The American patriot., 1855-01-03

hostile and pcrnicous to the interests and institutions
of the country cannot in any be called proserip.
t;ye The Constitution says" No religious test shaM
ever be required Al Qualification to any Office or pub
fic trust under the United States" The Order leaycs
this Constitutional principle in full force, and would en-
force it Is its violation attempted. If Cathalc
were elected 10 Office now hereafter, his election
would be valid and no religious test could be appned
to him but election is one thing and qualification
snother The Order dods not seek to establish nv M
test but as the Constitution leaves all perfectly free
the exercise Of the rights Of suffrage its members ~
determined to sustain none but purely America
mower. and to vote for no who by his religious q
civil faith Or allegiance = subject to any other Thus
the Constitutional questions are disposed Of, andhe
next difficulty which arises is the secret chafactW
fhc organization now answer all intmatohs of "
any and corruption by stating that the Order efnbod
very geatproportion Of public and private deccncy.
and moral WORTH There are thousands Of men Of the
4hiehc character among its MEMBERS and whose rep.
utations and high moral and social standing give the
lie to all such imputatons, which only resortcd
when reason is without employment and when ths
passions Of the mind have lost their master. Thcidea
a, everybody has right to knoc ,chat everybody
oonc to do" will be found difficult proposition fdr
Young lOElc1H " EcdsVu Vut. hiau Ao 0uSA PtuC-
plc in the Constitution and its assertion deveopes the
weakness Of the outsiders. For man who has borne
the reputation of being. sensible such proposition &
seriously stated, would like incipent derangc-
mcnt. regard it only sort Of pry used by old
and cunning politicians to find out that to which they
will never be admitted through the proper and leg.
, mate channels. SKA -8
Believing the principles of the Order to be pcfects
y correct and purely NATIONAL secrecy is adopted to
render the action Of the body more certain speedy
and efficient an end which certainly subservcs with
a great deal Of fathfulncss
Elaborate arguments have been put forward by able
men, to prove that the sccresy Of the Order was po
: ltcally if not morally wrong and also to persuade
the writer's if else, that secret organizations
are not necdcl-in our country. Time, paper and ink
would be wasted to attempt rcfutation of the first
proposition 1t is answered by doctrine peculiar to
J. the American people, that is, freedom of opinion
and action long action is not contrary TO law
II There is no law which requires man to divulge his
d political opinions Or his purposes-hcncc there Is no
v wrong-cnce secresy is right. 1t is urged in the
N same connection that the outsiders ought to know
f. what is going on to be prepared against our treason
=. able course of policy. There are honorable men
enough in the Order to detect and crush all Unreasonable
:, purposes without any foreign aid.
1t is urged that the organization is direct attack
- upon the sovereignty of the people. BAH Fogyism
foilcd again They have the voting majority! How
- can sovereignty attack itself?
The argument that secresy is not necessary, is met
II and answered by difference of opinion. What would
As be thought of commander who should develop his
IN plan of battle to his antagonist and IN consequence be
OF routed horse foot and dugoons and what would be
thought of party which, with the moral elements Of
r victory in their hands, should by publication of their
intended Of action, expose themselves TO bc
of out-genealed, by who know where corruption IL
he and how to employ The result of secrcsy is, that
lid during canvass, the old, wirepuling politicians
driven into an ngorious inactivity There is point
b- of attack prescned-no plan of campaign for them
lid to counerplono opening for scandal since the onl,
res thing intelligent to themselves is they say, "Cor
10 rupton! Something rotten in Denmark" icnct
ne the beauty and force of secrcsy not to evil deeds
he but to blind those who would do evil if they had
chance. We employ it as agent for prompt, eff
ed cient and successful action and to those who think ths
' it covers anything else, we have only say, Hon
an soft q"i NAL 9 pense."