Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1855-05-05
KNOW .YoTHINoIsM A TRICK OF BRoKEN,DJwN
POLITICIANS

was in the country when the Declaration Of lnde
pendence was signed There are not in ONCE III
the United States as many foreigners and Ca'he-
lies in proportion to population, as there "e'e u
tese classes among the signers oil the Decia ''.o"
OF Independence and in the Convention ""ich
formed the Constitution of the United o'a'eS, III
nronortion to the whole number OF each The
n-onort;on Of Catholics and foreigners in the armies
oc tba revolution. on the American side, was five
times Greater than the proportion OF these classes
who have ever held Office in the United States
Whatever the evil Of foreign emigration has been,
and however great the dangers from the spread of
the Catholic religion these evils and these dangers
a-e certainly no greater now than they always
have been. On the contrary, it would have been
much easier for Catholic France Spain, AID Italy,
after assisting as 10 achieve our independence, to
have utelfered in favor Of Catholicism, than 1t IS
Tor any power now 10 overthrow the firmly estab-
lshed Professionalism of this Republic There was
no attempt to do this. Oar fathers feared no dan
ger, and provided, 10y fundamental law, for perfect
religious freedom. Side by side and shoulder to
shoulder Protestants and Catholics had achieved
the battle of the RevoIutiou as friends and equals
they founded free government, and established
religious liberty. Their wisdom has been proved
by nearly three quarters Of centurys experience.
Any danger which might have existed when the
country was weak, from the spread Of any relig-
ious error, has been outgrOwn with the giant
strength which the Republic has since achieved.
It cannot be necessary, we think, to do more
than call the recollection of the public to these facts,
TO en!ghten them as TO the purposes Of those who,
having worn out the wing party, attempt to found
a new one on the reIgi US preiudices ola portion
of our people. If there is danger from Catholics
and foreigners it existed in 1852, when the wings
attempted to these classes, to quite great an
extent as it exists now, when they have turned
round to abuse them.
The Daily Gazette, which low sets itself up as
the organ, par excellence, of the lnow-uothings, but
little more than year ago, denounced the order
quite as strongly rs we have ever done. On the
lst Of April 1854, that paper copied from the New
Orleans Delta a synopsis Of the reported creed of
the kEow-no,h ings, with a short preface and some
comments. The Gazette introduced its extract as
follows:
The KNOW NoTnIxGs. The New Orleans DEL
~ S'OohlH1 VI NtAC liahIIIpCV' IuGS
signs passwords etc, Of this new order which has
suddenly risen to be "a power in the state" saws
that their objects are two fold-paIt religious and
part political aud the ends aimed at, the disfran-
chsement Of adopted citizens, their utter exclusion
from Office, and perpetual war upon the Roman
Catholic religion. The following are said to be the
qualifications for membership:
The Gazette then proceeds to quote from the DEL
n as follows:
lst. The applicant for admission to a "wigwam."
must be ma i've bern citizen, of native born pa
rents, and not OF the Catholic religion.
ID. To renOunce all previously entertained polit-
zeal leauings and Cooperate exclusively with the
new order.
Sd. To hold neither political civil or religious
iateIcourse with any peevson who is q Catholic
hat, on the contrary, to all available means to
abolish the political and religious privileges lie may
al present ENJOY.
4,h That ne Will not vote for any man for Office
who is net native citizen Of the United States
or who may be disposed, if elected, to place any
foreigner or Catholic in any Office Of emoument or
uust-the latter 10. being III the opinion Of know
iotAlugs, a credible Wines, IN any case, save
where the oath is administered by bis priest
This isvery nearly the creed Of the know-notL-
ings, as shown by subsequent reliable deYel1p
,nents. The kr0w-nothings 10 not REQUIRE their
li@iaStiH ~ nc t-sta va Adl-'C patents hu leV 10
not ii terms, although they DO in effect, require
their members 10 subscribe to the 81 paragraph -
They add to the above other conditions as re-
curing their members 20 swear that their wives
are not Catholics, that they themselves have been
reared under Protestant influences, and that in all
things poltical or ssciA, they will comply with
Tie will of the maori;y-Thich make up much
worse code ofpotos and morals than that described
by the Delta.
Well: what think you the Gazette thought Of
this code on the lst day Of April, 1854? Listen,
and you shall beail We copy from the "Dady
Gazst'e, HENRY NANCY, Edtor, " of the date named,
aud we beg particular attention to the extract
as follows
II the above publications requisite TO admission
Into the association br correctly stated then this
crr.ously-terned order could no. have chosen a
name that wou better describe their character.
in this land q civil and religious freedom. it
would be know nothing demonstration indeed
TO make war upon any set Of men because of the re-
h5ious opinions they may entertain Such perse-
cutCrs "llnow nothing of the genius Of American
institutions ror any OF the liberal and nerci-
ia spirit Cs Christianity They 'Iinow nothing of
history or IF human nature, who DO not know that
tue true way TO make q re, cous creed strorg and
fruitful to peSecuts n, 10 nlsrepTesert Its doc
trires 10 libel the lives Of its professors 10 desc
crate its churches and to apply the rack and the
lash. and the isgggt to IFS worsnippers. Tie advo-
Gates Of this neN-lan lied form Of Naive American
and Auti-CathOliC sentiment, know nothing OF
RIGHT, Of Justice, or OF reason. They know moth
ING" of the foul tendencies Of their bigoted doctrine
Tlev "know nothing OF the Constitution, or the
Bblr, or the yawning gulf Of anarchy and blood to
which the success Of their designs would hurry the
country. We have locked with some curiosity
among onr exchanges for some definite statement
ol the principles and designs of this order and il
they b. correctly st forth by the De2iG we hope
the country may soon know nothing OF their ex-
i-;rECe. Aud sDch viii be tie case. All expe-
rseucs goes go prove thatro society, thus burdtned
with Injustice tuuS c.rsod with bgotry, can long
flourish IA j.s age oE enlightenment and especially
IN tbs land OF liberty. l. the Know Nolhings'
belong 10 tins e7Il-ncartcd and one-eved class of
associations, then VIII then fate in a few years be
told in the example OF the Alerj;es the Norn,op.
ISIS. the Wornau's Rights, the Snri, Panninys and
an hundred other h0nbuge that have a,r,n5, tom
the teeming soil OF Northern au2iicisnl and surl,
under the righteous condemnation Of an enliobt-
ened public opinion.
Now isn't that refreshing Tint from the eij.
tor who is contcsting with the True Wig the or
ranship of know-nothiugsm When have ace ever
said any thing hsrsher OF 'the order
The Gg-stts now contends that foreigners should
I've in this country twenty-one years before nat.