Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-01-26
DECLINE OF NOW-NOrlilNGlSM IN NEW
HAMPSHIRE.

HAMPSHIRE.
The Union n. H. Democrat has a very sensible
article OH this subject. The editor of that paper had
lust returned from vist through the State, which
gave him good opportunity of a-ccrtainng The
state or I,uUiiU ivciim, the subject of kUow-Nn
thin ::s. After etniin, that this hrrcey every where
on the decline, In" writer adds that ~ chung ha,
come the spirit aud prospects Of Know Nothing
-n. Inflated with liz then recent success in Mnssa
chusctts, it l"r&.d nj New Hampshire already
within its control md it, juhilnnt disciples had
tuallv commenced M allotment of the spnils. Per
haps we may say more. Perhaps there were some who
bore tho thing love, who were. nevertheless, halt
inclined to compromise with foe which they feared
might not bc successfully resisted. BIT there u
rhange. The "sober second thought ha. done lis
work. The great heart "f the Democratic party
that hcar which ihrobs beneath h"mcspun jackets
nn the hills and in the valleys ut the old Granite
S.atc-is rigLf: aud no faith, once pcrhap. feeble
that this hcrr-y might bc crushed, has grown to an
inlleyble determination that it JM be: and if the
portcnts of tho tirn"s do not deceive u.s. the Demo-
crncy 20 into thI- contest with unusual promise of a
successful issue The causes which have produced
this change fhus stated:
First the manifest dishonesty of the whole Know
Nothing movement. IL has not even the merit of be-
ing nm honest fnnatcisn-a merit we have sometimes
been disposed t" accord to aboitonism, in some oi
its phases. II ID not simply IN error which may he
excused, but INDUSTRIOUS swindlc, which ought 10 be
punished II il hn,"d upon falschood. Its prceIts
all fictitious. The evils il complains of do not exist
or if they 10, il is the least of all its purposes To ap
ply remedy. We have, to bc sure, II few Catholics:
but they not likely to he "turncd from the error
of their way-," by such unevnngclical "means OF
grace" as the Know Nothings employ. On the con-
trary these means will confirm their faith, and multi
ply their numbers. We have some aliens among us;
and dknow-Noihingism aims to keep them 80 pcrpctu-
ally in fact and in feeling. Is effect is ust the
of its arowcd design, in all things. 1t dcpre-
Gates Cathoiclem yet makes more Catholics than all
other causes c3nbined. Ii complains Of foreign sym
pathies yet cpcIs the tendency to American usslni-
lation ltsrumb"s that aliens confederate; yet COM
pes them to do 80 in scl-dcfence.
But, to s"y nothing OF its purpoees Its meaiis are
sufficiently "d"u' to repel every honorable man from
its association.
Copying the very vices it preteds to deprecatc las
instituted here III opposition to the whole spirit of our
government TINT very system Of secret prescription
and persecution which could only exist in scInl-barba-
Spain by the assent aud cooperation OF the gov
ernncnt itself II its purposes ure hOnes let them
be prosecuted hy honest means.
In the whole history Of the too often deprayed pol
tics of our country nothing has done so much To de-
inoraiZe our people Know Nottingham. Its ten
dency is to dercciute the tone OF honest nnd manly
morals. II drives To pititul evaSions and +"
downright lying Time md again have We known
to deny, IN one form or another. all knowledge
of or participation in this dsgraceful business, when
we knew rs well rs He that made them, that they
lied. We have seen the rankcst perjury even III our
courts Of justice; and by the very men who complain
of Catholics that they owe paramount allegiance to
other thun our civil authority. These things have
perhaps done more than anything else TO effect the
gratifying change in public sentiment which IL now III
progress. Good men have become alarmed at the
appalling decentralization this folly induces; and we
know OF muluudcs of Protestant clergyincil, who
would not, If they could, extcrmnate Catholicism ut
such frghtfu cust.