The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1855-01-16

the right 10 sereey That associations Of men for political
purposes have the legal right to secrecy indsputabe
hut the moral aspect Of the question Is least debatabe
There are two kinds Of right the legal and ethical The
former looks the peace Of society the latter to morals
The parnpered capitalist has legal right refuse penny
10 the wretch starving upon his doors; but Is there
obligation OF charity apon him Are there duties be-
possesses rights unqualified by artificial restraints Gov
eminent IS established for great and indispensable pur
poses and necessary 20 il y the possession Of certain
powers Each one therefore, diyests himself Of certain
portions of his natural rights and power, and bestows
them upon government The forms Of government are
numeroas but each form has great and vital re-
quiremeut The requirement OF republic Is Pabtsetty
Suffrage is lfebood and to give health to the body
polite ii should be not only free but Intelligent and dis
eliminating How can this Sc when planned
ia secret and withheld from nyestigaion7 ask again,
Is there public duty beyond the empire OF mere law
have the legal right to east my vote for the most ignorant
aud corrupt but have The moral ght2 We have estab-
Ished political organization which affects all and
have the moral right commit it TO those who viii use
il 70 the injury Of the others? The interests Of all are AZ
eced BY the of government and does not good
faith require that those should be subjected TO
public examinaton2 In society cannot absolutely indi-
yduaze ourselves must look out beyond self There
is difference between associated and individual action
Having promised thus much upon the moral right OF Sc
crecy submit to the committee three objections TO the
know-nothing organization Iii rf
LIST II tends to break down the rights of the States
I'd 1t attacks the character of the American people
cd. 1t inyades the sanctities OF social life
ls II tends TO break down the hts Of the States Does
il not profess extend ali the Union? What
Of its obects To regulate the right Of suffrage and
suffrage belong exclusively to the States? If So not
this interference in the interior affairs of State Is
this attempt to control suffrage digging at very ounda
ton OF the State structures and claiming power To recast
their deepest foundations Are not The States foreign
each other except far they have contracted together
Are they not foreign as TO the right g regulate suffrage
IT so this attempt consolidate them together
in vital matter in which they distinct and foreign by
their organic constitutional Is not consolidation the
breaking OF State rights2 The social condition of
Massachusetts blends with that of South Carolina and
both smmering and seethng together erffUm qaid is
evolved which Is to be the rule of government for both
Again ''no foreigner shall hold office of honor or
rust7 Is this intrudng into the domestic affairs of
State Prescription must go into everythinginto POI
lice institutions into private corporations into municipal
affairs into the charity Of the hospital and into the gar
bage OF the gutter IL this foreign interference with and
control Of the purely domestic affairs Of State does not
break down State rights at loss to conceive what
will What Is consolidation Is Il not crushing Of the
States into whole that the inhabitants Of each por
ton may interfere in the management OF the domestic af
fairs of the ohersf Is not this such an interference
What interior interest is free from its grasp II controls
the municipal council and clutches the ermne and jury
box II proscbe the sexton and lays its hand upon the
wachmans rattle Other national organizations have
nected themselves only with national interests They pro-
ssed 10 take coggznee only OF snch matters as were conn
all by the stpuatons OF the constitution; this
ganzaton gides along beneath the very foundations OF
the States and maue them INTERIOR federal and foreign
into one toality s members are secret are silent are
know-nothingsi Sir their designation Is APPLY chosen,
for If they succeed they mues in the funeral process
sion of the republic. sss
Sir object sterny TO this new order because march
is the ruins of the States State sovereignty is the
cornerstone Of Federal Tempe and upon it rest our
destinies Consolidate this government and no human
power save you from despotsm. Can we, dare we,
rife with this great principle The of State
eregmty is grand and sacred Escorted by the
ors Of the past and the hopes OF the futara and crowned
TOO with all the royalties OF intellect it to 1t has
been won through too much blood, and haowed by
rcss too august and too tremendous to be shattered by
the hand of tyranny viii give aught of encourage
ent to any association which filings shadow over
theigsegrity OF this principle. @sef
oect ia the second place this secrst organization
.@M4 IL. - tla MIA
Their character has been frank manly and magnan-
They have patered with principle upon fin
sy subtete ed the voice public faith upon petit
Jogging echacaes They have not stopped TO sophisms
and subteriugas yndieate equiyocal honesty nor
have they hidden in misty generatias their violations of
chartered rhtsp No. they have been proud in error
and brave even in wrong God forbid that the manhood
Of the American character should sicken and disappear
under the poison Of rckey and insincery Eyasons and
sophs an ethical poison and corrode the best char
acter. @ a
This order requires evasion the sacrament of adms
sion INFO il and under the sophism of Individuality it
eeayes down. in secret the right Of others II avows not
its principles in public aud courts not the light but it
plots at midnight and strikes under mask The elements
of manly character rot nused in secret and matured
upon subteruges Against This secret organization the
manhood of the country rises up for nsidously
attacks the very foundations gnanimy and frank
in the character Of the American people Private
worth is the foundation Of public greatness strike down
the one and you destroy the other.
In the third place. object because il inyades the
sanctiy society Does il invade the relations of life
and corrupt the faith between and man f does
not preach, does Ii connive morality which per-
mits you to betray friend and deceive enemy VIII
not political oachery IL 1t does asten upon the
character feast produce chrouic and ncurabe dtrust
alienation, and selhshnessP Have belonged to
this secret order while they occupied high places under
their old party organization, and thus betrayed their old
allegancef Have not associations OF accepted the
candidates of their former party, and carried them with
hosannas from hustngs hustngs while they active
members OF the order aud working for It's success
Sir If these things be trueand they armeddo they
not poison all she relations OF hat deadler wrong
You niict upon society than TO oblterate all conf
dence and bias fidelity between and man. Do this
and how know You that the hand you grasp in political
fellowship il not the hand OF political enemy 2tha
the yon shelter is rot spy7 uuse indelity into
your relations and how know you that treason clngs not
around your heaFhstone and stoos not the couch
of friendship Are great principles to be thus aehieved4
And the ofpary only he rolled the sofes
charities 81 the heart and the sacred ordinances Of society
now crave the Indulgence of the committee while
anime III The fourth place the application and bearing Of
the new organization upon the South. Why should the
South encourage it2 Is her system of labor threatened
with pauperism does nc want hnd up castles among
the whtes2 Have her institutions been assaled and
by those who originated this order2 Sir, what
awful spectacle did The member from Massachusetts Mr.
BANs reveal in his description of the social coalition OF
that Sate Twphirds Oh the population of Massachusetts
pressed into The gutter By selfish capital dsownng their
manhood and compelled in the dark hours of the night to
Hit along suberranean paths and conspe in secret against
thcr ogn government Sir only insurgent slaves hide
from eir masters and conspire at midnight Are these
who the slaves Of capital and who compelled
70 plot in secret against their wealthy lords the