Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1855-10-17

WIlu WOODS OF inc west, WleFe ClSlteeH years 1So
the wigwam stood and the Indians council fires
zhazed, his lectures have reached and blessed
Would that | were able advocate of the rights
OF his church, he is of the truths of christianity
1t is the religion Of such men that you would stop
the spread Of not by exposing its fallaoies, but by
midnight plots Where would you have been, II
this mode OF treatment had been adopted against
your people Fifty years ago? ..... -
But by concession, ali catholics and foreigners
under the dictation of the Pope And what DO
you gain by that-you VINO are sworn to vote accor-
ding to the dctation OF any scamp who may happen
to worm himself up to the dictatorship in your
lodges? I presume you will admit, that vote cast
under dictaton, need not necessarily be wrong
This you must admit or condemn yourselves The
catholic must for candidate of self or pro-
tcStant nomination and as the Pope can have no
interest in the success of either party it is likely
that he would orde, impartial vote-that which
would best promote the interest of the country IN
which his people reside. But you cast strictly
party vote in utter disregard of the merits of can
ddates. Will your candidate oppose catholics and
foreigners? That is all you demand of him. Ii he
say yea you support him; though he be the ver-
est jackass that ever brayed in the councils of the
nation. He may by his stupidity unSettle the most
wholesome laws, overleap the barriers of the con-
stitution, oppose the best measures advocate the
worst-in short, play the fool at large. No matter;
he is Know Nothing, and opposed to catholics,
and foreigners and that is enough for your repuol-
canism! Unless catholics were often candidates
for office as professionals, the Pope's dctation could
not peril the liberty of the country; but in five hum
dred elections, you Will ma on an average ouo
catholic candidate. Unless religion were involved
in the election, the Popes dctation could not posi-
bly, peril religious liberty; but as we have said,
if the constitution be disregarded, religion can
never be involved in any election. Your order have
the honor of mixing religion with politics for the
first time in the history of the country, right in the
teeth of the constitution; and now, it the Popes
power peril your religious liberty, blame yourselves
for it, and not the Pope. Thus you see, under the
most extravagant admissions, your principles are
wrong. Your practice is worse, as we have al
ready shown in part, and as WE now proceed to
show more clearly The most shocking feature OF
your order is its numerous and profane oaths up
this head shall take your published rituals as
true. Nothing more easy than to prove 1t true In
substance from your conduct and admissions.
Thus when you charge a men,ber who exposes
your proceedings with perjury ynu admit that ne
was sworn. When you vote in a solid body, you
show that there is solemn obligation among you to
vote alike. When no member will tell who are his
fellows, you show that all bound 10 keep that
matter secret When you Admit he obligation oil
the third degree, you admit there three degrees
When you Expose tie ami Suppress the two,
admit the last :.ii bear the light as we'll as
the first, &C.. | nave not time space to extend
this reasoning La telS YOU have agreed to acknowl
edge your membership, but it was not so originally;
not when most, if not all f you, Joined the de-
lectahle fraternity.
You obscl we'd (speaking fguratvc!y)a closed door
with this sign it: Opposition to foreigners and
catholics manufactured Within What sort of OPP
position how ana by whom conducted, on what
conditions, III Ntiat tN{JcilSe OF
how You We're to be worked in factory, what the
moral character Of ypur Co-workers, h9W healthful
pestilcl;iai The business, were matters Of not the
least cllccl+ - yIii. ) on knocked, and the door
was opened by IMAM who demanded an oath OF
YOU and you took il. Il was oath ot secresy,
and vurY rel uEiican, hut you took It, You
avan2sa 70 the council chamber, and there, in the
prcseG # many you took another oath more strin-
gent tail first. In ibis yuu SwOre among 9th
things, that you would gespoua to 4 claim OF a
sign cry Of the order GnieSS it DE physically I'M
possible Mark that word cry. # in the pulpit,
at a dying bed; when You near it you must drop
your holy services and obey it. Obey it, for what?
Why to fight for the brother, if need be, of course
After taking the oath, You were turned over to
the instructor in grips and passwords, Suppose
Wesley al your Sile.)
You remained in the body short time and then
took another oath, rcaffrming the two first, and AS
cended in regular climax of monstrosity. Another
set of instructions followed You remaineda while
longer and you took a fourth oath, which capped
the climax. You received the first with your hand
upon the Bible. The second with the left hand on
your breast and the right raised to Heaven. The
third, with your left your breast and the right
raised to the flag of your country. The fourth, in
group Of five more formed in a circle around
your countrys flag with arms crossed on the breast,
and hands graspcd, right and left. Thus you be
come a member of the midnight fraternity, of high
degree.
All these oaths. save the first, called degrees,
land rightly in sense.) y dsgrce conferred on
ones self, by simple swearing A Methodist preach
word not to he trusted by hnOW NOthnSS without
oath! He proves faithful to one, and yet he
cannot be trusted without a second, and third
y Methodist Preacher pushing himself unbidden
into this distrustful cotere, and taking lessons in
grips, signs and pass words, and whereby he and
the children of darkness to recognise each other
as brothers o. at all times and in all places; and
whereby they may rally to the support of each 9TH
err weapon in hand, in time of danger and conflict!
The honorary titles acquired by these degrees Know
Nothing and Sam! Elder Know Nothing! Deacon
Sam
While you were stepping from oath to oath, and
lesson to lesson, through all the solemn mockery of
the Order, did the thought to you
where the necessity of all this, to signify my OPP
position to Catholics and foreigners? Are not all
to oppose them openly? Why must l., and those
who think with me upon these matters, be skulking
here in the dark, and taking solemn oaths about
that of my fellows2 Was ever such oath taken by
secret society before? Why this parade of de-
grees? What have they to do with Catholics p
And grips? What have they to do with foreign
ers? What all this binding together in the bonds
of eternal brotherhood, simply to q united
vote! Surely there must be something deeper and
darker in all this than ] can see? Did you go
through all this Know Nothing !
fummery and profanity without any misgiving of
conscience, or fear of consequences, You should !
feel alarmed at your situation. Did you feel any
uneasness? You should have withdrawn.
Swear not at ALL says the Saviour. Swear not !
at ALL says ST James Swear not at ALL says your
Discipline in another form. Because of swearing |
the land mourneth says Jerimiah. Thou shalt /