Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-08-28
THE FIRE-EELL IN THE NIGHT"

When Sir. Jefferson spoke Of the excitement grow.
in; out ol the Missouri Compromise in lS2O-'2l, Ec
said i. " like frebe in the night IN It's effect
upou the friends Of our beloved tnion. But (says
the Washington Cuion.i what must we think Of the
aprnlling innaers 10 our cAstrucc rs free people
purirudcd ty tho daily Indications ot the times To
SEE hostility 20 the domestic institutions oi The South
anu hostility tn the guaranteed aud Coycnunted lights
religious and political. of hundreds aud thousands Of
our brs; citizens, made the twin issues upon which
urrn; party in the North il built mp. excited, and
maintained, is well calculated to inspire " de-sprcad
alarm. But if this side OF the picture is gloomy
WIN; must We shy when we see serious movement
in the South to aid and build up tina, northern fanati
cisnn, whose succe-s must be the dissolution Of the
Cuion, an the destruction Of the best interests both
of the North and the South The last demonstrations
u Ohio and in Indiana put the intentions Of the north
crr wing Of the Know Nothing party entirely beyond
dispute. The bnrgain is not only cordial, but COM
pictr; aud nuthin. can prevent its being cruwned
with success bat nj effective and rcsulue counter
movement or the part OF the democratic party in
Guiding all Those independent citizens who have at
as! a.en that this party Is tue only one now alive
that faithfully ndhsrcS To the obligations OF the
sttution, aud TO all the rights of citizens nnd States
as secured under that immortal instrument. Strange
iniatua,on! that while this party il battling with
Hercucan rucryy AGAINST THEisFrHi.JEp FOES OF
THE sOrTHEnS STATES, there arc men ~ be found
IN the South who are iaboring with equal energy to
bloody aY:vllo insurrecton.
We perceive that the New York Herald has at last
been convinced that the Know-Nothing movement
ihow falsely called "hs American movement.
pledged rs i j. To national anarcny IL no more nor
itss than mighty abolition party. Tho engineer
bids fair 20 DC lnlste with his own rotari and all the
efforts of the Herald to build up national party
nganat the Democracy have ended in no:inS mnrc
than in the consolidation ot every Ism and faction
INFO q great abolition army pledged to unceasing aud
nd
how does the Herald opo,e 10 meet this onIinous
pcct Of th;rga| How does it propose to cure the
cryiu. evil The plan lie worthy Of the prolific brain
cl the designing men at the head OF thnt dangerous
Journal 1t is by letting the present movement 20 Oh,
50 tAas he PreshhntiM ticei;oa may be hro~a into
tie nrr House n Representatives.. The great anti
slavery vote in the next llsusc s n lact patent and
notorious aud, according To the Herulds theory this
vote is To be a~sised by the election TO the same body
OF d set of Know Nothing deuHIngues from the
South whoae only object IN life Is orr. and who are
lust rs ready to 90 .or Seward for President rs for
any other candidate. Indeed. when wo see the shape
that th;ura ule taking i'll the South, ard hnd Glddns
a,d ;yha,c and other known iriends OF Mr.. Seward,
the prominent spirits in ftiro;ng union with the
now SothinCs, the deS!.ns %! the crafty New York
manager are apparent ~ the most obtISc intellect
Like Ravncr amd Pike, Prentice and Hunt, Mr. Sew
art has uiways been ready 10 elect me to Congress
without questioning their views rs 10 slavery, and
like them, he is anxious 10 apply this feat to tile
Presidency He point to host o friends III the
new Congress, and those Know NnhuSs who hook
t;,r .;cycss in 1856, must conciiate HIM.
The article in the New York Herald. part Of which
We suoin ia ali Of interest, aud should bc carefully
Wondered b. avery southern mnn. IL Is reluctant
rnues6ion Of disappointment in the nationality OF
Xuow- NOthimgsm and is full OF Wholesome admoni
ton: ~.
amnl-ana,;ou contention, may be considered ns the
ilubodiment II i;s principles and purposes. True, be
,louch it's resolutions rHtEcrmd; but they nre
certainly strong enough for any sectional scheme
short OF opeu and immediate armed sedtlnn against
the federal government. the sum and substance of
both this OHIO uud this IGGaua uigg-r worshipping
convention il sectional crusade against the South
for the presidency.
wrb-y speak oil national convention, but the
tbiun ia abaurd Their national convention, like tha
at Buffalo in 1913, and hut Mt Pittsburs in 1852 will
he buuuded on the South by Mason and DixOns line
and the Ohio river, only tho party enrolled uuder u
threatens TO be thousand times more formidable and
dangerous than any cnti'savcry combination, 10 En'
e,centinp that Of the Missouri agitation Of 1872 ~
Wa sue before W. now 10 !oop.hoc Of escape from
h. nerilous contingencies of sectional scrub race
nvolyiur the most hostile aud rnbittered elements
of sectional calousies hatred, violence, dscord' ana
disruption. In the North the antl'savery ius'oms.s r
rr. riding rough. shod over oil distractions ibey
bay. absorbed the new American party throughout
the New England States: they have reduced II 10 d
capuation in Pennsylvania; they have swnno~ca u
mn ut n mouthful in Ohio and lndiana anh h!ihos'
everywhere e!-r thEonSh"ut 'ne "' - L.
rrptus the State of New york: We hiiH me MEOW
Nnthipys playing second fiddle anu uct!rs rs 'ldc-
walters TO The Seward holy alliance.
This is dcpI"ratIe stnte Of things hut IT no,h'
i,, very wmu,lerfrI At the rhiln,lrlphin Know-No.
thin, national State council there wn, split upon
soutbers slavery, the sou'l with New York 10 back
,c,n ro;ur T III one direction, and The bulk OF the
Vorrh in another The order iii every State was thus
, tree 10 take it, course, end 10 form its own
alliances for tho elections Of the current year. leaving
the general combined plain OF operations for 1886 M
oDrn question. Acting accordingly, the know-No-
things Of New England, Penusylr anna, Ohio, and
Indluua have iured the arsi-snvery coalition, and IN
the remaining northwestern States they will probably
pursue the same policy of making hostility 10 the
extension CT slavery the base line their operations