Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-02-12
United states Senators from the North.

MASSACHUSETTS, 10 the hnoW-Nothlng party, at the
recent election there, has been rewarded by the
election of the leading freesoer Of the State Hen
ry Wilson, the Natick cobler,' to the Senate OF
the United States. This is said TO have been the
understanding, or, at all events, the implication
from the first
''In the Legislature of New York an election of
United States Senator is about to take place. and,
though the Know-Nothings have an admitted ma
jorty there it is feared that similar result 70 that
which has just occurred in Massachusetts, wan take
place in New York In the return OF one OF the
greatest abolitionsts of the North to that import
ant and responsible post.
aWe will not believe that such result as this
is destined to take place, without better evidence
than we now have before us. The Know-Nothings
proper have decided ascendency Of numbers In
the Assembly of New York. and that party will be
responsible for the election OF the aboliionist Sc
ward, if he be elected. This responsibility they
cannot evade How they viii meet 1t is just now
one of the most important political questions en-
gazing the Southern mind"
We copy the above from the New Orleans
Picayune Of the 4th instant, for a few words of
comment
In our daily issue Of the 9th, and our week
ly Of this date we have sufficiently demon
strated that the American party" Of Massa-
chusetts, are not responsible for whatever anti
slavery opinions Senator Wilson may entertain,
or may have uttered, because the discussion of
slavery forms no part of the purposes we have
in view, and because this question is not de-
batable inside our organization. Our party
has been formed for objects entirely distinct
from, and unconnected with, negro slavery.
No man of truth and intellect will be dis
honest or silly enough to assert that Know
Nothingism is the parent of abolitionisn. 1t
would DO as just to assert that Democracy is
the parent of Federalism. The anti-slavery
organizations prevailed at the North in years
long gone by, whilst acknowledgement dates
its organization from recent point of time.
The Hales, Stewards, Chases, Summers, Kings,
Giddingscs, and others, of similar anti-slavery
sentiments, were elected to Congress long be-
fore our party had an existence! Some of
these men were elevated to power and place by
the Democatic, and others by the Wing party.
Anti-slayery opinions have existed, and aboli-
ton demonstrations have been made, from time
to time, certainly during the last thirty years
of our political history.
If the members of the Ohio Forney and
Pierce convention, held on the 9Th Of January
last, are worthy of credit, anti-slavery senti-
ments have prevailed in that State, ever since
its organization. Read their resolution, as
follows:
I" Resolved, That the people of Ohio, Now AS
THKY HAVE ALWAYS DONE, look upon slavery as an
evil, and un6vorable to the development of the
spirit and practical benefit of free institutions and
that, entertaining these sentiments, they will AT
ALL TIMES feel it to be their duty, TO USE ALL pow
Err CLEARLY GIVEN BY THE TERMS OF THE NATIONAL
COMPACT, to prevent its increase, to mitigate, and
FINALLY TO ERADICATE ITS EVILS"
Now, we presume that we may assert, in
positive terms, that this anti-slavery sentiment
existed, and was practically illustrated, in TIE
election ofthe several gentlemen we have named
above, and others Of the same stamp, long an
terror to the formation Of Known Nothing as
sociations
This being the undeniable fact, what be-
comes Of the charge that Known othingism and
Abolitionism are identical9 Their origin and
their purposes are wholly dissimilar. The
former eschews the latter
Suppose, for the sake Of further illustration,
that Senator Wilson is protective-tarif advo-
cate, would it not as logically follow that the
Know-Nothings are protective-tarif men, if
they elected him, as that they are abolitionists
Suppose he is national bank man2 Then,
on the same grounds the Know-Ncthings are
In favor of national bank' Suppose he is
.frce-trdde advocate Then on the same
ground the Know-Nothings are free-trade
men. Suppose he is for Benton's Pacific rail-
road route, or for the Texas routef Then the
KNOWN othings, on the same principle, are for
the one or the other route, just as it may hap
pen that Senator Wilson's mind inchnes
The utter absurdity Of holding the Know
Nothings bound by Senator Wilson's private
opinions, on questions Which do not pertain to
Mepurposes and objects either association, is
too palpable to require further refutation 1t
is undeniably true, that the Know-Nothing
party predominated in the Legislature Of Mas
sachusetts 1t is equally true that majority
Of the Know-Nothing party in the Legislature
voted for Senator Wilson. But it is also true,
that, Vhilst they all agreed upon the legiti-
mate subjects of discussion in our councils, and
upon the great purposes Of our organization, a
bare majority Of that Legislature were also
Frce-Soilers and gave Senator Wilson their
votes on this ground Of preference. But this
fact no more proves our party to be anti-sla-
very in their purposes than II proves that they
entertain any other sentiment in common with
Senator Wilson, which he may entertain indi-
vidually upon any Of the multfarious questions
Of the day.
The Picayune says in the above extract that
1.-THE Know-Nothings have an admitted ma
jority" in the Legislature Of New York, "and
that party will be responsible for the election
Of the Abolitionist Seward, If he be elected"
The Picayuno has, doubtless, before this
time seen, that its premises, as above stated,
are untrue, and OF course, its conclusions fall
with its premises. We have already demon
strated beyond cavil or controversy, in our late
numbers, that the Know-Nothing party were
in small minority in the Legislature of New
York and could not dafaat Mr. Saward Thar