Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-06-15
POWERFUL VIEWS AND FACTS DAMNlNt
TO KNOW NOTIllNGISM.

POWERFUL VIEWS AND FACTS. DAMNlNL
TO KNOW NOTIlINGISM.
From the rrnnsy vanian. May 81
ADDRESS or THE DEMOCRATIC WING COMMIT
TEE OF SurEIlSTENDENCE.
Tina Wing committee Of superintendent desire f
address. 1, their fellow -citZrns lew words OF friend
Is aud respectful counsel. Encouraged by the resul
nj tho LAT. municipal election, showing, rs 1t did, tina
tbs mysterious power of secref, ami therefore IRE
smor.;ilo nurty, known az the Know Nothing orgnn
;l,tiou, had with nil tho aid OF locn patronage
| .Lnwn it.,f relatively weak when nrraycd ngans
honest and manly public oplnlon-lts muuiIn"n'
msorcs of seven, ten, and htecn thousand having
in less ,han year. collapsed to ~ Oh ticket ant
| 800 IN auother-the committee would have been con
| tent Ia be proudly silent. But when they see Stu
| diuIs and elaborate attempt made Ia misrcprcseh
mi, result they cannot refrain III view ol the iunre
from trying to expose the fraud lhcy no" rcirr u
| , MINER very generally circulated, bearing the HinD
finn. title of "ddd,pss of he ELccuirr r9Rmd'r "
| HE American Party 10 hc imrr'cans hro"gho"t IN,
Un1rd Siatcs," aud signed by John w. Ashmcsu
and six others the O5icct of which Is To show tha'
the sscapr which their secret constituents had nj the
Into election, WINS not only the greatest triumph ever
achieved but that it especial triumph over the
whig party. They undertake 10 INSERT that II was
victory over the Wing and Dcnocrnic partic. or 10
use their very words painfully distinct III Their tttrnn-
ferry .tha while in 1854 they c0op"ruri, IN 1879 the
| whu-s ma n party repudlaed all connrxon with their
| THE coInnitiecs) principles, and united WIN tho
| Democratic party in effort 10 prevent Their suc'
| cess"
Ills TO this singular assertion, 40 utterly groundless
| TINT wa wish to direct the attention, especially ut
Wbir lreuds We shall Try Ia do TIL. III words maj
are precise intclsibIc md We hope not Offensive,
for wo aro perfectly that into the ENHANCEMENT:
Vt ihi. wreched organization hive been uocoyo'.
many friends, both Whigs and Democrats, who now
in bitter shan,s regret it, aud will, at'hc first chance
escape from it. To thcn, and such NJ thrn Tor Inc
wrecks arc strewn all around us we do not desire 10
give any new pain, or deepen the bnsh "'rr"'! ui'.
| their cheeks Bnt of the authors or cuhc"c''fs VI
mi, executive address, genuine representatives. hs
they claim TO be- of their secret and niicahnu P'r'
and of their attempt lnislead the pubIlc we sn"''
! spenk freely and dcc!svely. . ~
With ono remark of II purely p"rs""nI h''l''r' W. We
,bt Lismi.s This MI Ircss. Il will hardly Dc cI'I'
ed but il ID simple truth To which We DEFY cH.",I'e
ton that, M lenst three al the SigIl"r' =" .n''
address, which asserts the adverse fusion o !"c VIZ
and democrats partteS, aud their pr"s'Ih'Lt""
Gcorr. p II-nzey Joseph l.. Chester and l'"'"e D.
SHARON tho day OF the election carried PAcH''''
and ticcriUmrrred their ticket AS the re!ni"r WIG
ticket. How can they now care ~ Say '"" ''e " nv
rim. cl.coueered and thus victorious was h"' me
whir ticket at all Tile may be honor III" lh"ln.il
| in the Know Nothing lodges but 1t seems rrrS ilho
| dslIouor and equivucutiOn out OF them 10 "s IL
seems closely kindred to the sysr hx Mhlch men Oh
ailufljal n.s ;9U., Af,Ge" deny adhesion TO secret
u!itica organizations; md ye:, with the DENIAL fresh
on their lips, attend lodges aud councils night after
upht and make speeches and deliver lectures on tho
| tar nj
thrre are among liz well known and well lnarked.--
This is one illustration Of the conduct OF this eXccu-
| tive address. .
