Butte record. (Bidwell, Butte County, Cal.) 1853-1858, 1855-05-05
THE PLUMBER PARTY.

y
it direction and energy, and who could
at long intervals galvan.ze 1t into spas
modic action which ensured to it a shert-
lived success, the party sank back into
its original nohingness. The God>lik
Daniel chant d brief, but Expressive
and emphatic requiem over the illustri-
Gus defunct, and the American System
par excellence, passed as We supposed,
from the political stage forever
But the breaking up Of large party
left an immense mass of political wreck,
floating at random over the sea of poll
tics, which, worthless and useless is 1t
then was in its disconnected, and dis
joined state, might be collected, and
with care reared into IL huge political
edifce. But the builders knew full wei
that the broken fragments of the cd
Wing party, even though they could all
be gathered III, would be entirely INSULT
cient, to make even momentary stand
against the principles Of the Democratic
party which had governed our country,
so long, so wisely aid so well. Some
thing must be done, TO marshal into | ne,
and array in solid column. every faction
and every ism, which had been thrown as
excresences from the body polite, and not
covered by the broad banner of Democ-
racy But here was the task. The
creeds of the several Political flcti n
were as wi lely separated as Democracy
and Whiggery had formerly been, and 1t
would seem to require the most potent
wand of the magician to unite such dis
cordancy with anything like union
Eureka
From the political platforms of the
isms, there was one plank on which all
of them could stand. For generated as
they were in the minds Of political dis
appointed demagogues, that plank was
the foundation of the whole. That plank
is labelled A" Public Plunder.' Around
that platform, and under a banner so in
scribed evary faction, every ism. every
demagogue Of the nation could fight mosl
manfuly, W tn heart and soul enlis ed j.
the struggle. But it could not stand
alone. There must be something to COW
Ell up the utter hideousness of such
monster, or every man whose very soul
was not filled with corruption, would
turn from it with loathing and disgust
Another search-and from the ashes of
political isms, VII re it had once almost
given up the ghost in an agony of con-
WILSON'S, beneath the victorious tramp of
Democracy, was raked the foul aad pu-
trid form of Native Americanism. The
breath of the demagogues, whispering
over the loathsome carcass, the magic
words of "Public Plumber" warmed it
into life, and orce more placed it upon
its feet, to take few more struts up n
the stage of politics. There WIS but
one word in the English language that
could fully express such combination,
and that VOID was selected, X. ow
Noihingism Thus, with the hope of
Public Plumber in their hearts, and the
cry of " down with the Cathol C and the
foreigner" on their lips, the Know Moth
ings came into existence. These are
the only principles they have hitherto
avowed, and are the only ones upon
which they all could unite; and the
avowal OF any other principle would
drive some ism from the ranks They
needed but one hope, and they have it
they needed but raIlying cry,
-" some watchword for the fight
To vindicaie the wrong, and warp the right
hehSoi,-ireedoni,- veliSednce-"hat YOU VIII.
Some facous phrase by cunning caught and spread,
That guilt may reign, and wolves and worms be fed.
Opposition to the Catholic and the
foreigner" is the only thing presented to
the public view, and this is very property
left standing alone, that it may, with
most perfect freedom. play the political
weaihcrcock, and shift its appearance
with every political breeze, aud to meet
the gaze of every new conner. From the
bold announcement of Mr.. Flournoy in
accepting the Know Nothing nomination
for Governor of Virginia. down to the
skim-milk pueriliIies of the Marysvi.le
Herald, no two champions or organs Of
the Plumber Party, in different States,
dare announce the same creed.
In Virginia, there are comparatively
but few foreigners and Catholics. There.
beside old Catholic Maryland, where, by
the Catholic powers perfect religious
freedom was for the first time granted
on the American continent, the doctrine
is announced, tina. no Catholic whatever