The Ottawa free trader., 1855-05-05
The CITY Election.


The City Election.
Our anticipatons last week in reference to
the meeting at the court house on Friday
evening were entirely correct. No sensible
man who attended that meeting could come
away with any other conclusion, than that
itwasa meeting nstigatel and called by the
Know Nothings to give public ratification
under the popular and clap-trap name of
Temperance" to their midnight nomina-
ton for Mayor. A number Of our leading
temperance men, who have no connection
with orsyrhpathy for know nothingism, con-
sidcring thcmselvcs, as they had a right to-
included in the call, attended the meeting,
and having no difficulty in demonstrating
that Mr.. Norris was as old, true, consistent,
and active temperance man as the cand9I
date proposed by the know r!othpEs, PIE
tested, as temperance men, agqihS1he t0lly'
of nominating another .tempcranco.man, and
thus, by dividing the .tempsr~fce iarce, Civ
ing the liquor pen achavcc Of sacssAa But
the folly Of any suck cfort.was' sppsrent
enough. The Know Nothings wefc, oy in
force, aud had como to accomplish a fEed
purpose; and if r had, been acpbnstra& &d
that Mr.. Norris was the PCS. Maine law uian
in town and their candidates. liqpSr seller,
the result, at such tsmperancS-nrcting,
would have been precisely the. samc~s Thsir
candidate, Of course, was nomiIsted' by, .c-
claination.
That nominee was CUES w. jackson, as
We all knew he would be, for evcnbcfore this
. temperance" meeting was called, it. was
rumorcd around the streets that he had bseh
nominated blythe know nothing lodges
Against him as an individual, as citizen OF
say. In all these respects we have no trucr
or better man among us; nor is there man
in town whom VIC should moro cheerfully
support for Mayor on his own personal uier.
its. But as the candidate of the know Moth
ings, whether belonging to the order himself
or not, we feel it our duty to oppose him,
: and to urge all good citizens to do likewise
The issueis fairly and squarely made up,
and his triumph will be the triumph Of that
osdcr, and their success will place our city
e government IN their hands. This we depre
cate, as We should the esuccess Of any other
party or.faction that fights for no object but
to get power and place-whose only watch
ward and shibbolcth is "thc oavcs and
fishes In Ottawa they call themselves tenn
pcrancc men, in New York and Cincinnati
they were anti-temperance; in Massachus
cts anti-slavcry; in Virginia and Mississip
pi pro-savery--every where all things to al
mcn-anythng for power and place. Our
political parties have hitherto been grovelline
enough-too often have they been justly
chargeable with the baseness of Sacrificing
principle for the sake Of Office; but never
has either whiggcry, abolitionism or democ
racy been so degraded as to lay aside al
Prctcnce Of principle, and fight solely for the
spoils.
Even in its professcd opposition to for
cigners and catholics we deny that Know
Nothingism is sincere, or can accomplish
any good. Does it not VIGOROUSLY, in oui
larger cities, embrace in its told, men Of tn,
most pronigatc habits, Of the most abandoned
lives, and Of the most openly professed in
navi vpiniv-s, ""u ,an hv".ss p,vt.~t."t.
accomplish anything against the Catholi,
roligion by thus consorting with wickedness
in secret, midnight conclave? 1t is purely
political engine in the hands of the politician.
who moved heaven and earth to obtain III,
votes Of catholics and foreigners for Gen. Scott
in the last presidential election. 1t is anti
Catholic only to enlist Protcstants in th
support of its candidates 1t panders to th
morbid anti. Catholic spirit Of the countr.
only to bring to the aid Of its schemes thos
Protestants whose zeal runs away with thci
discretion.
But we have said enough. Wehave sucl
aloathing for what we conceive so hollow
hearted and hypocritical that we are apt t.
get excited when writing about this order
We hope our people will turn out and giv'
them quietus Our !, ord for it, six months
after the order shall have sustained an over
whclming defeat at the polls, it will no lon
ger exist in our midst, for it can only live b.,
successfully hang together by the "cohe
sivc power Of public plundcr."
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