Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1855-05-10
TIE KNow-NoTHINGS-THEIR ORIGIN, DESIGNS,
AND PROBABLE INFLUENCE ON THE SOUTHERN

4th. What ertlelce as there that tbs k1ao1C MOTH
ing party is more Of 1eLig than democratic
movement?
This is easily answered. In the frstp'sce, nine-
teen out of every twenty of the democratic news
papers in the Union have come out against Tan
of the democratic conventions in the oineTent
States have done the same thing-nineteen-tWen-
tieths of the democratic members OF congress and
of the different Legislatures have openly and DIS
tinctlv repudiated the whole scheme. On the wing
aide tb;s nieture is exactly reversed In what one
Stste-in what one congressional district-in what
one wing convention has know-nothingism been
denounced and condemned? Not one at the pre-
sent moment is remembered, where their wings
have not either actively coalesed with it, or stood
by approving, jusdlying and defending it.
How is the case here in TENNESSEE Are not
all of the wing presses, either its apoogists or its
open advocates? The Tue Wing, of Nashville,
tired for while to be both wing and a know
nothing-cr to be little more precise, he express
ed the opinion than an Editor might consistently
advocate both parties But the fiery and indiscreet
Gazette would admit of no divided allegiance and
demanded of him 8" to get off of the fence" and be
and declared in the face of the Wing and the Ban
nsr and all the other wing papers of the State
that, SO far from Editor being able to advocate
both, this new party rising Up in its existence
from out of the chaos and corruption of the old
one" wing of course, as well as democratic. The
chaos and corruption Of both the old partiesi He
had no right to speak for the democratic party. He
knew nothing about it. But as he was a wing, ac-
customed to minge in all their councils, We suppose
be might have right to speak about the cor
rupton and chaos of his own party. He did
speak, and the wing newspapers, wing Senators,
wing Representatives in Congress- and in the
State Legislature stood by, and until this day have
never rebuked the Gazette. What stronger proof
can we have Of thorough coalition between the
wing and know nothing parties in this State, when
they will submit to gross charges Of corruption like
this? Is there not another conclusive proof of such
coalition in the fact that the wing party did not
think proper in the present election to hold con
vention, as they had always done before and nomi-
nate candidate for Governor? Never were they
in this condition before. Never until now had they
no banner in the field. 1t is in vain TO pretend
that Mr.. GENTRY is running as the wing candidate
The last speeches he made were in open defiance
of the wing party. He had declared that the wing
party had been denationalized, nay murdered by
Gov. JONES and Gen. ZoILICcFFER when they de-
serted the South and gave the nomination TO Gen.
SCoTT instead Of Mr.. FILLMORE. With such SEN
tinents yet unretracted he did not announce him
self in his card as a wing candidate. He would
not ask for wing convention, and did not init
~, l -
public meetings were held in several of the coun-
ties and required that convention should be called
to pass on his pretensions as well as on those Of
Others he would pay no attention to them, but
hastened up to Nashville, concerted his appoint
ments with the democratic candidate, bidding de-
fance to the leaders of the wing party of the
State. Our proposition is thus fully sustained, that
the wing party or certainly large portion of those
who usually control and regulate its action, have
actually embraced this new party-have en-
tered its counsels and taken its oaths, binding
themselves to vote with those of the North, for
whatever candidate, whig abotonist or freesoiler.
may be designated by majority. No democrat,
if he will but open his eyes, can fail to see it in
this light, and not one who may by mistake have
united with it, but will instantly withdraw 1t was
a trap set expressly to catch him-a conspiracy
to cheat him out of his principles and to decoy him
into the whig camp. Let him withdraw then
He owes it to his honor-to his principles-to his
God and to his country to DO so.
9Th. 1t is sometimes asked, 1cheter the necessity
ofprerenting foreigners and catholics from uOting in
our elections is not great that it ought to justify
the formation of neO party, although 1t ncoy hare
been organised in sOay rather peculiar and O5jec-
tionaBle?
We answer, at once, that it is well settled in
morals, that the end will not justify the means
Besides you never can gain the end aimed at, fhe
exclusion of foreigners and catholics from voting)
by the means of national party. That end is
not the subject of national action at all and there
fore there is no sense or reason for organizing
national party in order to accomplish it. 1t is
State question, aoho shall vote in elections and not
question for Congress to intermeddle with This
is now universally admitted (exceptby the Gazette)
and therefore need not be here argued We YER
ture to say, Mr.. GENTRY himself will never denv
the proposition. This being the fact, if the know
nothing party really organized TO exclude for
eigners and catholics from voting, they have missed
maintained that each State ought TO establish her
constitution and laws TO regulate this subject &C
cording to their own sovereign will and pleasure
Thus if New York, Massachusetts,, or Pennsyl-
vana shall find by experience that there ought
TO be certain checks given to such large numbers of
foreign immigrants into their territories is whetl-
er paupers or Others, they ought to and will apply
the remedy. There is the evil and there should
be the remedy. Now these know-nothing doctors
are the veriest quaczs living. They find perhaps
really sore on one part Of the body polite, and
instead of applying their remedy to the diseased
part, they propose to envelope the whole body,
sound parts and all in the same cataplasm
And this was the original idea in the forming the
first American party. 1t was formed an Phadel-
phia and for Philadelphia, in reference merely to
the election of mayor and aldermen, and perhaps
other city representatives. But it fell through, |
even for that purpose. So, during the past year,
the party was formed and organized in Boston,
New York, Philadelphia, Washington city. and
other large towns, where there were large num-
bers of foreigners sgsnst whom the natives oF tba
cities entertained the strongest aversion. National