The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1855-07-21
THE UNfoHArT Mtsr BE PRESERVED :
,RATENNA. SATURDAY, s. JULY 81, 1856

TORY OF means that which, in secret nla
chiastions,is the most powerful Of all
the rousing Of scruples of conscience an
: superstition. The .Nothings eanno
make fanatics, yet they were inconsidera,
enough to play, that dangerous weapon int
the hands of the enemy. Be sure of il
Know-N -Nothihgism has driven, and will drive
many Roman Catholic into the army o
the Jesuits, whom no power and no persua
sion could otherwise have brought to tha
army. Eaa av 'ss ,l..sr-e0 ~. c.t sq
Secondly; the Know -Nothings declaring
war, not to Mr.. x nor Mr.. Y, either because
he is man unfit, or msn o' unreliable pat
riotism, but because ho is a foreigner, force
BY that very fac. all foreigners to, Opposi
tion.. No, there would be no harm in that
they force them TO systematic organiza
ton Of compact defence. Secrecy again
Many amongst the "foreign population" (at
you call them, ye foreigners and sons Of for.
eigners, all Of you, as many as you are)--
many Of that foreign population, attracted
to America by mere material considerations
and devoted to private pursuits, kept them
tselves aloof from party mannuvres and fac
tons; and those who took an active interest
in public affairs merged themselves into one
or another Of the great na,ionals parties.-
Now, the Known Notlings compel them all,
Wings and Democrats Of every description,
and the Indifferent besides, they force them
all into one compact corporate organization
for defence--an organization the more live
ly in exertion the less doubt there is about
it, that your "foreign population" furnished
with arguments Of a just complaint, capable
of rousing excitement, and nurse il in the
shadow of mystery up to a fanaticism. They
will say: Look at these Know. N othings
here! All of them are Of foreign descent; !;
they have imported foreign blood, foreign
language, foreign laws, foreign institutions,
foreign religion, to America, and now they
pretend to, exclude us from our just share in
the management Of the public affairs of our
common country-not because we are unfit
or unqualified, but because we happened to
have arrived here twenty. five or fifty years
after them. They will say: Look to these
virtuous Republicans, the descendants part
ly ofpersecuted just partly of adventurers,
profit hunters, and even felons and crimi.
nails; they conquered wilderness from the
native red man, partly by arms, partly by
enervating him with fire.water; and they
held out to the world the promises OF free
dom, equality and fraternity, ailuring US
with it to come, and to help them in culti-
vating that wilderness; and now, after we
are here, in confidence in their magniloquent
promises, they organize themselves in Sc.
cret societies for our persecution, on the
plea that some amongst those whom distress
drove tofthis country, happen to offend the
laws with which they are not yet familiar.
lied, and fill the prisons, or fall to the
charge of public .:charity. But we, are
not criminals--we fill not the hospitals, we
rather help to support them, and foster the
progress of our adopted fatherland, with our
head with our arms, with our capital. Yet
they persecute US whom they have allured,
because they, Our equals, style US s'foreign-
ers." Do you not think that there is some.
thing in this, apt to create not only COM
pactness Of opposition, but even push it to
fanaticism. Well, there you have q second
underground movement of secret organiza-
ton. The "Sag- NIGHTS" do what the Know
Nothings have taught them. "..1 Il
So we have native Americans and for
eigners, Protestants and Jesuits,. Know
Nothings and sag-Nichts, all of them or
ganized in secret societies, working with
mystery. mining and countermining thu
whole community, setting up man a@sinst,
man, kindred against kindred, friend against
friend, and the servant against the master,
all in secrecy, spreading net Of secret spies
and counterspies over the country, enyenom-
ing the affections, severirg the family ties,
and Transforming freemen into conspirators,
Republicans into blind agencies of hidden
will; add to this, Sir, that you have Slavery
in your land, and mind that you Know
Nothings set the example for secret politi-
cal Organization, and then say whether you
do not trembleforsthe future Of ynr country,
feeling thevery foundations of the social life
Of Amsrica Gndermfnedby secret agenciesli
+ Please to recollect that Know Nothingisn,
such 4as we see it,manifested, is not restrict
ed to considerations Of prevention against
the further inAux1tof foreign emigration. -
This is another question, ana not an easy
one 4 own. On the one hand, an American
citizen may wellask, shall America be the
sewer into which corrupt, oppressed land oy.
erflied Europe drains It's vice and 'ns pau..l
perism! On the other hand, the philanthro-
pist may ask, shall there be no place on earth
for him who has nothing bat His arm and his
right to live, and no spot ona earth to rest his
head uponss The question may be embar-
raising but after all. the question Of future
naturalization il buta question of how manyd
years ofFesidsnce.,, 5No5ody. can think to
demand from you to admit tosa full share Of
your civil and politiedl rights, every new
conner, on his arrival, Nor have you done
this hitherto, I, On the other hand, you Ger.
tainly cannotlimsgine toiexelude ell ioreign-
eFs from the community of your rights. --I