Raj il i, not worthy those represent to disposc
of this fraud by personal reference. mere IS SAD
der truth 10 be evulved-a revelation OF the means by
| which before the election, the ruin and dIsgrGc1 OF
the wing party was planned. How Tar 1t WI be sue
| cpsstul remairs to be The name OF Mr. W eb-
ster il cruelty introduced into their address rs having
foreod this result II the querulous mhledlctIons oil
| n diving statesman, who had lived long and active
life Of wing honor md profit were sufficient 10 de-
stroy the whig party, then we may pause 10 inquire
how far the mischevous gossip oozinS through inc
| crsyices of q sick nuns chamber, ana rttali.u ny
busy throughout the land. IL to be re-
lied on; and if Mr.. Webster did pronounce the wing
doom it came least from lips that spoke out anu
did not equyoceie. So lar back as 1910 Tue sum- '
Daniel Webster announced hs readiness tn accept an
| anti NJ asnnic nomination. Willard Fillmore was au
| anti NJ aaonic member OF Congress The relatively
innocent obligations of charitable a'snrlatlois were
then deemed criminal by those who according Ia this
address, bound by secret political onhs pronounc"
| and rejoice at the doom of the wing party: Inc
why varty, in our belief conservative element
of oucn political organization, still lives rs ri iiie-
peui.lt party; but il it be infected or corrupted VI
| s,n. of its members by the prevalent disease ot
p.cudo Americans there il in il yet vitality enough 10
mite with honest allies against n new aud common
enemy. The fusion Of honest lnen in the face Oh me
world is the confusion of secret lnfrgners. for !hiS
end the wing party here is in full life. II means tolive
and be felt
At the late election, affirm that the wing organIza,
ton and machinery on the eide OF the succe"-u'
party. Those who separated, rs we dh' reluc'ahtly
and we hope temporarily, from ancient conimuhohS'
did 30 fur reasons which all good men must approve
Those motives we will briefly state:
In the spring of 1854 the spasm Of Know Nothing,
ism wns at its height. II wns mysterious, anu
therefore, captivating crealnn that SPRING ihIo otls
no one knew how and worked sndden ana great re-
suit. Impressed by success, ard stimulated ny
rroed for local office hundreds rushed to the odGra
and, in their mysteries and mummeri's ''naE.Htu
there comfort mud pleasure ana sllcccss' .N'e"
after night high officials to be seen skulklnE Oh
parading, for il depended on temperament whether
! they acted boldly or tmilly, TO thu places OF meet
ing and gratifying morbid appetite OF one sort Oh
another 10y inrd defamation on imaginary dhie.IS
, or absurd recommendation. Offices were distributed
nv dscrees O lodges and councils, secret orders n
tiplied and every variety of absurd nomenclature
WINS adopted to excite curiosity and attract
The idle aud unrehectng were pleased win me mer'
mumnery, while the selfish managers were oiliseh'l
turning its organization to their own advantage
This uas very manifest ut tho late Governor eiec
ton whom at the persuasion OF secret anu Hrespch
siblc advisers, the great ISSUES OF purity pol,'
were abandoned, and clear Wing victory, Tor surl
would James POncks election certainly nave bee,
was turned into a paltry Know Nothing triumph
and a Democratic canal comni-slnner. VINO "ccci'e
all parties, wac elected over George Darsie IN non
est experienced agl able statesman, simply pechus
The breath If his early years was breathed among IN
frm hills of Presbyterian Scotanh-tile land Of Aler
u Ger, who BLEED at Princeton, anu Wtherspoon VIII
u signed the Declaration Of independence: Such ~ei
j. the two Know Nothing victories so much 'auhteu-
u But the bitter end WAS not yet ..
l. Part Of this victory was overwhelming ma)orl
in the Legislature And now we purpose To bring IN
: real fruits of this party organization 10 me hPH u.
aders and abetters; and especially {" those or SOM
o of thelp who, IA au executive committed nave pun
sh,d this address, we shall speak very distinctly an
:, strongly. .:,.o, ,.,, ,,or
- stituted we have no means OF knowing frobaoly
" WIS done in secret for we are very sure tna' hua
han in nublic. after discussion and consideration
Is names less offensive to the Wing party and more d
II tinonshed for social and political position would haH
beeu selected Responsible authors. Inc azure
10 its.lf NAV fairly he presumed 10 oe inc "orh VI "
chairman, well known "a an expert ana experience
IL v.t.ran nj the small gam0 ut politics, uut the IN
man .utitIrd To consideration from the Wings OF I'm
ind.luhia. 4, an officer under Wing national a.
., ministrntion, the chairman OF I'M" new America
" | committee maintained doubtful loyalty to our pa
~ ~, though he always displayed a commentaries re
u IN nromo,inp poitca combinations at those cris
u wbrn means were literally contributed and dsburse
VI Sill 40 ,hr charrnun of this COMMITTEE and II
r LEADER of the dominant party III this city he is slt
fled to distinguished consideration at our hands " L
of compelled thus 10 a,s,,nsuisn MN "oA' L
: We have said TINT the Know-Nothis triumph
y LAST fall in PENNSYLVANIA was complete. The eli
- government every branch, the State executives az
n, the popular house Of the Legislature, were Whol
theirs. This was not their only victory. by mo
, illustrative coincidence, the government, legislator
~ and executive of u neighboring State became thel
also. In Massachusetts,, the triumph OF the Seer
= Order was az thorough rs in Pennsylvania. hindr'
results we are sorry to say have followed this su
cess What occurred here will presently be show
h -Thi, story a. to Mr. Webster had its origin with
young man named Brosdhssd, who was connected in
sne,s with tbs authsr of the address of the Amerie
u counmnse IL enthusiastically circulated Just before