The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1855-08-27
CITY OF EVANSVILLE.
MONDAY Observation-Disclosures 2
The American Party-Its objects
and its Fruits.

or disbanded to-day it might with truth be
said of it, that its brief existence was not
without plentitude Of good fruits. This
party was started to correct great evil, and in
correcting that, to protect Americans in their
own rights, and to make those rights the more
valuable by making them less easily attainable
by those ofthe world at large th:onging to this
country, and to put stop to serious evils as
threatening the country through dema-
gogue fawning to foreign influence.
To secure the foreign vote was the great
object of all parties, and without success in
which object, unless at rare entervas of re-
markable political enthusiasm, the unlucky
party was sure to be beaten. Whichever
party the foreign and Catholic vote went
with, that party succeeded in any general
election. Thus so important for party sue
cess, the foreign and the Catholic vote was
begged. courted up and too often purchased by
political demagogues. The nearer the prin-
ciples could be brought to what Foreigners
liked, the more favors that could be shown
them even at the expense Of party indepen-,
dencs and honest American feeling, the
more the foreign born were elevated and the
native born treated with indlfference-that
much surer of receiving the foreign vote and
securing success was party. This danger
GUS spirit, so opposed in its very nature to the
safety and perpetuity of our institutions, and
so humbing to all true Republican feeling,
was every year and every election becoming
more wide spread, and more threatening in
its inevitable results. The native born
American whose forefathers had establish
ed the Republic, and cemented the bonds of
Union with their own blood-the man who
drew his FIRST breath of life of Gods own air +,
the very atmosphere of equality and liberty,
and whose first lesson of childhood next to
alteration of that God, was alteration of our
own glorious institutions, and who from his
childhood had been studying these institutions
and becoming familiar with their practical
workings-ths man was being pushed aside
by political demagogues to make room for
men and Uoters, fresh from the rule and sway
of despotism, unable to speak our language,
and almost entirely ignorant in theory or
experience of our government. These for
eigners were receiving almost the exclusive
attention of parties. Party principles were
being made to suit their ideas-party sacrifi-
ces and sacrifices of indv idual manliness and
independence and ordinary decency, were
being made to them, while Americans were
but asecondary consideration.
More than this, and as q direct sequence
inasmuch as large proportion of the for.
eigners are Catholics, more dangerous poll
cy, because legislative, was beginning to
creep into things political, to secure this for.
eign vote. In different States extraordinary
appropriations by Legislatures and contribu.
tions by individuals have been made to sus-
tain Catholic hospitals and charitable institu-
tons, while non-sectarian or Protestant in
situations were permitted to droop and suffer
Special laws have been passed or recon
mended to foster Catholic schools, and even
propositions to establish with the public
money schools for the benefit of the children
of foreigners, the teachers to speak the same
language and TO profess the same faith will
the children themselves. Attempts have
been made, to exclude the Bible from schools
as another bid for foreign votes. No doub
these brides for the foreign vote, have beer
looked upon with the proper contempt by the
more intelligent foreigners, but no contemp
prevented full acceptance of the advantage
thus voluntarily offered to them.
Under this state of things, and we hav
but touched upon the growing evils o
this dangerous demagOgae spirit, the Ameri
can party sprung up. 1t had no object t
take away from any foreign born American
citizen single right or privilege he now pos
sesses. But its great object was to crns
this anita merican spirit which had worke
itself into parties, and which had attained s
high and SO dangerous an altitude in politics
and to restore the American to his ferme
position, and to place those demagogues
their position who had been seeking to elt
vate the foreign born above him. This pal
ty was not formed to oppose the Democrat
party, bat that it has eventually been brougf
in direct opposition to it, is because the fol
eign vote has been what the so-called Demo
cratic party has always relied on for success
and it has far more than other party used a
the hateful appliances to secure this VOTE
The American party has succeeded in turn
ing the American mind to q candid and col
siderate thoughafHlness on this dangeroI
demagogue spirit. 1t has already s,opPe
the growing progress of this spirit, and crust
ed TO death many of those who have song