Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-02-06
NUMBER II.
RAIEron, N. G., Jan. 20, 1858.

| UEAR SlR: press oI otncr business mas ue-
layed my concluding letter In review of Mr.. Wisc's
manifesto against " Know-N Nothings'
My last letter terminated at that point where
Mr.. w. had gotten through with what he seems to
have regarded as an unanswerable argument. The
remaining portion of his manifesto Is In the style
of peroration and consists Of mere generality aud
defamation. He says "Know- Nothingism Is
against the spirit Of the Reformation, and of Pro-
testantism." In speaking of the Reformation, he
asks " what there was to rcform" and answers the
question himself by replying, the secrets Of
Jesutism, Of the auto da ts, Of the monasteries,
and of the nunneries." Mr.. Wisc's history is just
about as defective as his logic. The reformation
had no reference to Jesuitism.
i The Reformation commenced about the year
i l520--the order Of the Jesuts founded by Loyoa.
was confirmed by bull Of Pope Paul III, in 1910,
for the purpose mainly of counteracting the Refor-
| nation. Mr. w. Is equally mistaken in supposing
it was the secrecy Of monastcries and nunneres
that aroused the indignation and resistance of
Protestant Chnstendom. No Protestant in Ger
many in the sixteenth or America in the nine
teenth century, wishes or cares to interfere with
the mere internal regulations the mere ecclesiasti
cal poity Of the Romish Church, in its operations
or Influences upon its abject slaves and bigoted
| deyotees But 1t was because Of the horrible ex-
cesses, the pampered idleness fed and supported
by the honest labor of others, the exemption Of
their inmates from the civil process Of the law
their knavish Hypocrisy and beastly licentous
ness. This it was, and not their privacy that rem
dered the monasteries odions to the honest and
| toiling multitude
i As to the naa,aeries, 1t not because of their
lofty walls and barred gates against the intrusion
or strangers; but because, as was said not long
since by fearless member of the British House
| of Commons, these nunneries are either prisons,
/ where the young the beautiful, and the confdng.
daughters Of the land incarcerated against their
wills, and against the affections tendencies, and
aspirations of the female heartor they are BROTH
els, whose inmates become the unresisting and cal
lous victims Of priestly RIGHTEOUSNESS and cunning
This it is, why the sight of these convent walls
never fails to bring frown upon the brow of every
Protestant father and brother in the land.
Mr.. Wise, in enumerating the horrors Of Ro-
manism, against which the Reformation protested,
speaks its prescription, persecution bgotry, in
tolerance, and shutting up the book of the worldn
Does Mr.. Wise believe the doctrines and prnci-
pies of the Romish Church less proscriptive, per-
scouting, bigoted, intolerant now than they were
at the Reformation? This he will hardly assert
forI defy him to point to any thing either in bull
of Pope, or decree Of Council where that Church
has relaxed any of It's claims to universal obe-
dience, or dogmas Of blind and superstitious faith
II, then, the alarming progress of that Church in
numbers las their own annual returns exhibit)
shows cause to believe that before the end of the
century, they viii number q majority of the voters
OF this country is it not the part of wisdom to pre-
pare for danger before 1t arriyes? How can this
be doneY For the present. and until selfpreser-
vaton impuraHveiy ue,''"- =, r'.1S, P.,,'",'ss'
is not proposed by the straitest sectof the Know
Nothings." But, in the exercise Of an individual
| privilege, which no one has right to question,
may they not protect themselves ut the balot-box,
| by guarding against an impending dangerp And
is sefdefence of this kind, is standing at guard"
at the polls against prescription, persecution, big
otry, and intoerance;" is this, say, practicing
these crimes in tunf Strange reasoning this
| When the law imposes the penalty of death for
murder, is this committing the crime of murder
| in return Certainly not. The policy of the
law is not founded on retaliation or vengeance,
but of safety to others, by rendering the offender
] powerless for the same mischief in future. And,
so in regard to the policy Of the Know-Nothings.
Their course is founded upon hatred to "pro-
scrption, persecution, bgotry, intolerance" 1t
is not for the purpose of retalating these wrongs
on Others, but of preventing their infiiction
themselves; and that in the most quiet, peace
able, and inofensve way known to the vindi-
cation Of human rights--through the ballot-box
Being " "forewarned," by the cruelties and ex-
cesses of the Romish Church in the past--they
are resolved to be forearmed" against the like
dangers in the future a
Mr.. Wise says, will not the Know N othings "tol-
crate liberty of conscience but doom dssenters in
secret conclaye, to forfeiture Of civil privileges,
for a religious diferencew Twill answer Mr. Wise.
| They mill tolerate liberty of conscience--but they
will NOT tolerate those who do not tolerate il them
selves. Mr.. Wise will hardly deny that the Ro-
| mish Church sopposed TO liberty OF Conscience
as he and understand it. II he doubts on the
subject let him read the celebrated Encyclical let
ter Of Pope Gregory XVII, written as late as 1892,
in which be speaks Of the liberty Of conscience
as most pestilental error" (which the un-
blushng impudence Of some has held forth as an
advantage Of religion" and from which has arisen
" the pest of all Others most dreaded in State,
unbridled liberty Of opinion Let him read Arch
| bishop Hugbess letter in reply to Senator Cass,
where the doctrine is held, that liberty Of cons
science" means nothing more than the liberty TO
think, without any corresponding right to speak
out ones thoughts. it
/ concur fully, as presume every Know Nothing
will likewise, in all Mr. w. has so forcibly and elo-
quently said in favor of the Reformation and the
principles and purposes of the Protestant Reform
ers. But, In this regard, whilst his promises are
4 true his conclusion Is false. The object of the
Know-Nothings Ia to prccent, by peaceable mode,
what the carly reformcrs accomplished by the sword.
Their purpose is to prevent the same intolerance,
bigotry, persecution, superstition, hypocrisy, and
crime that the heroes of the Reformation combattcd
| through long and bloody war Of thirty years.
Whether this danger, against which they wish to
provide, is real, or imaginary Is none Of Mr..
Wisc's business, so long they attempt no inno-
vntion on the established institutions Of the country,
but carry out their objects in pursuance of right
guaranteed TO every man, to vote as he chooses;
what right has any one TO complain?
If the efforts of the reforners TO resist this bigot
~, intolerance, and persecution, by the sword, was
| so very praiscworthy, as Mr.. w. admits, where Is
the crime Of the Know-Nothings, in resisting the
same bigotry, intolerance, and persecution, through
| the ballot boxp Are paper pellets 30 much more
cruel and unfeeling than leaden bullets? Are
wooden boxes so much more savage than metal
| bladesY Is resistance TO tyranny 80 much less n
virtue now than it was four hundred years ago?
Does Mr.. W. doubt whether the Romish Church
is as intolerant nowlas II was at the time Of the
Reformation II he does, let him read the anatlc-
ma annually Illuminated by the Pope and his hier-
archs, in which they declare, that they "excom-
muncate and anathematize all Hussites, Wickhif-
ifca T.,,fharopo Z,,inoona CaIvinsts UupuenOtS.