The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-08-09

gether of the latter, even to the extremity OF
battle 1t is the experience of all history; and
the instincts of human nature are the same to-
day as in the dark ages.
We have been expecting wholesome revo-
luton in our party politics from this native
American reactiOn-we have been expecting a
mitigation of its rigid exactions / 0 the letter
and intent of the constitution-and until this
new party shall come within the lin tations of
the fundamental law, their efforts in the rcfor-
nation of the abuses of the foreign vote can
result only in mischief. The constitution is
good: that which conflicts with it, in our coun-
try, is evil; and as an 'evil tree cannot bring
forth good fruit, neither can good tree bring
forth evil fruit The Saviour of mankind
has SO declared III and thus it is written on
every leaf of the great book of nature. The
Know Nothing principle of absolute exclusion
Of all foreign born citizens from all public
Offices, is unconstitutional, as also that other
doctrine Of the utter exclusion Of all Roman
Catholics, native or alien born, from the pub
ic service They are evil trees, and until
they are cut down, can only be productive Of
such fruits as the riots of the last twelve or
eighteen months, at st. Louis, Cincinnati and
Louisville.
The party persisting in these untenable doc
trines of prescription must inevitably go the
way of the proscriptive party of 1874. Peace
able, law-abiding men, for the sake of law and
order, will abandon it; and when left in the
hands Of only the lawless and riotous, it will
soon fritter away and be extinguished
The masses Of the American people are
conservative, generous and just I'm
willing to submit to any wrong, they
are equally averse to any act of injustice from
themselves against others. Above all things
they are attached to the Christian, benignant
liberal and wise ordinances of the federal consti-
tuition. Finding there that all religions and
all citizens are placed upon the same general
footing-Catholics and Professionals, native and
foreign born-and that taxation and represen-
tation shall 60 together, the intelligent Ameri
can masses cannot be led, neither by hopes Of
office nor by fears of prescription, from these
landmarks Of our organic law.
1t is now manifest, not only from these Louis
vile and other riots but from the resul is Of al
the late elections, that the while American
people desire change in the administration
Of the general government, and are ready to
cooperate with any practical American party
to effect change, they are yet unprepared
to endorse the rigid exactions Of our Know
Nothing National and State Councils The
first thing therefore, essential to an American
political victory over the intractable Irish
Catholics, Germans, and even the corrupt
party demagogues who use them to bring dis
credit and discord into our party elections, is
the reputation of these extreme oaths and
pledges for the extirpation Of Catholics and
aliens from our federal, State and local Offices,
civil and military.
Let the Know Nothings call together ma
tional council, and reduce within the limits of
the constitution their doctrines of nativism,
and they will gain all they have lost, and much
more. Let them demand a modification Of the
naturalization laws if they will, and adopt such
reasonable measures as may be deemed expe-
dent for the exclusion of the powers of the
church from the dirty work of party politics,
and the affairs Of State, and they may prosper
Otherwise, they can never become a national
party, and will soon cease to WELD any effec-
tive balance Of power, even in our State
elections.