Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1855-03-23
Know Nothingism Rampant
Rochester Disgraced.

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There are occasiony mobs SO Pc
culiar and significant in their causes
aud character, and SO hagranl aud
anarclic IN their objects, as TO arrest
the attention Of the whole country,
rendering the leading parliclpa,ofs
IN them Infamous, and liking an in
dehble Stigma on the locality where
they occur. Such were the church
burning riots OF Philadelphia; such
Railroad mobs at Ere; and such
was the Know Nothing mob in this
city Oh the night oi the 2Slh OF Feb
ruafy, in the year of our Lord, Eight
cen hundred and tiity-hye. We
make tins classification and this ale
CATION nolr; Time will not fail 10
yindicaie the correctness OF both.
Let US remark once more and in
this connection, in order to demon
slrate that what we say is not dic,at-
ed by any personal or parry disap-
poInlmeni, that the ANU Know Moth
ing meeting was got up without any
agency of this paper. and under The
auspices Of those with whom We
have no other sympathy than should
always exist between citizens of the
same community. Neither we, nor
SO far as We know were our friends
consulted IN regard to the matter
the call was not offered us for publ
cation even but on the contrary the
Seward wings Projected the move
nent, perfected the arrangements for
the meeting, invited their own men
as speakers, and assumed the whole
management, as ii was their right TO
DO, OF a meeting which they properly
regarded as their own. So we have
no other interest in The matter than
that which is common to every cii-
zen who has the good OF this country
andlts republican institutions at heart.
Wei, such as were disposed to
come together under the call pub
Iished IN tic Dcmocrat-understo
( by every body to ne addressed 90 those
only who are opposed to Know-Noih-
1 ingism-met at the Court House last
evening but it was at once appar-
ent that their was an organlzed oand
OF those belonging 10 the Order,
who were bent on controlling or
breaking up the meeting, and of
resorting TO any measure of violence
that might b. necessary for that pur-
pose. But we will not enter into
detailed account of the dlsgraceful
proceedings. An assistant who was
present the whole evening. has
sketched them and his report will
be found in another column.
When we reached the City Hall
at 8 O'Clock, i; was pretty much va
cant--lhe organized mob Of Know
koilllngs having obtained The con-
troll of the meeting there, and the
orlginators of The meeting having
organized in the large Court room
on the same floor. At that time
large portion of the X. n S had
already crossed over 10 the other
meeting, and were making all sorts
of hideonS noises to drown the voice
of the speaker-such as yells,
groans, cheers, Kisses, whisting,
loud laughter, insulting and obscene
language, &c, &c. twas clear the
Committee we named yesterday had
performed the duty they were
charged with, most admirably.
The members of the Order show
eli excellent drill they enacted the
scandalous and degrading parts as
signed them respectively, with the
GOODNESS of veteran soldiers on
forlou hope. Not only young
men, mere boys indeed, but men of
gray heads whose faces wore the
marks which nothing short of half
century can enstamp, were there
hellnwins themselves hoarse and
taking a conspicuous part in the
preconcerted programme. Among
these were men who would have
felt themselves deeply wronged had
anybody, one short month ago, told
them that Know Nolhingism would
insiduously draw them into taking
part in mob organized in secret to
break up lawful and peaceable
assemblage of their fellow citizens.
There were men from the surround
ing towns who had come in obedi-
ence TO their oaths and the behest Of
their Committee, to trample law
and order under foot, and enthrone
anarchy, violence, and confusion.
There among others stood
"a man of respectable
prelensions and a member of
Christian chnrch--bawling out with
stentorIan voice and endeavoring to
break down Senator Dickinson by
insulting and reproachful remarks.
He and others of like position, and
like him the professed followers of
the Son of Man-editors, lawyers,
merchants, and so on-seemed to
remember only the "obligations"
assumed in secret conclave surround
ed by midnight darkness, and to
forget as well the " obligations" inn
posed by their Divine Master, as
those inseparable from the citizen of
a country where the Sovereignty
resides exclusively with the people.
II, when they sit down to reflect on
what they have done, whom the