Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1855-03-28


they are all true, and that we are really the
leaderof an organization, suchas he describes
in Clearfield county. We certainly did not
think that a denial Of the Munchausan stories
contained in that sscard'' would be necessary
IN an intelligent community. The publisher
may doubtless believe them, as his credulity
is not very hard to impose upon, but certainly
no man of ordinary common sense, could swal-
low them, if he gave the subject moments
reflection.
As far as we are concerned personally, we
don't care snap Of the finger whether people
call US .sKnow Nothing" or not. We have
repeatedly, not only in our paper, but in pub
lie speeches, atowed the principles We adyo-
cate before our fellow citizens, and if these
principles constitute Us ssKnow Nothing
why, be it so. We are opposed to the election
of Foreigners and Roman Catholics to office,
| for reasons which we have often given. If
that is E'Know n Nothingispl' then we belong to
them, and we don't care straw who knows
it. Having thus placed ourself light upon
| the record, let rs glance moment at "Ma-
! hafay's Card
! We have said that no man who gives them
ments made in this pretended s'Exposition.''
| Is it probable that so large portion of the
sensible and intelligent citizens of CIearfeld
county as are said to belong to this Organiza-
tion, would place themselves under the entire
control Of one man, and one, too, S'who has
not resided two years in the county ~ five
have such an organization in our midst, and it
is as powerful as Thomas Mahafey would have
Us suppose, of whom does it consist Must it
not be formed of your friends, relatives and
neighbors And can you believe that they
would bind themselves by solemn oath, as
he alledges, to follow blindly the beck and nod
Of any man or set of men? Can you believe
That they, or any other rational men, would
'fsJcegr to become distoaest aad 10 practice alse-
iOoI,-anl, If aesds be, TO perjars themselves in
4 Court Of Justice ?'' What a gross, whole
sale libel is contained in this charge, and how
palpabe the falsehood? What silly fools the
originators of this sorder' must have been,
who would slgear man to jraab has cath =
They would be almost as great jacltasses as
Thomas Mahafey himself, and .in that line,
he certainly can't be beat. What security
would there be in an Organization which relies
for its salty and its power on the sanctity Of
an oath, if its members were taught to violate
their solemn obligations whenever they saw
proper? Thomas Mahafey's notions about
the solemn obligations of an oath must be
very loose, if he thinks he can palm off such
an absurd story as this on an intelligent COM
munity. Fortunately for society, and for the
laws of our country, the mass of men regard
their oaths as inviolable, and those who have
so little respect for themselves, and who have
so-slight conception of the nature of oath as
to stand out before the public, and over their |
own signatures, acknowledge themselves per-
jured villains, are few and far between. s
We have very carefully examined the obli- |
cations laid down by Thomas Mahaffey as
those which are taken by the members of the |
'sStar Spangled Banner as he calls it, and |
we must confess our utter inability to discoY-
er any evidence Of the great 'sbug bear'' that |
is attempted to be made out of them in other |
portions Of the "Card.'' In charity to Thom- I
as Mahafty, We suppose they are not true, for
if he had taken upon him such obligations, |
and Deliberately violated them, he would have |
made himself Sc utterly Infamous, that every |
man possessing a spark of honor, would have |
Ioathed and despised him as a walking mass of
.'moral putrefaction.'' But if they are true,
they contain nothing that would authorize the |
differences attempted to be drawn from them. |
In the first oath the candidate simply swears |
not to reveal the secrets Of the order, or the |
names Of its members, and to give true an !
syers to such questions as may be asked him. |
In the second oath the same thing is sworn to, |
and nothing mere. True, there is a severe t
penalty attached, which the candidate swears
to abide by, and it is rather singular that Ma
hafIey did mt think Of it when he determined |
to make this ''Exposition.'' If his story is /
true, he has certainly placed himself in no |
very enyiable position, should his former !
brethren determine to visit upon him the |
penalty of the oath which he says he has Yio-
lated. After these oaths, in which we think
it would puzzle Philadelphia lawyer to de-
tect anything Unreasonable to the Constitu- |
tion," come the instructions by the Presi-
dent. The candidate is instructed, says Ma
hafey, that .'if placed before legal tribunal, I
and sworn to tell the truth, the whole truth, |
and nothing but the truth, he could not for his |
life reveal the name of this secret band of |
brothers &C." Wen, we suppose the only
reason why he could not, must be because
he's tongue tied, CT dumb, for there's nothing
whatever il the oaths as given by Mahaffey to
prevent him, and if there was it would be an
absurdity. If these instructions had no more
effect on others than they had on Mahaffey. !
they didn't amount to much. But ne saws the
candidate is further instructed as folloyve