Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1855-07-12

Inc "Know-Nothlngs," confident
of their power until quite recently;
are now in a terrible quandary at the
stampede from their lodges in almost
every section of the State. The fear
fol penalty, by which the designing
hoped to keep fast hold of all who
they enticed, undertake. pretences, into
the Order, fails to effect the object,
and Withdrawal after Withdrawal, by
scores DIT time is the current sews'
eff the day. Our republican readers
twho have so properly and so sternly
repelled al advances made by the
initiated to connect themselves With
hefalsaly styled American movement;
or at least some Of them, may have;
the curiosity to know what penalty
is imposed upon those who become
fractions, after having been deceived,
and upon which so great reliance Is
placed by the leading jugglers of the
mysteries Here it is. After having
swora to all the requirements of tho
Order, the following oath is admins
tered as a clincher:
7 ITO all the foregoing you bind
yourselves under the no less penalty
than that of being expelled from the.
! Order, and Of harIng yoav name rested
and circulated throughout aU tie dif-
ferent C0nnals Of TIE United States
as a PERJURER and as TRAITOR to-
God and YOUR COUNTRY, as being
tunH to be EMPLOYED IA any BUSINESS
TRANSACTION, as q person ugworthg tie
lcOnfdeRce Of all good men, and as one
Gt utem. the finger Of SeOrD should
ever be pointed. So help yoa God!'
| The most despotic government un-
der the sun, the bloods st tyrant that
lever, lived could not exlct a seyerer
or more horid and blasphem0u5 pen
talty than this from an enslaved subject
We venture the assertion that there
lis not one of every ten men in the
Southern. States, who have connected
themselves with this secret order, that
would have consented to subscribe TO
such an oath if it had been presented
for his consider stion previous to bis
admissions a member or committal
of himself to become one. Every
freeman, in his sober moments, must
seorn it. An order, political row
(what It may become We know no0
to hold by such penalty the con-
sciences Of men, and govern their
votes, should be repudiated North and
South, and particularly by the South
should it be doubly denounced. We
say this for more reasons than one.
Our peculiar institutions should make
every Southern nan jealous of the
existence Of secret political associa-
Itions in our midst. We DO not intend
to be misunderstood when We make
this assertion. We emphatically dis
claim any design to insinuate that.
the knoR-nothings of the South are
linimical to Southern institutions. On
the contrary, We are satisfied that
the reverse is true, and that, If their
political action, in our opinion, does
not promote Southern interests and
maintain Southern rights, as we should
like to see them promoted and MAIN
tanned, yet We do believe that they
are as loyal as any to our institutions.
But for all this,secret assOcilti0ns such
as We have referred to, should be
viewed with jealousy at the South.
The designing may and can use them
for base, corrupt and incendiary pur-
poses. Bound by an oath to carry
out certain objects, what VIII not the
the religious enthusiast or fanatic
attempt? What may not be made of
him by The artful, ambitious, aspiring
and unprineipied?
We will not pursue this part of
the subject farther. 1t Was not our
intention at the outset to refer to it at
all, although We have long thought
it proper to do so. We intended only
to call the attention Of our raiders
to that fearful penalty devised to hold
on, with death like grip, to the ignorant
and wavering But we are rejoiced to
see Its thorough exposure in the Old
Dominion, and hope to see it share
the samefate everywhere in the South.
The man who would, upon mature =
thus disfranehise himself;
who viii bind himself, as one obiiga-
ton of. the Order prescrbes; to make
religious opinions test or qualifica-
hon for office, divests himself, first
Of the dearest privileges Of freeman.
and in the second instance, lends aid
to fanaticism that he should trample
anon for the prasprvafion of his rom