Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-10-12
TROUBLE IN THE OPPOSITION CAMP.

'fPSulH ilill tU'Tc HIS UteiI u WIZ
l'i MISUNDERSTANDING ns t" the object OF the Lynch
burg C"nvcni'"n which looked Ia M, the great
paiinccn Tor the present Know. Nothing illness -
Bcalcm down every where n the South. the Wing
leaders IN the allied camp ha,f RIGHT 10 eyprct spme
modification OF lhc oduus features Of Know Nothing.
ism. But they are destined yet longer to submit to
the reign Of secret and proscrptivc ogarchy. The
ritual and the "secrrt "uh' prohibit any move.
ment for present reform. The once gallant Whig
purty-guideh By the counsel of Clay anL Webster
has lost its organization and very name and passe,l
under the Carne Forks of Know Nothing cunning
and proud defiance. Wchave the admission of one
of the accredited organs Of the late Wing party that
they must yci for indefinite time, submit to the
'.miscratle tlummery pi rituals, onths and the like
tu "cliiilish funlblinS and pudding ''mcrc child,
play. and IN exceedingly morbid devotion {" nuked
Ilummcry, and, finally, t" ''uuadutcraed nonsense
and ridiculous tomluocry The disgust of tho
Wing is almos; Hs strongly marked thnt "f tn,
twenty five recusans who publish card in the IIc$
ildJamidH, renounc!ng al allegiance to- or cOnnec
ton with the KnowNo!hing party. They speak Us
follows, Us ii they hal just made har-bread;h es
cape from something terrible and damning:
ave will hcnccforth net the part OF tadtpcndcml
fitfm"R and in our exodus from the oatl.bound dark
lantcrn.cap-trap hvpncritica Ctching-abn
tOn-ba.clrd party, say 10 all friends of civil an,
religious lIher:y-to nV that wish the prrpetuity d
free @uvcrnncnt--thr honor Of their country Ia re-
main unlarnislcG and the laws ui the land maintained
s"t ~tom 81 He .IhUb'n'cm, pnHi""i concern. II -
iin.rT0ns Ia he i,ir',rS Ui M, D.DD, anil iuJi!nn,
ot Hr r0HAHy. And W. wuuld also take uccasiuE /,
rr-assrrt our hcvnrdncs- io the free giving princi
pies embodied in the Declaration u Independence, nilI
rrairInG'l in the Constitution nl these United States
making uuf country the asylum of the oppressed
e land ni the rc" nnd liberal and go"Grulirnt whrr,
all amy worship God H. their conscience may sugGes
Hind all lr,r born constitutional citizens iEay coin,
up IL the baDi box, uulln!ncllc!, aL vote tor WHOM
they please And we think that any attempt by any
party. order, {" deprive them OF this inrs!imab'
boon, should be resisted BY every lover o ircc nsii
tuiIul!s.
ave believe secrecy in politics TO be demonstrabiy
aud pglpably pcrIcio, nlni snhvtr!ve bc ,ercnt L
liberty and III dinn"ir2a opposition to the wishes
examples and prccrp:s "i "r re> ulalIunary slrcs.'
1t is in vain for the Wing, in it's bitter agony 0
disappointed hopes. to appeal to its underground al
Lies tn 'cnmc out from their dens and holes in th'
ground The shrrw,l leaders oi the Know Nothing
parfy know too We" that the omly hope for the cont
nued existence o: their party and the c"nsumTatiol
of their .ccmc-, is in their policy u secre
will tumble Ia the gronnd everywhere, even more ra
pilly th"n it has done at the South! In this opinion
we are fuliy sustained By the officially avowed reso
utuns adopted Alta irregular meeting oftr Little Guy
anAorte Association "i !- American PuGty-nunc
rous!Y attended by members from Cabcll and Masol
coanIies' and which We find in the kanawha Rcpub
can. The following resolution speaks for itself
,. That wc nrc wholly unable Ia cypress our diSap
probation "f that impnlItic md snIcal, -,HjD'm0
rr,UI"i"R recommendation "F,Icd by ne H0H J0ah
w. Bats, caLr0cRg NJ" srHk.m"niS that hD'h the SrcrP
cy ami rl3,goo"S test "t he PGrtV 0"gh tJ b. aJOf
,ShrT'--alsu th. action of the State Council on the
sane. And we uurcSarvcdly declare that should tIt
sentiments then ana there recorded, be adopted, they
will turn out tn be the funeral ohscques Of the Grea
American Party.
