Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1855-06-27
ITFOW 10 WuHttNyDH UHt0H.
SIGNIFICANT CONFESSIONS.

Gov. Neil S. Brown, of Tennessee, s making
himself conspicuous itinersnt missionary ora.
tor in he cause of know-nothingism. He seems
to be the svorite leader in opening the ratification
meetings now being held as the sequels to the
Philsdephia council. In his address at New York
he is reported in one of his know nothing organs
as follows:
4Governor Brown, in the course of his speech
said the present administration seemed to have but
little else to do but to decapitate the members Of
the order; but where one head falls of, hundreds
were brought into the party. Know-nothingism,
he said, was political necessity, caused by the
corruptions of the old parties. Who is Sam? He
is the spirit of l776 nursed by the East, watched
by the shepherd of the West, and now approach
inh the fulness of manhood"
We quote the foregoing not so much to comment
upon the remark of Gov. Brown as to the decapi-
tation of the members Of the order by the admin.
isrstion as to notice the significant confessions it
contains. 1t will be gratifying to all good demo-
Gratis to see that the administration has so lust an
appreciation of the dement's of know nothineism.
We can assure them that although the members of
the administration have abundance of work TO do
in the ordinary business of their departments they
will always find time to make such decapitations
as 50 gross departure from democratic featy as
belonging to the order implies may make neees-
ssry.
"a political necessity caused by the corruptions of
the old parties" He has as good right to speak
of the corruptions of the wing party as any one
we know OF, whilst he is little qualified to Judge
correctly of the merits of the democratic party
any other bitter uncompromising, and inveterate
enemy of our psrty could be. As wing he has
been long distinguished for bis ardent attachment
to whiggery, AID there are few of the party who
have turned their whiggery to better account. He
was four years minister to Russia as q reward for
his wing services, and now, when whiggery can
serve him no longer he turns upon it and de-
nounces it as being so corrupt that know nothing
ism rises political necessity out of its decayed
carcass. If this confession had been made little
earlier it would have appeared more disinterested.
But it has come at last, and those honest wings
who have so often listened to his glowing eulogies
on whggery, when he described it as having all
the excelences and projections that he now at
tributes to know-nothingism, will be apt to abate
somewhat their confidence in the reliability OF his
political judgment.
The other confession of Governor Brown is that
know-nothingism was "nGrsed in the East"-which
means, we suppose, that it had its birth and its
early training in the hot-bed of eastern abolition
ism. That is the origin which democrats assign
to the secret order, and they are under obligations
to the distinguished missionary for confirming their
position. The fact that know-nothingism was
nursed by the East will hardly be much of re-
commentator 10 it when Governor Brown gets
down South in his missionary lsbors. We desire,
however, to send these two confessions in advance
of him, that the southern people, who hsve hereto
fore couided in Governor Brown as an oracle Of
whiggery, asy know how to appreciate his present
eulogies on knoW-nothngism.