was made, by threats and penalties, to compel
aiatire-Anlerscans to vote for tho candidates
not nominated by the know-nothinz party
at large, but nomina lated in secret caucus BY
the Grand Council. Still moro humiliatins is
the no less startling admission that the Grand
Council passed q resolution requiring the mem
bers of the subordinate lodges ssto confess,
under oath, under certain pains and penalties,
now they voted at the recent election,
g. 1t this is not transferring the sovereign
power from the hands of the people into the
hands Of secret and irresponsible junta-if
1t does not destroy at one sweep the inestima-
BILE privileges and blessings of the elective
franchise-if its object is not tho destruction
OF our liberties as free and ind ependent
nation-we know not the true meaning of
words, and are incapable of penetrating the
transparent designs of demagogues and tyrants
The apprehension expressed In the last
resolution, relative to the future 1--WE suspect
the present is intended) material Of the Grand
Council, is we'll founded. Such of tho know.
nothing leaders as have shown their hands,
and avowed their identity with the new party
nave generally boon recognised by the country
as mon of no settled political faith, and who
have wearied county, State, and national con-
ventions, of all parties and factions, with
their long-deferred, and hitherto not properly
appreciated, claims for official nominations
or other less equivocal favors."
The Intsitigsnesr's Paris correspondent
writing under date of the 21st ult, reviews
the operations of the allies up to the 18th ult,
concluding that, with their vast expenditure
of life and treasure, they have accomplished
literally nothing, having done no damage to
Sebastopol as yet, which the Russians have
not been able to repair In one night The
writer now admits for tho first time, that it il
very questionable whether the allies will be
able to take Sebastapol.