We have thus the evidence Of it's own friends tina
Know -Nothingism il between Scyla and Cha
rybds. On the one side, if lis midnight secrecy b'
retained, it must irIl 10 pieces-on the other, # tht
same secrecy he abolished nothing can prevent thu
Funeral obsr,lurcs Of the Ereat American rurty:''
lFrom the Richmond Whis, Oct. lO.I
A MASS MEET!NG"--NOT a CONVENTION"
The following communication appeared in ycster
lav's Tucsdav'S) National American:
Il apprehcni that very .'''"t error prevails GENERALLY
with tie pr"s in regard 10 III" American con"";'nE a
1 - u
hurr on the 9;h The meeting. whether iargr or small o
w;,.thcr held in Lycbur. Mchmnnd. IL uuhIn. NOR
than mas meeting and !. not therefore authorised
riopt any reforms or notifications "i III" r!tua or III
Constitution for the STATE. II WAS not originally designed
rs ANYTHING more than meeting TO which person
,r , u,rtrs were invited: aud OF course nm
meeting that may be held for tie tr"snction oi bunc-
which rontrnplnrs change i'll tho organization OF IN
pnr,y, must be- confined 10 members o the party,
AT the late State Cuuuc rrsouiiom WAS offered, b.
which the Council requested TO recommend full al
n be held III
and the Council expressly refused to recognize ne
Convention and required the mover o III" reaoulio
"a To- modify il strike out the word convention an
iu,- Alns- Meeting before they could adopt it-and hi
wa. done upon the nvow ground thm there wHs no M
,horv ior the call Of II 'C""rt"' ANA thnt ti' n"n
lint might assemble in ynchburg would ''-ess none
the power. o Convention and could not act rs lrsi:
..T,. Siac Council tina, ,o mea in Richmond On III
;h of in.nry the ir- m.",in. ni the Amcr'n part
thai will ,ny. power 10 nc, upom til" reforms proposed
and this should be- understood ~ "nc". w , .,
We havc no doubt the correspondent of the Anne
ri,un states the case correctly. 1t ~ upon thls sup
noSton that we prupOS" IL say few words, III TEN
| uer rs mnruBtd as circumstances raj m'6o"
W.. confess AT the outset that we lave misapprC
! hcudcd this whole matter from beginning Ia end
| 10 be sure We are not II mr""'F ~ ne ''n.'' wv
meyer have been with strong suspicion at this pre-
sent writing that we never will be; and, ot course
we were not entitled TO have any very clear idea
upon the subject. But We have been nll along gree
| enough To believe that when those friendly to IN
Au.ricnu marty had assembled in their priinar
meetings, and appointed delegates to n Convention
! that va. should certainly have a"Conyenion IN II
widest sense-that is, II convention clothed wit
ample powers by the p"OIIr themselves To transhc
such business legislative nr otherwise, as me peopi
should require. II in this we nre mistaken. then III
nccplc lnr some months past have been doing yer
vain and foolish thing. For we know OF no instnnc
in auv county in which they have not recommends
or endorsed lhc call "f ro"re"'"", without uterln
n solitary word about q m1SS m',tiHg. ANA II the
have moi the power to call convention ut any time
nj auv place, and for any purpose that suits them
whu we beg I" know. hns! And what is more mos
of The primary meetings that have been held INV
! Indicated Enthusiastically purpose on the part "t ~
| people that the convention proposed I" DC hcI
| should take such action, AMI adopt surh liehsure'
and decide upon such policy as should, III the d.
mcut of sad convention, rebound to the interests
| the American party. or course, II the confch'io
should transcend it, powers, or not carry OUT me WI
uf lis constituents then the voice that gave exist
curc is competent rcpudata iis action utterly, an
make il of nome effect. far ~ IS conccrncd But w
sub,n, that when any portion Of the people OF TN
commonwealth. be they few or many III nuinDcf
choose 10 call convention, no matter Tor wta me
have M undoub.cd right Ia do 81; ana no man q
set of men has the right to say 10 mem mat me
| have no bower to hold "convention, or lcgislat
| for the p.,rty 20 which they belong. we grant yo
| that unless the Know Nothing Order assent tn II
no other convention al the people mas any ri@ht ciihe
tn lcgi>a.C for it or tn interfere WIN II III 'is nIi
| Whatever AT the same !lmr, ihwcfcr-hiid tiiat
| ,,I ,,o co,tcni trr--wr :nHiman that the hnow-N0
,hnc Order has no orr right t" LAY, that any ohe
portion Of rhc people shall un assemble inc"nven'ioi
and do ms they please. But herein was the grand m'.
| take we hav. r,n lahorin~ under sn long. 'ur I'LL
,,rn.in Los L..u that the Know Nuthiags, as or
h,r, had agreed that the Convention Mt Lynch6ur
shnuIj TAX tic pinrr Of their State council and b
Empowered to nc; for the who's American party !
Viroinin-lhat H. for all thos" who c"-operatr with II
h,I,. ,,,,,hnr. nf the Order ~ not. But il seenl
thar such rot the case. The Know. Nothings, as
Urinr stiI rc.crv. the right 20 refuda;e cndor.
h. action of the yrrhbur: convention, Just ia the
please Well, with This understanding we nre c"nten
H., ,r, Il, Insist that the convention mt Lyarhbur
shall 30 along. aud in exactly ~ it chooses, and lenv
rho Know No,hings, ma an Order, to 90 along aite:
wards, and do as il chooses.
Ru, lei all this pass. We are sincerely the irIen.'
of thc princples and objects of the American party
"a ,yo understand them. but do regret to see II
nrincinIrs. objects, and success kpf m p1Pf"' l'"