Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1855-08-14
THE ELECTION RIOTS AT LOUIS
VILLE-wHICH PARTY Is REsPON-
STRIFE,


SIBLE:
When We read the first teegraphc dispatches
announcing the bloody election riots at Louisville,
(and which have since been traced to Know
nothing sources,) we could not repress feeling
of profound Indignation. Much as we are OPP
posed to the new Order, much as we abhor its
tactics and its mob tendencies, we could not re-
press deep feeling of resentment towards the
foreign population. That population was
presented as the aggressive party-wantonly and
savagely aggressive. The foreigners were re-
presented firing from their houses, and muir
dering innocent and unoffendng native citizens,
who were peacefully passing along the streets.
Although we knew full well that the mob party
of the country is the know-nothing party, and
hence felt dstrustful of the accuracy of the in
formation; yet the bare idea of American born
citizens being wantony butchered by foreigners,
and that Oh American soil, made our blood boil
with Indignation. 4tt. = ta,. t,a. +. y.
After careful examination of all that we have
seen bearing on the point, after an unprecedented
study Of the articles that have appeared on the
subject in the Louisville journals, we believe that
the blood of the slain is on the hands Of the
Know-nothings. The proofs are many and con-
vincing. All the anti Know-nothing papers con.
cur in the opinion. week or two before the
election, these papers charged that effective
plan to prevent, by force, foreigners from veting
had been adopted lnlammatory appeals were
published in the Louisville Journal, the Know
nothing organ. A day or two before the election
that paper went far to suggest, in substance,
+ba c,ra 10 III
until all the native Americans had voted In its
issue of Monday week, il said:
eve all know that it was considered very
doubtful on Monday morning whether the whole
vote of the city could be poled within the thirteen
hours of the election. The native-born American
citizens thought and felt that if any portion of
the people legally entitled TO vote should hare 10
stand back and loose their SufrdgeS for rant of time
the foreigR-boin citizens should stand back rather
than themselves They thought and feh that This
ought 10 be pefecfig manifest eue 10 the minds Of
the foreigners. Undoubtedly they pressed forrard
early aud vigorously 10 the polls in order TO be the
first, II possible; aud in This they trere right They
| had perfect right to go, if they chose, 10 the
polls at u o'clock on Sunday night, and remain
there until the following morning They had a
| right to 90 at what time they pleased and in
what numbers they could. They had right
even to toss their friends over the heads of the
crowd 10 the polls, we are told they did in
some few instances, though this was no doubt
violation Of courtesy They had a right TO vote
as fast as they could, provided they used no vio-
lence in pulling or thrHstng back their opponents
from the polls, and we have not heard il alleged
that they did this in solitary instance"
II is in proof, if the newspapers may be relied
on, that the few foreigners who offered to vote
were treated with great indignity, in some in
stances subjected 10 the cruelest violence. II is
in proof that the great mass Of the foreigners in
Inundated by the threats that had been made,
kept away from the polls and did not vote at all.
Il is charged that bullies and blackguards, many
Of whom were brought from other places, at
tended in imposing numbers at each ward in the
city, and that they were noisy, violent, menacing
and armed.
j matters not that the Know -nothings deny
their own culpability and throw the blame and
responsibility the foreigners. In every in
stance in which they have produced Disturbances
at the polls, gotten mp mobs, committed murders,
and burnt houses-and these instances are very
numerous-thcy have sought to justify themselves
and TO throw the blame the other party, how
ever innocent. They have neyer--no matter
how strong and damning the proofs against them
they have never, in one single instance, ac-
knowledged themselves to be the aggressors.
Again' j. il to be supposed that the foreigners,
Cho ,oere afraid 70 60 70 The polls 10 roie, dar
ing and desperate enough 70 commence fight nth
their adrersaries. The supposition is absurd.
But to suppose the worst: suppose that one
foreigner, Or several foreigners, goaded to mad
ness by the insults and injuries TO which they had
been subjected, and which became more and
more insuiferable as the election day approached,
and mortified and enraged by being unjustly de-
priyed Of the exercise Of sufrage-suppose we
say, that with such incentives and under such
circumstances, enc foreigner, or several for
eigners, were guilty Of firing from house on
know-nothings who CHANGED TO be passing by
we say, suppose this, and how them Then,
such foreigners ought to have been seized and
made TO suffer the EXTREMIST rgors Of the law
Indeed, despite the bad treatment which led to
such an outrage, we could forgive tile people if,
IN the Indignation and phrenzy Of the moment,
they had seized upon the offenders and visited
upon them all the horrors Of Lynch law. But
even in such case, there would be no excuse for
making indisniminate war on all foreigners the
guilty aud the innocent
But in any aspect Of the subject, and no mat
ter what the particular facts Of the case may be-
the Know-nothings are TO blame. They had no
business 10 get up party 10 encourage and stimu-
late war between races. This sin, this great
a IN l.. r. Al