Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1855-08-15
ADDRESS OF HON. P. s. BROOKS
THE PEOPLE OF THE FOURTH CONGRESS
SIONAL DISTRICT.

ADDRESS OF HON. P. s. BROOKS
THE PEOPLE OFTHE FOURTH CONGRESS
SIONAL DISTRICT.
Fellow CITIZENS: have been induced to
md you this Address in consequence of hav-
received number of letters, from gentle
EN- in various parts of my District, in which
icy say that many of your (my) friends and
Importers are anxious to learn your (my) views
the Know Nothing Order" Other gentle.
en- have written that, " if the party is not
lortly checked, it will control Lexington Dis
ict;' and that "many of your (my) best
lends have Joined the Order, and are doing all
icy can for its promotion"
That few impulsiye spirits should have been
d ostray by the Native American feature OF
be Order was to have been expected; hut that
hey should be 80 numerous as to form Party,
nd that party so strong in any part Of South
Carolina rs to dream of control" in very truth
mazes me.
have upon this, as upon all political ques-
ons of the day, decided opinions, which are
egalated by fixed principles. My correspon-
ents have, rs has the humblest voter in my
District the right to know what those opinions
re-; and would be unworthy of my position
Is your Representative in Congress, did desire
: dissembe or suppress them.
Before proceed to express my views, which
IRE in opposition to the Order candor constrains
ne to admit that aAmericanism" is 4 natural
entimept with our people. deprecate myself
he appointment of men of foreign birth to rep
resent our country abroad, or to preside over
bur Colleges; and if all of the States would,
By common consent, withhold the elective fran
.hise from immigrants for ten years, the agree
nent would receive my entire approval. Bu:
because approve, in degree, OF one tenet of
party, it is no more unreasonable to expect me
10 adopt all of its principles, than it would be
10 require nan to eat all of every dish upon a
bill of fire. because he faDcied one. Yet this
single feature has caused thousands to attach
themselves to the Know Nothing Order, without
ennsidering its other features; and thus, for one
sweet drop, they gulp down whole gallon of
bitter stuff.
y According to the Know Nothing doctrines,
the birthplace of a man is grave political con.
sideraion. In my judgment, the birthplace of
political principle is infinitely moro importa9t11
- and to the Know Nothing Order we will apply
the Know Nothing test Where was it born
In the State of New York. When? Very
shortly after the passage of the Nebraska and
Kansas bill, which restored to the States of
the South their lost right Of equality in the
cemmon territory. What has been the effect at
the North? To defeat every Democrat who
voted Tor this bill Of justice to the South, and
to put in his place an Abolition Know Nothing,
who stands pledged to repeal the bill, and to
give his vote and influence to the enactment OF
others of greater injustice and injury than the
Act known as the Missouri Compromise.
might here appropriately comment upon the
impocy and ingratitude of countenancing the
enemies of our friends, but this is sufficiently
obvious.
Permit me, however, to direct your attention.
fer an instant to the tergivesations of the Know
Nothngs, who, at the North, are out-and-out
Freesolers, and everywhere are opposed to the
repeal Of the Missouri Compromise, as is shown
I bv the fact, among others, that every Southern
man but one, (Nlr Mi!lson of Virginia, who
voted against the bill for the opposite reason
that it was not strong enough for the South,)
who voted against the bill, is now q member of
the Know Nothing Order. At the National
Freesoil Convention held in Pittsburg, in 1852,
and which nominated the Know Nothing Aboli-
tionist Jno. P. Hale for the Presidency, it was
"Resolred,. That the doctrine that any human
law is a finality, and not subject to modification
or repeal, is not in accordance with the creed OF
the founders of our government and Is danger
GUS to the liberties OF our people"
-TnIs resoluIIon nau reference 10 1ne Cu1Irv-
mise Measures of 1851, which the Frecsoiers
desired to repeal They secuted the idea that
those measures were I" tinality," and contended
that thew could and should be modified or re-
pealed like any other law of Congress. The
Missouri Compromise was no more "hnallty
than the Compromise OF 1851. YeL the Freesoll
Know Nothings now refuse TO stand TO the
position taken by the Pittsburg Convention,
and repudiate their own creed and falsty their
own declarations, by asserting that the Missouri
Compromise was an irrepealable compact.
Again BY the same Convention it was
~ Rcsolred, That EMIeRANTs and ExrLEs from
the Old World should find a CORDIAL WELCOME
10 homes of comfort and fields Of enterprise in
the New; and every attempt to abridge their
privileges of becoming citizens and owners Of
The soil among US ought to be resisted with
saexible determination"
..Nop The Know Nothing maintains that the
foreigner is dangerous to Republican liberty,
aod ,ibat Il is patriotic duty to exclude him
frouli every right and privilege of an American
citizen What has produced so extraordinary
and'rapid a change OF social and political sentl-
ment!
If was in conversation, at this point would
he told that my remarks do not apply to the
Southern division of the Order, because of the
split at Philadelphia, which was solely on ac.
count of slavery, and when the Order ceased to
he n national organization And this would be
\ mistake. The Order is still n national organ-
zation, as the next election of a. President will
deyelcpe; when the Know Nothing South and
the Know Nothing North will vote for the same
man-particnlarly if the election is thrown into
the lower House of Congress. where the temp
ta,ons OF Office would be more difficult 10
resist: The Order is still national organiza.
lion, for its members both North and South
concur upon alf points of their creed as origi.
nailvfraned, and differ, only upon the incidental
question of slavery. Their hatred of foreigner
and Catholic is equally. intense, and my remarks
do apply, for the President, the immigrant and
the Catholic have much, very much. to do with
Slavery question which, because of its being
Of all others the most vital to.us, (inseparably
interviewer as it is with tho political, CONNER.
ciat and social prosperity and happiness of the
people of the South,)- aud of being the touch
stone whieh is: applied 10 every political issue
BY the people of The North, is, after all, the sum
and substance Of American politics. The
Know Nothing Order is either national, or it is
inpotent. 1t proposes to extend the probation
aryt'term of naturalization (by which its men,
bers near; to withhold the Fight to vote, for
their complaint is only Of political evils) to
tweuty.ohe years, and to disqualify both Catho-
lies and men of foreign birth forever for Office
No one pretends that this can be legally done
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