The Daily Nashville true Whig. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1851-1855, 1855-09-08

! talents to the demonstration of the difference
'twixt tweedledum and tWeedledee" Gov Brown
thinks it 'tfar and courteous to charge upon his
fellow citizens "a conspiracy" which is 'indctable
and punishable by law"
But does this I" fair and courteous letter stop
here? Not at all 1t aiirms that the members Of
the American Order are all sworn 10 secrecy =
They will not testify in court or out of court, any,
thing against themselves one smother. The judge
is member, and sworn to comply with the will OF
a majority. The jury, who may have TO try any
suit, which may be brought to recover damages for
loss OF property or character, are all members, and
ieagued and sworn to carry out the unhOly work Of
destruction" Has not his Excellency said too
much? How can it be, that party, which, accord
ing to him, embraces ali the judges, Jurors and
witnesses in the country, can be SO corrupt and
abandoned as he would describe it? 1t is direct
and ndiscriminate SANDER upon all these agents of
justice in the land, from which feel called to de-
fend them. But the Governors letter has not yet
exhausted its shameless atrocity. 1t continues,
Under this power, it can pull down any merchant
or business man that it does not like. Il can pull
down any mechanic or Aboring man it chooses.
On any night when the town or neighborhood
council shall meet, they can doom to destruction
every man of any profession or calling which ma
jority, even of one, may not like. All this it
do with perfect safety to its members" And, as if
this letter could securely enough the seeds
of bis Excellency's disgrace, he waters them with
the dews Of his Columbia speech in these words,
which he applies to the members OF the Order: "Mu
tually bound TO stand by each other, as shall pre-
sently show they are sworn to do, they feel secure
and exempt from punishment, either at the hand of
the individual aggr sged even at the hand Of the
public laws of the land" Now, Governor, as you
stand before the bar Of Truth and Justice, with the
halter of public indignation about your neck, what
riv vi lof ouoh.
Mercy would weep over the scene? What would you
give have that little letter back where Bolts kept
his during the Baltimore Convention? Now what
did you mean by these reckless and INSCRIPTIONS
accusations? Have you no sense Of decency or
shame? You cannot get out of this, as you scut-
tied out of your Lebanon speech, at Columbia, by
saying that you spoke only of the tendency of the
American party, aud what its example would lead
TO. You are speaking of "power," which al
ready exists, and which is derived from what you
are pleased to term "horrid oath" And You
cali this fair and courteous" Do you not know
that there is not one word of truth in all this
strous argument of yours9 The American party
has been in existence long enough to evince it's
true spirit. In all its history, l would ask Gov.
Brown, whose reputation has been stabbed? whose
barn has been fired? whose hen,ro0st has been in
yaded? Are not the members of the American
party as observant of ali the courtesies of life as
and as reverenL of religionY Are they not as gen
erous in all the intercourse of social liie and
prompt to do its modest ACTORS? Then, how
Gov. Brown justify the preparation of this infa-
TRADE, under the pretence of being fair and
courteous?' How much better is he, in having
clothed the American party with all the spirit Of
assassins, than bis prototype, Gov. johnson, who
has likened them to actual "Murremen?
The truth is, Gov. Brown ought to be ashamed of
Ha IN q
telligence of tile people of Dickson County. He
must have believed that they were ready, in the
language of Scripture, to "belieYe lie and be
damned"
In his Columbia speech, his ExcelIeney has the
charity to say: 81 speak not of the good men who
may have Joined the Order, and who have not yet
withdrawn from ito such men the law OF truth,
of justice and honor, viii always be the higher law
governing and controlling their actions; but speak
of the proaigate and unprincipled ones who lead
in these attacks, either TO save bets which they
or their friends may have made on the election,
or to grasfy boundless lust for the Offices of the
country, with their high salaries" Now it will be
observed that there is no such reservation in his
Dickson letter, for this includes every member OF
the American Order, and is far more slanderous and
exceptionable than the Columbia speech. But what
nonsense there is in this saving clause! 1t means
nothing at ALL and was intended to mean nothing.
1t is the fruit of mind, which has neither the
courage to utter what it thinks, the honesty to
think what is right. 1t is the instinct of the fox,
which seeks to cover up its tracks, after it has sto
len the fowl or hrottled it on the roost. Governor
Brown processes to have discovered that 'the prof
ligate and unprincip pied" members of the American
party feel "secure and exempt from punishment"
and are worthy the lash of his tongue most
wise and valuable discovery, truly! But could not
the Governor say as much Of "the proiligate and
unprincipled" of his own of any her party? But
the Governor does not intend to limit his re-
marks, notwithstanding this pretence and saving
clause. He is speaking of the influence OF the
American Order upon its members. If he were
speaking of men 'proHigate and unprincipled" by
nature, then the American Order would not be re-
sponsible for their SINS and the Governor would be
doing it great injustice by holding it to such &C.
countablity. But his ExcelIeDcy cannot escape
the import of his language. To show that be ia
speaking of the influence of the Order, and not of
natural dispositions, | quote his own language -
"And yet these restraints which all other men FEEL
and which exert the most salutary influence on any
society, are removed and un!elt under this Know
Nothing organization" NoS, how can his Excel
lency escape conviction cs meaning what he pre-
tends he does not neal?
But am not yet done with his Exceency. L
doubt not he would be glad to be off, but his cast
cation must be thorough, when once seriously I'M
dertaken. lis cruci6xion must be completed,
though at .he risk of making him immortal He
says tf:.a members Of the American Order "HRo,c
that when called they must come; that they are
bound by their oats to come unless it be ply steal
ly impossible, and to come prepared for the emer-
geucy." In another place, another of these hor-
rid oaths informs US, as It has been often published
and not denied, you do solemnly that you
will, in all things, political social, far as this
Order is concerned, comply with the will Of
jority, though it may conflict with your personal
preferences This obligation may be correctly
quoted from the old Ritual though il has long since
been abandoned. But il never was susceptible Of
the construction which Gov. Brown seeks 20 give
it. He attempts to make it apply to all the pur-
poses and intercourse Of life BY its very terms it
extends only $50 tar as this Order is concerned,
aud Gov. Brown, with all his knowledge of India-
rubber consciences and politics, cannot stretch it
one hairs breadth farther. Now, how far IS this
Order coneernedi The ready answer is, only TO
matters Of politics. IL has nothing to do with the
arrangements of society the private relations Of
life. But the concluding clause OF the obligation
evidently restricts it still farther and shows 10
cry discriminating mind, that il applies to nomina-
tons and elections and to nothing more; for COM
al nth Of tba Il.