The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-11-26

late number OF the former, wherein We end
lamentation on the Know Nothing movement,
scarcely inferior to jeremiah, and decidedly
better ofits kind than the native elegiacs which
commemorate the misfortunes Of the house Of
Brian Borrhu. As usual in Mr.. MitchelPs pre-
auctions, there is more rhetoric than tact in the
performance: he writer is distracted between
natural tendency to abuse and Hibernian
propensity to blarney us; and the rival forces
rather neutralize each other Thus we are told
that the pr nc pies which are held by a vast
majority Of the American peopl are " the pal
triest, meanest, "a ses', and most ignorant form
of popular delusion:" slashing slap at us,
which Mr. Mitchell clumsily endeavors to atone
for by calling America " the freest, wisest,
strongest and best country on earth" The
same struggle is apparent during the whole of
the Lament alton: it is easy to see that Mr.. Mitch
ell felt it in his heart TO say some retty Sc
we're thing of his adopted fellow-countrymen,
but was restrained when he thought Of his
pocket and the dropping Citizen. We think
we may forgive him both the will and the half
accomplished deed. We trample no corpses.
If, instead Of exciting an absurd rebellion in
his native land, to fail contemptib'y in apotato
field, being tried by his peers sent abroad as
convict, trusted out of sight of his jailsrs On
his word Of honor, and escaping at vast detri-
ment to the latter if instead of doing these
various things, Mr.. John Mitchell had led an or
derly, peaceable, quiet life in some Irish city.
and Ireland at that time had been overrul by
some foreign race such as the Dutch if the lat
ter had refused to mingle with the natives. but
insisted the while on full privileges Of citizen
ship, had kept themselves separate and dis
tiDct party with Dutch interests, Dutch flags
and Dutch feeli- gs, and furthermore had s.riven
in every way to embarrass their adopted conn
try by seeking 10 foist upon her their private
quarrels and by leading aproverbialy r'Ntous,
disorderly turbulent life and if the Irish, Mr..
Mitcbell's countrymen, had not only submitted
patiently to these abuses, but had seen their
party leaders bow and cringe and sneak to
these foreigners, we think that Mr.. Mitch5ll
would have said to himself: 1t is time to put .
stop TO this
That is precisely what quite number of
Americans have said to them elves in various
places at various times during the coarse Of the
last year or two. We do not " fear dangers to our
liberties from handful" of Irishmen, as Mr.
Mitchell supposes but we see no reason why We
should share those liberties with strangers, unless
we please, and unless the latter are able to make
good use Of them. A m may crush an in
sect, though he stand in no fear Of his life from
its bite: and we may decline to grant to Irish
men votes which they will sell at dollar
apiece, though we are not in the least afraid of
them Nor is it " ia servile spirit of imitation
of England" as Mr.. Mitchell says, that we in
tend to keep the Irish in order in future. EGG
land is not the only country which is governed
on the principle that power should not be en-
trusted to disorderly ignorant foreigners, aad
that mer should not be allowed to keep ~
perpetual Donnybrook Fair in civilized regions.
These may be, for aught we know, PRINCIPLES
unknown to the jurisprudence of Ireland; but
we take leave TO inform Mr.. Mitchell that Ia
such 7untries as Germany, France and Soaip,
as well as England, they have long been re
gaIded as fundanan tal doctrines. Mr.. Mitchell
is again in error when he calls the Know No
hing movement an ignorant crusade against
Catholicism" The Know Nothings have no
Il
he pleases as he pleases and as often as h.
pleases, or not ut all, without interference from
the new party. What they object to is the
polty, not the faith, Of the Roman Catho ic
church. 1t is John Hughes, the political agi-
tator, bargaining for votes, addressing the mob
at Carroll Hall, and driving up his flock in
mass to the polls-not John Hughes tte &C.
-. 4Do I,t.a 80 1srvsav,
in his church--who has reused heir bile.
In fact, Mr.. Mitchell, assailing tho Know
Nothings, bears no slight resemblan Don
Quxote charging the Windmill. Lei b n try
first, to make out the shape. 70 m and fgure of
bis antagonist. He is welcome to whatever in
formation we can furnish on the point
Know No thingism or native Amerie l4.sm
has been reused into existence by jus such
men as John Mitchell. People of his stamp
have come here, and before they knew the
names of our public men or the tenor of our
constitution have impudently thrust themselves
before the public and undertaken to direct the
American mind according to an Irish rale
Another Of the same class, as Archbishop. had
used his hierarchical dignity as a lever in our
party politics Both have quarrelled with ca h
other publicly and had sort Of shillelah con-
test, to which each endeavored to attract as
much attention as possible. Nov, these things
are not consonant with the spirit of the Ameri-
can people. We do not care about shillelah
matches; and are apt to set down their pro-
moters "a bad company. We will always well
come political exiles and have no objection to
receive escaped convicts under certain restric-
tions; but we do not think the one or the
other have right to trot themselves out as
heroes when they are nothing but refugees.
Mos; Of all, we are sick Of the vile humbug and
lying tbas has been going on this many year
about This class of individuals, in the name OF
be American people. We have borne long