The Feliciana Democrat. (Clinton, La.) 1855-186?, 1855-04-28
Gbs ftlitiana 1smotrst.

J. Niche, is published in the Enquirer;
Nothing, assure you, would give me
more pleasure than to address the intclli-
gent people of Richmond, on the interest.
ing questions of the present canvass-to
tell them how blighting to the free spirit of
our country the secret mystery of Know
Nothingism must provc--how demoralizng
it will be to oar own children, the high
minded, opcnheartcd bold youths of Vir-
GINA, to be educated in the sneaking arts
of secrecy aud cspionage-to be taught by
their fathers to spy out all the political ac-
tions OF their fellow men, and yet to keep
their own actions and objects in reference
to matters which necessarily concern ALL a
profound secrct--to publish platforms Of
prttndtd principles suited to every latitude
and every taste, for the purpose Of gaining
prosclytes while they feel the degrading
consciousness that they are prohibited, by
horrible oatlls, from ever revealing thcr real
objects AMI principles outside Of their Or
dcr--and while Il Disguised world is forced
to conclude, either that their platforms are
filled with false profession, intended to mis-
lead, or that those who publish them are
pcrurcd.
Has any party right to political secrets?
In private Associations men may conceal
matters which concern them alone. But
politics, relating necessarily TO the affairs
or Conduct of government, in which eve
ny citizen has On equal stake, how can u
party be tolerated in withholding, from any
portions of our citizens, information on a
subject which vitality concerns every one of
them? In small partnership, if a portion
Of the partners were to conceal from the
rest their designs in reference to the social
funds, their associates so excluded, would
be justified in forming conclusion of dis.
honesty, and court of justice would inter-
an honest man of ordinary humanity, pos
scsscd of secret which concerns his neigh
boris interests, feels bound 10y high moral
obligation 10 disclose it to him whom it in.
tcrests. Yet here is political party in
termcdlling in the dark with the affairs of
government which involve your and my
life, liberty and property, and those of our
children aud of millions of others, and yet
they coolIy refuse to let us know what their
OiJttt- uIt UIitll We siluli DC IlliOlIutu Nv
such result as they may hereafter produce.
BY their own showing they are enemies Of
popular governmental in such govern.
ment the whole community participates.
But they show their cnmity in various
other forms. They practically deny the ca
patty Of the people to govern, and there
fore establish aristocratic councils, with
great consolidating and controlling head,
located most fifty, somewhere near " the
five points" in the city of New York
Power with them, instead of being vested
in the people and emanating from them, is
vested in these aristocratic councils. The
theory ofour government requires an appeal
from aristocracy to the people. Know
Nothingism reverses that theory, by prov-
ding in all cases an appeal from the people
to aristoeraey.
If the people had capacity for sclfgov-
ernment this self.stylcd American (quare,
Aboriginal?) party deny their honesty
Therefore they are never trusted except un-
der oath. And again, while the spirit of
our institutions requires every citizen to OK
ercisc his own best judgement in voting for
all officers OF goycrnment-this wonderful
invention of Yankcedom requires him to
bind himself by solemn oath, not to exercise
his own Judgment at all, but to give his vote
as the majority of a caucus, itself subservi-
emf TO the mandate of a superior caucus,
may order. These are startling novelties
TO an American ear. Yet Know Nothing
'm, bold in this respect alone, in all others
'kuking denying its name, denying its as
'ociation, refusing TO make known its OBJ
Gets, hiding in dark caverns with bats and
)yls, denounccs all rs anti-Amcrican who
will not adopt It's dogmas | should like
o discuss and dissect the monster, not only
inler the prccc ling head, but many others
md especially It's federalism. | should :
ike to show the people of Richmond and /
tllc whole south, the cunning device of the =
Know Nothing nominee for Governor, in i
'tiled into him, no doubt, by the same mas
er who learned him his "Amcricanism," by \
which he asks the people Of Virginia to de-
rive them selves Of all ground of resistance k
hereafter, to the Northern plan of interven-
ion in our domestic ail'lrs--by Intervening 4
n crusade against Catholics and foreign II
'rs, not because she is suffering any neon
'enien'e from them herself, but in order to I