Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-11-20
TTEsDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 20.

TUIEADAH MSNNANess wv HsNs - -
". were verdant enough to imagine, that Know,
Nohurism was nothing else but "secrets, rituals ana
the like, that it had no principles OF any oer sor'
and tha, the Wing in condcmning these cohHeinneu
all the distinctive features of the Know. Nothing
movement Are we wrongl Will the Wing then
inform us what are the principles OF the hhow ~
things of Virginia to which it processes 10 pe III
tachcd.-I Wednesdays Enquirer.
If these bs your notions, we readily admit you are
rcrjuai enough. We go further-we believe you a..
more than "verdant enough In short, your
reaching beyond that OF any living moral-the a'n"" ,"
of il making it ridiculous. and s rdlculousnes IN
king il almost sublime. ave Etre rcrdn" f J:s Lut
imasiue that h nor- -.Nothngism mns n'th'"s mc;,,s
secrets, rituals, and tie IKE, hat ma" of your
Of nnv other sort" Ii this is the amount , " ryere
inayiniugs, we only pity you-rou; :; nnf less a
~ that the poverty Of your Imagination amr eyer.
cause of pain to US than the VaslaeSs' IN search
dancy." We recommend to you, lh"us ,.mst aitri-
your own fles and see if you nave nor than those
butrd "uriucipes" to the Americans othe, ha n com
of "secr.ts rituals and tho like. IL . nuS narty TO
Portable thing the rank and fIe Q, rst finn, that
learn from their organs lps l"r nr dangerous poll
.iea s,a maso hvt nnIy against particular ou'waiu
forms and ceremonies when 'J - ~ making its
pen to have adopted with the s"'e nut tnr IN. de-
organization aud s a''P o know that they nre fighting
.niis VI p',y ,, Substantial things will no doubt warm
M w. ~, ,,ro,i.m and nerve the hands ol lhe Sle"'
- W ns ,he Virginia Democracy very much. 10 pr
IiaSs VI rfct explosion among them, you have oly
IL i. n few more admissions Of the same sorl-tney
are 20 encouraging and SO aniinatilS. .,;
For the principles Of the American party Oh ,Hel
nis We proudly refer you to their puoiis'leu p'ao'
I'm which neither secrets nor rituals are recoshlheu
as any part Of their principles their party orS"za
toni Thursdays IPh'g.
We could not, in justice to our readers, withhold
from them the crushing wit Of our contemporary. II
i.absolutely overwhelming then 80 quickly hrcd
off, The slightest OCCASION and, indeed no OCCASION
whatever, produces so terrible explosion, that one
hardly knows in the din and noise that succeeu, MS
head from his heels" 1t is the nature OF certain
yasses to explode; aud we must not tnd tault With
them.
Ii We are not mistaken as to the exact purPort Oh
this alarming extract the Wings senses are past re-
covery or else its logic is as refreshing and orlgn"
rs its wit is striking and emphatic. The Wing pro-
fsssss TO give US the creed of the Know-Noth'ngs'
and refers us to their published platform, in which,
saws We will discover 'neither secrets nor rituals arc
recognized as any part OF their principles OF 'ne''
party organization! Ergo, I've are left by the wing
to infvr these do not form any part OF their prhci
pies or their party organization.
Now let us look into this matter; for, despite the
profundity of the Wings knowledge about IT, and 'ts
evident anxiety enlighten u.s. we are not yet sHtis
tied that we were wrong in the supposon that hno"
Nohngism was nothing elso but secrets, rituals and
| the like"
What is this platform to which the Wing refers us
We have seen thing, protesting to be such' publish
cd in the National American, where, we suppose the
Whg first saw it, What does this platform teach'-
| III ho, o1 .ha penpralltlpS pub
ished in the Know Nothing organs US their platform
Of principles
True enough; there is not a word in them about
| ..secrets" "osths," "culvert deliberations ana tht
like-and the Wing would have us believe that be-
cause they are not there, the so-caed American par
ty has no secrets no rtuus oaths, no culvert de-
liberatons at least that these edo not form any par
Of the party organization" Very strange conca'
sion in direct opposition to fact Who does not know
that not week passed in this city OF Richmond pre-
ceding the congressional canvass, without wilt
Messing all OF these secrets "sths, cuvert dellbera-
tions and the like Who does not know that these
deliberations were angry aud excited-that party
spirit and attachment to individuals for Office ran
high. and that by means of the machinery Of these
culvert councils, comparative stranger wa4 put out
before the Richmond know-Notllngs for their vote,
while distinguished and able champion of Wing
| gerry was thrust aside to make room for him! Who
does not know that poed for the stranger
which would gladly have been poed for others, had
not the rotcrs been bound by solemn oath to sup
| port the nominee of this secret convocation! Who
docs not know that honest men threatened with
| prescription and expulsion from Office because they
refused to do the bidding OF this party thus ex-
| pressed, aud thus sanctioned! And who does not
know that An able and competent officer of this city,
has been thrust out Of his position, because he re-
fused to "takc the oaths, and enter into the culrert
| order! Yet with all these facts staring u5 i'll the
face, and thousand Others equally enormous, and
equally alarming to the true lovers of liberty, Of re-
publican liberty, we are told that "secrcts, rituals
and the like" are not part OF the party orsanlIa-
| ton Of ;lle American party. Credd J"f'e"s .iP'ila
And again-for we have not yet done with this de-
| nial of the Whig-the Wing recommends us to our
own files to discover the principles Of the American
| party.
| We have not searched them for the purpose, but
we know very we'll what they contain. The Wing
has been grossly in error, il it ever imagined that
any period, during any season. we thought the Ame-
rican party had any principles We have all along
| SNS
been to show readers what We honestly believed
that the platform which this party had published was
nothing but veil to hide its true features-that in
truth has 10 principles that it dare bring out to the
face OF day and ask the Intelligent voters of the
monweHth to sanction by their suffrages! And has
not the issue in other States of the Union demonstra-
ted the fact! What attachment; do the Know-Noth-
ngs entertain to platform Of principles, either or all
of which they have abandoned at their convenience!
Why is it that but recently Know-Nothing organs
and Know Nothing orators were entertaining the
people of Virginia with the hope tina, the party would
from their creed the prescription of Catholics If
they yet cherish holy horror at their enormties and
regard their elevation to Office the tocsin of Anne
ricsn liberty? Why have the Louisiana Know.No-
things erased this feature from their platform and now
invite Catholics to take part with them in
pulling down the foreign" influence! Why, OIL
the Iotler hand, in other States Of the Union, do
the foreign born votera support the American order
and why this fact Haunted to the hreoze as udica.
tive of its ultimate suecess Are not all these things
SO? Aud if they be 80, why publish to the world
platform of professions each and all Of which are de-
serted whenever the fitting opportunity occursl In
every avowed principle contained in this platform
there is waverng instability and change but every
where the machinery of the order is the same Ri
uas, secrets, oaths, cuvert deliberations and the
Ike these are the unwavering forms and facts pre-
'e"'ed in every State Of the Union and in every vii
,ase and county which reoices in the e4iatence of
.,"0" Nothings. What ia the seoret OF all this! Does
wv ueQEs'rste tho truth Of our assertion that this
..a, ""'e no other principles but their secrets,
a', anu the like. and that when these are pro-
ot a0sndoned tho party will have no power
VI 'o"efence' will in fact be annihilatedl