Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1855-05-16

KnOW-NOthinSism ism proved Synonymous
with old Federalism and Blue Light
Hartford COnVentiOniSm, by its own
Authority.
A friend (says the South, Side Demo-
crat) has put us in possession of the
Knew Nothing Almanac and True Amer
ican's Manual for 1856 issued by De
Wit and Davenport, of New York, and no
doubt under the authority Of The "Grand
Council Of the United States" This bouk
we learn, has been industriou>ly circuIa-
ted throughout the country, and is evil
dently the source Of all the material which
the Know Nothing orators and organs 90
upon, and have gone upon for months
The following extract from this manifesto
contains two pregnant admissions Of what
has been charged by the Democrats on
the organization from its inception.
We trust our friends will use this con-
fession, and if still further proof Of its COR
rectnsss be required, it can be found in
the fact that the Hartford Convention met,
like the Winchester Convention, with
closed doors and anonymous members, and
in the further fact, that the first resolution
adopted by the former is almost identical
in terms with the first of the basis plinci>
pies announced by the latter:
"Such we're the sentiments Il The pu-
rest patriot that ever lived; and yet, in his
day, it was not so imperatively necessary
that foreigners should be restricted in
their insoent assumptions, as it afterwards
came, when they found their power and
political influence rapidly increasing. In
deed, there is not period in our history,
since the days of Washington, in which
Al. Il: oF l.
been more or less troublesome.
at is matter of history. and known to
all, that the Alien and Sedition Laws
which were passed by Congress in 1893.
were intended as check upon the foreign
portion of the people of those times; and
when we remember that there were 81,
1000 Frenchmen who we're devoted to their
native land, and who would as soon have
sought the subjugation of the country as
TO have fought for its entire independence,
(fghting was their business, and pay
made them fght) we cannot wonder at
the apprehensions that gave rise to those
rcts, which false, short-sighted and NOR
bid liberality on the part of many we'll
meaning but deluded men had opposed,
from the beginning of the agitation of the
subject. There were also at that time Sc
cret clubs and associations formed among
the French in America, binding them to-
gether as foreigners, and for political and
selfish purposes, thus rendering them
selves formidable rs body of aliens. In
addition to these Frenchmen, there were
$4,000 who had been subjects uf Great
Britain, and were more attached to that
country than this. 1t was also conteuded
that tie persons who by the law were
made liable to be required to leave the
country, we're not citizens-had no Just
claims TO continuance here, and thai
their residence, with the views they had =,
and the opinions they published, endan-
gcred the welfare Of the nation, for Which
it was the imperiOus duty Of Congress to
provide"
This gave rise to the agitation Of Amer
icanism Us. FOreignism, and the American
or Federal party had TO contend against
the influence Of the naturalized foreigners
at 1.-The ballot-box. But Jefferson was elect
ed by the disafected "balance of power"
and as reward for services rendered, the
time of probation was reduced from four
teen years (the term under Adams ad-
ministration) to five years. In 1J14-'l5,
the Federalists expressed great dissatis-
faction in consequence Of the power and
influence of foreigners. and they were the
American party OF their time.