The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1855-06-09

Oh prlllSn tyranny. DNJ W HO nave now, Ill the
exercise of their undoubtcd legal, moral and
political rights, seen proper to cast their lots
with the new party. If such be your object.
| (pardon me do not say it is your object,
merely put an hypothetical case,) you have
sacrificed upon the altar Of dark and malig-
nant party spirit the virtues of civil esteem,
| fratcrnal love, christian charity-and shall
| say it-spotess honor and God-lke truth.
do not intend to offend you'll wish merely
to rouse you to survey of the position
in which you have placed yourself: once on
the alert and you may be safe. Perhaps you
may rcsentfully respond, that this is your
affair not mine. l beg your pardon, sir, tits
my concern and every mans. The virtues
which adorn your heart, the talents which
embolish and may yet illustrate your life, are
public property. and If they were never so
before, your article has made them So You
have been reared in land in which the in
fluence of the Christian religion, are so gen.
orally dillused that no man can escape their
prescncc-in which the principles Of cduca-
ton are so widely scattered, that no one can
cvade their humanizing and kindly iniiuen-
ceS upon, in particular; you enjoy an intellect,
adorned by education, fortified 10y knowledge,
expanded by exercise, sharpened by invcs-
tigation, and crowned with experience. Yet.
you have, II fear,) violated the spirit of re-
ligion, discarded the maXims of instruction.
and rejected the dictates ofexperience. in Or
der to charge thousands of your frllow-citi
zens, without proof, if not falsely, with acts
and principles which you affect under a
tcigncd name, to believe, amount TO treason,
moral if not political.
Now let us change the phase Of the sub
jcct, and view it in another light. Perhaps
it may be said that you did not intend to
charge your old friends with want Of pa
triotism-but that seeing such detection
from the ranks of the party as threatens its
prc-emlnence in the government, you wished to
alarm their fears for their regulations: and
thus restrain their exodus-or prevent others
from following their example. 'Ts not the
first time that falschood and error have
usurpcd the garb, and practiscd the gait of
Public Virtue. The men composing the n.
X. party, as we'll as those who are now in a
state of transition from the Wing and Demo-
cratic ranks, must feel graticd at the COM
pliment which you pay their courage and
intelligence.
But you do not stop at the conclusion,
drawn from your premises as to the origin Of
Know Nothingisn; but by movement
beautifully rctrogressve leap back to the
era Of the death of Charles l., and the flight
and abdication of James H., where, i'll the
remote pages of English history, you say you
still find them, active, energetic and power
full, malignant, bloody, murdcrous How
do you reconcile the contradiction in chronolo-
gy. You say that they, or similar party,
lyon are not very clear on this subject cut
oft the head of Charles Stewart, &c, shades
of Hume Burnett, IIollngshcad and the 9TH
or chroniclcrs of the past hide your heads!
that is if you have any heads for if these
modern discoveries in history be true, you
deserve them not. Why, friend ! this Charles
l., for whose fate you seem to mourn and
sorrow so pathetically, is generally rcputcd
a tyrant by readers. and was so considered
by his subjects. The quarrel between him
and his suhiccts was as to his divine right,
to rob, plumber, ravish, murder and destroy
at will. They resisted, and triumphed in
their resistance. They afterwards erected
frame of Government on the representative
principle; styled Commonwealth. The no.
blcs. who assumed the title of cavaliers. call
ed the Republicans ha,M namcs-round-h heads,
crop ears, &c, and in return the round heads
gave them hard knocks until they ended in
knocking Off Charles head. If you say that
the men who fought with Cromwell, after
wards governed under him, were Know
Nothings, you err IT, you mean to say that
there is any affinity between the spirit which
repealed the doctrine of the Divine Right Of
Kings to rob, murder. dcspoil and destroy,
which rejected the doctrine of passive SUBJ
mission and non-resistance of wrongs, howev-
er aggravated, | will concede to you the ben
eft of that postulation. May you make the
most Off
You charge the party which you have as
..,l,
and his Maker" This, lift means anything,
means the freedom of religious opinion and
the right to worship God, when, where and
as man plcases This is grave charge, and
one which should not be lightly made, and
he who advances it should have the fullest
evidence ready to produce it at a moment S
notice. If you have such evidence, demand
in the named of truth and honor, that it be
given 10 the world and fit clearly establishes
the doctrine which you have advanced, |
promise to rcnounce Know Nothingism for
ever. What understand by religious free
dom, or the freedom of religious opinions, is
the right Of every individual to entertain such
religious sentiments, as may appear to his
judgement to be consistent with truth and
scripture; what understand by the rights of
religious worship, is the right to worship
God when, where and as he pleases. | am
precise and distinct OH this subject, in order
that you may adduce such proofs only, as are
relevant to the issue. The party which you
style the Know Nothings, call the American
party--I make this suggestion now, in order
to avoid confusion, as shall hereafter cm-
ploy the title which they have adopted and
by which they were first known.
/ think we now understand one another
on this subject, and in order that the inquiry
may proceed amieably, eorteously and fairly,
now offer to exchange with you all the evil
cnces of which am now possessed, or which
may, during the progress of the controver-
sy, procure and intend to employ, i'll return
for others on your side of the question.
Thus do for the present place the charge of
an invasion of the Religious rights of your
friends the foreigners at rest for the present.
One word in conclusion, on the subjccto the
Acknowledgement Of Foreigners In justice
to the American party, perhaps may say in
charity to those who have read your article
must seize the present moment to disabuse
their minds of the impression which your as
sertions are calculated to make. The Amer-
can party have never sought nor attempted
to deprive any man of the rights of suffrage
who is in the actual enjoyment of it, or who
has taken the steps intiatory to future cit.
i2eush, They hold as part of their creed