The daily union., 1855-10-14
THE KNoW-NoTHING oATHS.


THE KSow-NorHISG oATHs
Esrads from Address KnoaotAingisn, deliceyed a
lancaster Pa, on Hs 24h q September, ~ Col Joha W
Forney
There can be no offence moro narrowing than that Of
perjury The taken in the sight Of God and broken
in the sight Of man. ccrodes in the conscience forever
Perjury is the spparton which compels The corrupt wit
speak the truth, aud the whole truth, Perjury Is
the keen vengeance which pursues the shrinking guilty
soul through all the Of life and Is sataied only
when that soul escapes its God But who would have
believed before this midnight conspiracy afflicted our
country that political party would assume the right 70
enforce It's extrandcia oa hs by holding its victims
the terror cf perjury Who heard before that
mans hope of redemption lost because he would not
could not fulfil prescribe his ielow-beingl p
beesuse lie would drive home The steel whettsd 10
sassate the reputation Of his uninated friend
he had hed from the recesses of underground lodge
which had been dedicated intolerance and wrong And
yet is notorious that the admitted member Of the order
Is oathbound 70 obey It's DEGREES penalty Of being de-
aouaced ,oilful trat0r 70 his God and he country
that lie is assured by the high priest of the
spracy that for The violation Of his oaths NE dep aaa
6tigttuy stfin ef pfjury pH resi- Ills soak have
already specified Of the works 10 which he is
mitod from the moment he enters OF these caves Of
persecution and which he must accomplish or be de-
nouuced as traitor God and his country IL is
sumng obligations TO prescribe others their equals aud
often their neghbors and consentng to the impuation Of
perjury should they fail f,lter in this pious pas
time
/ Men have taken oetbs to destroy their counry's or
pressors and Heaven has approved the act The august
ceremonial which napguatd and completed the Decara-
ton of independence made in tie sight of an approx
ing God and ever such approval given il consecra,ed
that immortal But our felowfreen,en, whom
meet in the daily walks Of life oppressors and enemies
that should crawl into to take oa,hs against
them failing in which tue sin Of perjury is 10 rest
sos2 No coed angel besses such irreyerenee virtue
is to be saved by itno right protected and wrong
made right.
But win ask whether the proane oath have quoted
and the equally pro.aue assumption OF Furnishing the viola
ton Of such OATH should not call down the hundes Of
Indignant protest from every Christian pulpit in the land
Instead of turning their thoughts upon the imaginary dam
gers of distant preate, whose power 10 affect happy
institutions would lie Intellectual the attempt of the
naked King Of the Mosquito coast to capture Gibraltar
instead of melting poiticalpary tits work Of denuncia
ton and dsfrancsementas has been the with
many Of the protesting followers of The meek and lowy
savour humby refer them to the spectacle OF vast mu
titudes of men walowing in the reckless oats go
yug in the most abandoned prosecutions and arrogany
assuming the right punish rebellion their standard
By hurting the aua,hema Of perjury, if they dele
gated vcegerents of God on earth.
Surely no American citizen, however deeply preudiced
against opposing creed, for be msed by
the plea that this midnight order with all its professions,
has advanced true religion The ritual aud the platform
Of The order both declare heliefin "a Supreme Being
essential preliminary But there is great fear
that the managers want nobody else worship God
themselves and that their idea of deity OF who
poets be propitiaed by acts Of deceit and shame.
party which excludes a Catholic and admits Mormon
which does hesitate follow the lead OF many whose
deeds end words with every idea Of religion
such party cannot long eude any portion of intelligent
citizens with empty professions of piey.
Nay, if there be perjury anywhere those who violate
obligation like the following in the Pennsy lvania Bill OF
| Rights win have some trouble to purge themselves
"That all men have natural and indceasible right to
worship God Almighty according to the dictates of their
own conscencc that can, ofrigh be compelled to
attend erect support any place of worship main
tain any ministry against his consent that no human
thory in any whatever control or interfere with
the gas Of conscience; and that preference be sven
TO any religious establishments or modes of worship.
| That person who acknowledges the being oia God
and future state Of rewards and punishmon shall
account of his religious sentiments be squabcd 70 hold
any Office place Of trust profit under this Common
wealth
beg Of you contrast this with the oath Of the mid
night order We told it is perjury in know-nothipg
to violate that OATH And here is obligation sol
emn, more binding essential to society, which n
of its parts is set ut nought by thousands Of know
nOthingS-anu lnls, Nisnout or
ton from those ministers of the Gospel who belong the
ORDER and who themselves practise tie evil teJ should
condemn in others.
1t has said that while the adopted citizen takes
oath support the kuow-nohing takes oath to violate
the American constitution And the fruits of this recl-
lcssness full of terrible significance direct result
the obligations of the order may be found in the
bloody tunults of Louisville and n the excesses of the
ow-noings in other large cities To such extent
has public Indignation been excited against the profne
and familiar resort to extra Judicial oas and the invara
BILE appeal to force and fraud at the baot-boxes that Ia
portions of the Union tue order has deliberately discarded
alike its secrecy and its obligations. This has been the
case in Alabama Georgia Louisiana and South Carolina
The very fact that the oath of the order tends bring
to contempt the higher obligations imposed by the eonsti-
tuition and the laws proves that is binding upon
those who deuded into assumption Of it, But it
less clear that in many places this OATH imposed with
all the forms Of midnight secrecy, has had disastrous
effect upon those who have accepted it, So from con
tribpng the strength Of the order has been one of
the principal Of its rapid decay. Resorted for
the purpose of consumm ting the schemes of men who
could obtain advancement from other parties but who
able pack majortes in these societies. il be-
came CALLING yoke the respectable members and
as may be well conceived, has ended by driving the
best and leaving the lodges the control of the
Nay, take member of this order, who is known
have accepted is obligations and Suddenly demand Of him
whether be is attached to II and observe with how much