New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-06-04
TO BE OR NOT TO BE.

Mr.. William w. Walk of Flushing, Know
Nothing NJ. c. for tho rural District of Long
Island, has published letter specially intended
for the meridian of North Carolina, in which,
with glow of style worthy of that CarOlnian
blood of which he boasts, he repes the charge
that the KnOw-NOthing party is tainted with
the sentiment of Freedom. 1t is true he is
compelled to admit that in Massachusetts, and
some other Northern States its members are
not friendly to slave catching or to the extern
sion of Slavery over free Territory; but New
York, he proudly AYERS, "has determined to
"know no North, no South no East, no West"
Whatever other States may do, here is friend
that the slave breeding Oligarchy will find faith
full to the end in the support of their schemes.
He thinks seriously, so he tells US, that the
"American party is sound upon the Slavery
"question and all other sectional issues. Its
"platform of politics is eminently conciliatory
"and conservative, and should be satisfactory
"to our brethren of the South"
Now we will admit for the sake of argument
that the opinion of Mr.. Volk is perfectly correct
as respects the Know-Nothings of New-York
though even he cannot pretend that the Order
can command majority of the electors of the
State. Here it is true that the Order is in the
hands of pro-slavery politicians and office seek
ers, who never having got Office otherwise have
embraced the new party desperately as the sole
chance of sating their greedy ambition at the
public crib. In New-YOrk National Know
NOthingism was conceived and brought forth,
its last great effort having been the initiation of
Mr. Fillmore amid tears and other soemnities
into the Third Degree of the Mysterious Brother
hood But when we turn to the other States of
the North there is not one, except it may be
New Jersey, where the save-driving interest
can muster men enough to make respectable
regiment. Certainly it has no foothold in Mas
sachusetts, where even Gov. Gardner chershes
the solemn conviction that the great duty of
Congress is not only to prohibit Slavery in every
territory under its control, but otherwise 10 do
everything which can tend to make "FreedOm
Irrational and Slavery sectional" Nor has it
any strength in Maine where the State Council
of the Order has just passed such resolutions as
the following:
'Res6lusd That the Declaration Of Independence
fhe tome and tenor of the Constitution the Ordinance of
17s7 The words and deeds of the founders Of this Re-
public all indicate that forefathers intended that
Slavery should be sectional not national-tempcrary,
Resolred That we solemny protest against the
peal of the Missouri Comprehensive passage OF the
Ncbraska-K Kansas bill, aud the Fugitive Slave Law,
as violations of the rights of the Free States and tend
ing to the destruction of the free Institutions OF our
country.
RESOLVED, That we pledge ourselves to use our ut
most exertions to free our National Territories from
tie curse Of Slavery, and that will consent
unl.s in he al of
Slave State to this Union.
"Resolred, That any attempt TO commit our Order in
the Free States to the advancement of the interests of
Slavery-to ignore 1t as political queston-to stamp
it as q SIDE issue-or TO eBjon silence upon in
sIect 10 its evils and encroachments deserves and
ceives our sternest disapprobation and dissent"
These propositions are rather too strong, to
be cited by Mr. Walk, but we apprehend that
they do no more than express the feelings of the
mass of men who have seen fit to join the Order
in all the free States, with the single exception
of New-York, and perhaps New-Jerss?.
Throughout New England, Ohio, Indiana, ILL.,
nois, Wisconsin and Iowa, the great body of the
Know Knothings are animated by the same
spirit Oh the Slavery question as those of Maine
and Massachusetts. Even in Pennsylvania it is
not possible, we think, to seduce or TO drageon
the Know-Knothings upon the negro-driving
platform Of Mr.. Walk and Mr.. Fillmore. The
recent Anti-Slayery letter Of so astute and so
unscrspulous political SPECTATOR as Mr..
Simon Cameron would seem to indicate too de-
cided and too powerful tendency of public
feeling to be perverted into the new channel.
| 1t is clear from very cursory survey of the
| field that there is not single Free State which
the Know-Nothings can hope to carry in behal
OF Slavery at the coming Presidential Election
Eyenin New-York and New-Jersey, with "Neu
"tralty On Slavery Extension" inscribed upop
Their banners, they would be defeated as no party
ever was defeated before. The very overwhelm
ing strength of the opposition to the Kansas out
RACES would only render their rout the more
complete and irrecoyerable. If the Know
Nothings desire to be felt at all it must be in CO.
operation with the prevailing sentiment of the
North. Otherwise they become Insignificant as
well as contemplate. There is bat one alterna-
tive for the coming election. Either Demo-
cratic President will be chosen who viii follow
in the footsteps Of Gen. Pierce, with the single
exception that his devotion to the will of the
Slavery Propaganda must be much more abso-
lutte and unquestioning, or man will be chosen
who represents and embodes that en-
tire hostility to the Kansas infamy, its
principles, its authors and its abettors,
which is expressed in the resolves of Maine,
above quoted. No candidate ia possibie wbo