The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-02-22

NORTH BROOKFIELD, Mass,
January 20, 1855.
am not surprised at the hostility which YOU
course inspires. 1t was to be expected Yor
expected it, doubt not. | am glad to see tina
you are disposed to meet it with unfiinchins
hrmness, aud q confiding faith in the utimat,
triumph of the right You were never battlin,
more nobly or effectually in the cause of Free
dom than at the present moment You neye
stood gin the imminent deadly breach" NOR,
truly than now. pray God that You may b,
steadfast and immoyable.
BY the atrocious act repeating the Missouri
Compromise. the public mind in the free State
was aroused to a high pitch of excitement
Old party trammels were cast off. and Tho
friends OF Freedom were everywhere uniting il
one sohd phalanx against the further aggres
sions of Slavery. The Slave Power found it
self, to use current phrase, in a tight place
Everything betokened danger to its darline
institution. The final contest between the
great antsgonistic forces seemed rapidly ap
preaching. AT this moment, when ali wa.
bright and cheering to the friends of Freedom
Know Nothingism takes the field, secretly ant
silently organizes its forces, and then, enterine
the political arena, raises such hue and CRY
about " Foreigners" and kicks up such dus
about "Popery," that the minds of the people
are turned OF IN a new direction.
The Slave Power looks with joyful astouisb
ment at the result. DeEverance comes to them
from an unexpected quarter; they hail their
new ally-for an ally 1t is, whether so intended
or not-and hasten to Join; and, as is their
wont, to take the lead of the new movement.
You have seen and exposed all this. That you
would suffer for so doing, is as certain as that
the cause of truth and humanity was never
maintained, in any age or country, except by
the sacrifices and sutferings of those who have
nobly and magnanimously stood forth in its
defence. But go on, and rest assured that all
good men will yet, and that speedily, Join in
thanking you for your efforts.
The present delusion cannot last a great
while. The effects of the new movement will
be so clearly and pal ably Pro-Slavery. that all
true men, who are now in great numbers con-
nected with 1t, will abandon the Order. They
are beginning to do so already. Multtudes
have been deceived, who, the moment they dis
cover whittier they are drifting, will abandon
and denounce the organization That think
will be the case in all the States, especially
here IN Massachusetts. If thought otherwise,
should lose all faith In humanity. am con
bdent that there are no truer or more reliable
Ant-Slavery men than some who here belong to
The Order; and l am equally sure, that when
they find the machinery of the organization is to
III.
they will at once withdraw from it. If the new
organization could be kept intact, and all the
frightfui energies of an oath-bound and secret
institution, extending its ramfcations through
the whole country, could be brought into effect
i've alliance with the Pro-Slavery element of
the nation, | should certainly bid farewell to
all hopes for freedom. Because fully believe
that if Slavery should by its aid be fairly ex.
treated from Its present dilemma, its future
complete and overwhelming triumph would be
rendered as certain as any human event can
be.
Let me not be misunderstood in regard to
Know Nothingism. With all that is good in
Its objects, L heartily sympathize. Our natu-
radiation laws have been unwise and absurd.
and ought to be changed. Too many foreign
ers have been appointed to Office and they have
been allowed too much influence in the Gov
eminent They have been altogether too much
petted and fattered. Our so-caled great men
have bowed down before them with a sery;litv
only equallcd by that which they have exhib
a.es Towards he Slave PexeF, There has Aeag
altogether too much ignorance of, and indiffer
ence to, Popery amongst us, as TO It's nature
and spirit, and its innate antagonism to Re
publicanism. 1t was high time that something
should be done. And that something has been
done; the public mind il aroused, has been
ing enlightened on the subject. / am glad of
all this but L feel no compaceney in any at
tempt To disfranchise any man, or deprive him
OF his Just rights, especially to EXCITE a spirit
OF persecution on account of religious faith
Nor do not believe that TO effect all that is
desirable in regard to our foreign population,
We should organize great political party that
shall ignore the question of Slavery, and strike
hands with oppressors Far from it.
Entertaining these views you will not won
der at the great interest feel in your present
position and course of action. To me You
seem to stand on the great central watch-tower.
from whence you overlook the whole nation
and see what many of us, differently situated
do not SO readily discover. / hope, therefore
that all the friends Of the Era will make new
and increased exertions in its behalf
Lam ever and sincerely yours,
ANAsA WALKER.
VOICE FROM THE TwENTY-FIRST DISTRICT
OF OHIO
There have been meetings already in this
district, to discuss publicly the expediency of
the torers Of Liberty clinging to a party which
openly ignores the question Of Slavery. But the
influence of party is powerful on the minds Of
all parnsanss and the People, knowing that
they are right upon the great question of HUI.
man Liberty, are 10th to believe that the Order
OF their adoption, IN Its National capacity, is TO
be governed by the pro-slavery dictation of the
South. Feeling thus, they are snatching at
everything TO sustain themselves in the belief
that it IS emphaticaiiy an Anti-Slavery party.
And here permit me to alude to paragraph
in your issue of January 18th, taken from a
letter of Hon. j. X. Giddings to the Ashta6ula
Sentinel; from which it is claimed, by the friends
of Know Nothingism in these parts, that he (Mr.
j. X. Giddings) looks upon tho Know Nothings
as an Anti Slavery party. This | think is I'M
justi6able from the quotation referred to, but We
would like to hear something more from this
veteran in Freedoms warfare.
We shall live in hopes of hearing more from
this champion of human rights upon this point.
Does he, as is supposed by some, look upon the
National Know Nothing party az the natal star
and beacon light in the great Anti-Slavery ref
ormation.
If he does, we should like to know it and If
he does not, he is certainly basely misrcpresent-
ed in certain sections of the country
Yours, for the right, J.G.H
THE GREAT QUESTION, AFTER ALL.
SorTH EAsroS, Mass, FEB. 8, 1855.
From the result of the late elections in
Massachusetts and New York, it is evident
that the great American question, Slavery, out
strips all others, and is paramount to every