Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1855-05-19
TuE KN0W-NoTHING oATHS.


and through false pretences, is matter for those
who have been entrapped into the taking of such |
oats to consider. One genteman-Mr. N. a Nc |
KISNoN, of Miss,-who joined the know-nothings |
but has left them, justiies bis course in letter
from which We make some extracts He says:
A mysterious order, so exciting to the curiosity
so well calculated to enlist the sympathy of the
religions protestant, seized upon, for IFS avaa-
bity by the whig party at once, and has swept
over the country like wildfre-embracing at this
time within its pale, the entire wing party, with
but a few isolated exceptions and o considerable
number of the democratic party, imposed upon by
its pretexts, and unsuspcious of its aims; in all
about twevs hundred I'm this county, initiated,
eight hundred of whom are regarded by the lead
ers as reliable IN an emergency. 1t IS somewhat
remarkable, that among its Jealous supporters are
men who heretofore have been harrassed by 10
dresdfro foreign influence, have made their
indifference to all religions creeds rather boast,
but are now suddenly warmed into feryid enthus-
iasm, and serious apprehensons for the safety of
our political and protestant institutions I aband-
oned it in disgust but with careful attention to its
various modes and phases till the time of its re-
cent public exposure. / denounced it as at best
aGroit party wing trick, fraud practced upon my
self and other democrats under the guise of re-
llgion aud love of country the desperate hope,
they admitted of the whig party in this State
and country / felt that / was presiding over I'M
haliowed ceremonies at the holocaust of tie demo-
cratic party the party of the government, the party
of my early adoption and warm support through
life; over which l was called upon 10 pronounce
an "Amerl" as choking to the utterance as that of
Macbeth
The obligation of the order requires the candi-
date for admission to swear that che will reveal none
of the secrete signs grips, passwords &c, of the
and firth tn and
that he viii cote for The nominee of The kaoe0-noiag
party if he can conscentously do So if he cannot
he wiN not vote against him. and as one of ''the
secrets of the order 'that you are not 10 let it be
known that you are, or that you know of any one
else being member of this order; nor do you know
that such an order exists in your community. But
when asked any question in reference TO it, YOU
are TO say that you kaoU-nothing about it, or give
at least au evasive answer" It may here be re-
marked that the express direction of the charge is
TO convey deliberately false impression to lie on
the plea of public policy, plea which, in this
casa receives no pal iation in a mo al sense.
When you wish for friend to join the order,
the precise mode of entrapping is enjoined in SOL
emn charge. You are 1rst to ascertain his views
of the order. If he denouuces it, you are to drop
the subject for the time being. If his views are IA
vorable. however, you are to express an anxiety
yourself to learn something more about it, perhaps
10 Join it, ifvou thought you could discover their
place of meeting; that you have suspicion that
such order may exist IN the community, then
propose that you and he join together aud that
YOU will endeavor to ascertain their place OF meet
ing" &c, &c. The humanity duplcty of such con-
duct in an order contemplating great religious
and political reform needs no comment.
The reasons which offer to the public for an
attraction of what the order claims to be sacred
obligation and to which invite the attention of my
accusers are the following
First An obligation administered by the rep
resentative or officer ofsn unincorporate body in
this case, is nugatory Whatever the Obligations Of
Freemasonry and Odd Fellowship may be, the
cases are not analogous These are corporate Or
CARNATIONS operating under the sanction and seal
of the State where they exist; have a chartered
right to sue, prosecute, recover, &c; without
which, their obligation, fthey have SUCH would be
nugatory. This position no respectable jurist will
question.
Secondly. A moral obligation, the preservation
of which, enforces the commission of a moral
wrong Ito create false impTession-to lie in
know-nothingism) is void because every rational
accountable creature is under prior obligation to
his Creator to do what he knows to be right. Or,
TO adopt the precise language of Psley, whom
none, dare sey, question: Promises Tor promsso-
~ osths) are not binding were the performance is
unlawful even where the unlawfuness is known
TO the parties at the time of making them; az,
where an assassin promises his employer to dis
patch his rival or his enemy; seyvantto betray his
master; friend TO assist in scheme of seduction,
&c. &c. The parties in these cases arc not obliged
10 perform what the promise requires, because
they are under prior obligation to the country
From wi Ch prior obligation, what Is there to dis
charge them Their promise-their own act and
deed. But an obligation from which man can
discharge himself, by his own act is 10 obligation
at all The guilt, therefore, of such premises lies
IN the making not in the breaking Of them; and if
IN the interval between the promise and the per-
Torrance, so far recover his reflection as to
repent his engagements, he ought certainly to |
break through them"
Thirdly Aside from the above reasons | feel |
myself sbsolved from the taithlessness of the rer-
resentation of the designs of the order, from the
imposition of fraud upon myself and its members |
10 It's proving TO be party trick thereby clashing
with my political sentiments and liberties. For
TO quote from the same authority again in point /
'when the promise (or promissory oa'h) is under !
stood by the promiser TO proceed upon certain |
supposItiOn, or when the prOmiser apprehended it
10 be understood and that suppos ton turns out
10 be false; then the promise is not binding" If !
these facts reasons and authority, are questioned
then it will devolve upon my traducers to prove |
the contrary.
To the honorable wings and democrats who have, |
from thoughtessness, or curiosity, become men, |
bers of this order, would say if you are not sat-
flied that 81 speak the things that do know and |
testify thst which have seen, Just continue with
the order till YOU have had more ample time TO OBJ |
serve its workings; if then, you judge, (ss you |
most assuredly wild as l have; "if you have
iure in you, bear it not"
Ar. McKISNoN we think, reasons the case con-
cluslVey that an Illegal obligation, administered
under false pretences, and requiring the person
taking 1t to do an immoral act, is of no binding
force in morals. We give the argument however.
for the consideration of those Interested and PASS
to another aspect Of the subject.
It IS said that the man who has taken tho l,ror.
nothing oath and then reveals the secrets Of the
conspiracy is perurer, whose revelations are NOT
20 be believed and that they who use the iuforna.
ton are equally guilty with the periurer. Let rs
see how this would work: Suppose, reader, that a
person whom you had esteemed as friend were to
come to you and tell you that conspiracy had
been formed to burn your premises that it consist
ed of ten or any other number of persons; that
each had taken most solemn oath not to betray
tie others or to reveal the existence Of such
ap.racv; that he himself had taken the OATH but
he'd relented, and would put you on your guard
Suppose that circumstances within your own
knowledge. confirmed this statement: In such 0