True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1855-02-15

ventiOn shall frame in secret great Fed
eral Constitution without danger, then
surely when secret organization spreads
itself among the people, the uey}urce of
authority, if republicanism be true, the
danger must become less. If Mr., Wise
had lived in that day, and coming to the
door of Independence Hail. and finding
himself excluded, he had given vent to
his indignation, his denunciation of secrecy
would have been as Legitimate against that
convention as against the secret operation
of any political organization whatever
Probably, using the very language of his
letter, he would have said 4: "Why should
any portion Of the people desire to retire
in secret to do something which all may
not know toward some political epd2 If
it be good, why not make the good known?
Why not think it, speak it, write it, act
it out, openly and aloud? Or is it evil
which loveth darkness rather than light"
What pity that the sage of Accomac
could not have dropped these gems Of
warning wisdom into the ears of Washing
ton and Franklin. Whatever may be the
weight Of other objections, to say that Sc
cret political operation is "against the
spirit Of our Magma Charta, is to falsify
the great truths of our history.
But Mr. Wise says, ga caucus may sit
in secret to consult on the general policy
Of great public party. This may be ne.
cessary. Now, what subtility of sophistry
can ever prove that if it is right and neees-
sary for the leaders of a party to operate
in secret, it can be wrong for the whole
party-the people themselves to operate in
the same way. Beautiful democracy =
Surely Mr. Wise supposes ours to be the
government Of an oligarchy. At least
these principles that he avows when COM
bined, contain the very essence Of that
most odious of all tyrannies. Yes, it is
right and necessary that the leaders of a
party in secret, shall digest schemes of
self-aggrandisement, plans of party triumph,
policy that shall curse nation but when
the people, alarmed for their liberties, and
hopeless of their rulers, arouse themselves
to preserve the matchless guerdon of their
forefather's tolls, their trials, and their
blood, and to guard and save the monu-
ment of their greatness and their glory,
then they, sons of the men of '76, are to be
thrust back and told, owe, your leaders,
will retire in secret caucuses to consult for
you, to think for you, to act for you. This
is necessary and convenient, but you, if
you hide yourselves from our eyes to ope-
rate yourselves, you rebel "against the
spirit Of Magma Charta." Then the peo-
pie ask, "why should any retire in secret
to do something which all may not know
Of, toward some political end? If it be
good, why not make the good known ?
Why not think it, speak it, write it, act it
out, openly and aloud?" And Mr.. Wise
answers only, "NIagna Charta is against
you" He might as well add, with the
English tyrant, "What have the people to
do with the laws but to obey them 2"-
Convince the people that Magma Charta is
what Mr. Wise makes it, and they will
trample it in the dust.
But again, as if to surpass even himself
in reckless inconsistency, Mr.. Wise says,
"T belong to secret society, but for no
political purpose" How do we know ?
What is it's purpose If secret organi.
zation whose great aim is known and avow-
ed openly, be dangerous, how much more
one whose object and operation are both
hiddenY Even if it be true that Mr.
Wise's secret society has no political
purpose, how, on that account, do his OBJ,
jections apply less forcibly than to others
Is he not condemned out of his own MOUTH
"If it be good, why not make the good
known? Why not think it, speak it, write
act it out openly and aloud ?" This is his
own doctrine. These ore his own words
Truly, he has "taught bloody instructions
which being taught, return to plague thu
inventor" But the history Of the pas
proves that any secret society may, by th'
I force of circumstances, become political ii
its objects and in its operation. In 1872!
e Masonry and anti-Masonry became tn
J. tests of political orthodoxy in the State o
4 Pennsylvania. For ten years, every gu
+ bernatorial candidate, and most of thos
r. for other Offices were elected or defeate
4 on that issue alone. In 1888, when d.
vid R. Porter received 1881 votes q
r. the Masonic candidate, was not every lodg
,e in the State, for the time being, necess'
|. rily, Ga secret organization for politics
IA ends" Have not the secret temperanc
s. societies of New York, just now, by the
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