The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1855-05-23
NEW SPECIAL NOTICES.

R ns ~ a American Psry These Invitations have
declined: partly from reluctance to engage active
10 In noliticaI aeitatjops-partly hope may say
!, m;pom. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. the Invitations them
.s,ve. va,e seemingly uf a party character
.h,sflv for reasons of domestic nature. But on
sc,,on csIIsd unnn M have been for my opin.
tn. an, NOT ss,i.fied to suppress them The deep
III, h;ch owa m this civ 10 the district and
ooos .ia s,.s. for rnanv nrnofs of favorable a..
uyr.,;or .vsr 10 ,e gracefully remembered, how.
NV insdeoustelv renad If II does not forbid 81.
iares wiIi scouit ma trust. of vanity or selfish.
,enco q, na~ con,,hutins nv humble lid in acrisis
~ ".mnr,sd d;fscnltv and DANGER. and If other.
.n,.s would ratber. on such occasons. incur In.
v,diou. misconstruction than be suspected of an
I, ad;g.ronca 7 can never feel Late Al Il L. there.
tua n;neoor,an, ss yell know nv sentiment,
mt he Accumulated a. I am in q great measureby
do,,,as,,c .f3cs;ons of NO ordinary severity
81 ali endesyor however crudely, TO perform the
...S hs.e nndertaksn a.a55
-a-d IN .dvsncs. nv nurpose Il NOT tn impute
n the new order unotiyec peculiarly vicious Like
100, o,har na,sjes or seeta lad on perhaps and
nroad to extrenaea bv the desipnipq. the selfish.
ana the recklese the mass we may hope though
IahorinU annarentlv under previous delusions are
IN The main neither worse nor better than those
thew proscribe. or those who prescribe them -
Dicc ardIpa then. all wsnton abuse and denuncia-
tion-vhich seldom convince Ilen of their error,
and more rareiv induce them to rsct or abandon
tlet us bring their acts and their objects a. far
A we know them to the test o reason and prin-
cinle
And arss let us refer TO their own authentic ex-
uose and 30 far a we can ascertain It. meet tn EN-
on their own ground. Il
In the note below subj DIN "the Rasis princi
ples of the American party 10 Virginia. as an
nouuced by tho Winchester Convention. Pros
posing to consider only the characteristic features
which distinguish this party from all others, it'
would be useless to comment in detail on the 10
articles of their creed. Except the frat and third,
and very slight objection to the fourth there seems
indeed little or nothing, from the preamble to the
conclusion, that may not be approved by men If
all parties aud sects foreigners well natves
Catholics a. we'll az Know Nothinas. The only
objection TO the 4th 10 that is somewhat Delphic
presenting, like Janus of old, peace with one face
and threatening war with the other. And this OBJ,
lection arises not from their having gone too far
but not quite fax enough In the assertion of sound
principles of liberation. They censure very Justly
all who believe that any foreign power has right
to control the cousciencas of freemen but have
confined their censure to those only who may be.
lieve that any foreign power may exercise such
control Are not those equally censurable who
believe that any earthly power Whatever foreign
or DOMESTIC, Papist or Know Nothing. NAV thus
control the condolences of ireemen Was Ii the
consciousness that the censure, if thus extended
might embrace the choice spirits of an order which
subjects the consclences offs members to the con.
troll of supreme and subordinate councils that
caused this discrimination; or the difficulty of
showing that restraints upon conscience are less
censurable In American Protestants than in Ro-
man Catholicsf
The nth article OF the creed may deserve pas.
sing remark. While it may be true that the Bible
properly understood may be the only permanent
basis OF liberty, yet In practice it must be &C
knowledged ir has been oftea madethe stalking
horse of tyranny both civil and ecclesiastical II
was probably never intended tor the use OF politi
clans; certainty not as political machine And
in this connection may here advert to the iatima-
ton la the preamble Of the .'bass" which points
to rettStous Potcy as necessary 70 preserve
our political lnsltutions IN hheT Original purity.
Tho people OF virginia can never trust sane
ton any otnerpohcy IN regard 10 reHgion Than
that which keeps the government ana religion
apart-so that neither shall Interfere with the
other. They may well doubt whether the Great
Unknown OF the new order ct Know Nothings,
know more about the principles OF our institutions,
In their ORIGINAL purity, than those who founded
them-who gave US the bill OF rights and the act
OF religious freedom.
twould seem from THIS very cursory view OF
the hnow Nothlng creed, tnat Tar the greater por-
ton OF 1t 10 not only Tree from objection, but
worthy indeed OF high appreciation by men OF all
political and religious denominations. That por
lion Is 10 truin out series OF poh'lcai trulsms
SIN larger proportion would nave been approved
by all. had they added the ten commandments and
the 10 articles OF the BIZ OF Rights and this they
would perhaps nave done were IL not that the Bill
OF hignts sn"al1s tnelr relsious pohcy-and the
decaiogu e iorblos ine solemn mockery practced by
tneir secret ofgahizauon'
But however nearly they may seem to approach,
there is an impossible gulf between those who
would truly preserve our free institutions in their
original purity, and the founders OF the new
der, who would amend the work OF the Jefersons
and madisons OF other days. IL may be but step.
indeed, that separates them. II Is but step from
life to death from virtue and innocence, to guilt
and shame A man pressed by adversaries to the
wall may lawfully slay them. A single unneces-
sary step az aaoance, makes MN murderer.
TspesI tnere u ooIween an Amefican ana true
yirginian an lmpassaoie gun. In mat gun are IN
aaik caverns OF secreey-sna a. iower depth the
oo.tomiess pis Oh peIseeuIlon' nIeo WIN dark and
oisnal sPIrnsi soine iear armed WIN the wea'
pons OF aoaln es
lew woros M ony On .ae afG sna miro articles
.. Ins nnow Notniug cIeea wnicn propose the
tota. eHcuon VI mn; sAeu lolelgnets from All
iP oL.cai onSe I'D ns unaversai exclusion rs az
.I a. ;,,.'.s;o ss - Contrary
H. . ou ..o's, ~ :nen pu'
my .ronn -, ~. n,i go as IS
soJ snis, oa,hs or on,nc,s i.a !; ~ le
~ Th. in,srSin. r. staa ~ ,aSaeas.
V;rons 70 fare;ansrs l. s.n,as ~
ons 10 nrohibi, the election of trso neaross VorS
few n snv foreianers were evar e,sctsS a. g., :.
know Among ps to snv noli,icaI of6cs of in,ror
tsnce. aimee the foundation of the commonwap,,h
A TO taking the Interest of other States under orr
nrotection. let the American marty nf Viroinia
remember the nrincinle of nanin;.rven,;on az
nouncad In the lin article ot sheir own has;s