The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1855-06-22

all social integrity. Yet Know -nothInglsm bowed
TO spell and an influence more potent than truth,
and reconciled the consciences of men 10 resort to
equvocaon and slippery construction to deceive
the public. But there was monitor from on high
in the breast of every honest that must at
times whisper to him that this was wrong.
know.nohngism bound its votaries under the
third degree OF its ritual by solemn oath to main.
tain the Union. at all hazards, against all efforts
oI facnonsts and OF secessionists. But it nowhere
bound its members TO support the Constitution !;
yet that Constitution was the very life and soul OF
the Union. 1t could only have been made by it.,
and through it, and the principles it consecrates.
Without it, the Constitution would be valueless, or
worse than valueless.
There was The abolitionism of tins order in dis.
guse. He called on Southern men to notice it,.
| He, Mr.. Stephens, stood upon The Georgia plat
! form. Should Kansas be rejected on account OF
slavery, he for resistance. Send HIM 20 Con-
gress and he would resist il there; if unsuccess
iu, he would return 10 the people and tell tten 10
resist it.
1t had been said that The foreigners who came
to this country joined the aboIirionsts in their
sade upon rights. 1t was not so he knew it
| was not so. The foreigners " ho came here came
with reverence for the Constitution Where did
| these fore gners mostly settle? 10 the northwest.
And from the northwest the best friends OF The
Souh-from Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa The last
( The only free State which had never bowed to alb
| olionlsm, and now for the first time to be repre-
sented by FREQ soier. when Know. nothinglsm
! had sprung into existence.
| Every Know. nothing took oath that he would
support no Roman Catholic for office. This was
| striking at of the fundamental principles OF
| the Constitution, which declares there shall he no
religious test qualification for office. He.
therefore,, who took that oath took ar oath incon.
sistnt with The support Of the Constitution. 1t
| oath in violation Of the letter and spirit Of
| that sacred instrument.
Upon the exclusion from office and dis9ranchise-
ment Of foreign. born citizens, the orator
| sss emphatic and forcbe in his dfnnnclaton OF
this feature OF Know nothingsm. Upon the social
! evils the injustice and disastrous consequences,
threatening stres and bIoodshed and civil war, Of
making men aliens al heart 10 government
which thus made war upon their religion, and set
! them apart account of their nativity degra-
| ded class, the speaker eloquent and convnc-
ing, and the repeated paudIts which greeted him
! from the brginning TO the close Of his address,
rising up from every side OF this dense assemblage,
wrapt in eager ard earnest attention, proved how
! thoroughly he had enlisted the feelings and con-
| vinced the Judgment Of his auditors. We could
scarcely realize in such demonstrations that there
were, IN all probability. hundreds of know nothings
among them.
He paid just and eloquent tribute to those true
men of the North who had long and patriotically
stood by the South in her struggles with aboon-
ism. He pointed out who it was that had voted
in Congress with the Southern delegation TO spare
the South from the Wimot proviso, that badge Of
in(eriority and degradation with which she
threatened that had relieved her from The Mlssou-
ri Compromise restriction and opened Kansas 10
the influx Of her Citizens and aided her in the
actment Of the fugitve-slave law. He referred by
name to the noble exertioDs Of Douglas and Rich.
ardson, of Illinois, to protect the Constitution and
the rights of the South under IT, and who had sat
Up with him two days and two nights wi,hou: rest
to secure The passage Of the Kansas BILL
! lie stated that these are the men at the North
| that northern know -nothings were endeavoring 10
beat down; that of all the northern men elected
to Congress since the passage of that bill there
not Que know. nothing W no had voted for the
measure-not one who was not hosi to it !; that
of the forty one that had voted for it twenty had
been defeated account OF that vote, and that the
twenty.one that left the friends Of
of the South that it was our duty TO stand by, to
encourage, and 70 cheer them. The danger to
our rights was not at the North, if would be
| firm to friends there, and true to ourselves.
| We had friends in every Northern State-patri.
olic and true men, Who would stand by If
would stand by ourselves, and be true
| principl There true even in Massa.
| chusetts. There were two hundred guns fired
| Boston Common when the governor recently
toed the bill to remove Judge Lorlng from Office
for issuing warrant TO restore a fugitive slave to
his owner. But there was not know nothing
among them. They fired by the true men
Of that State, who still felt The spirit OF 76 that
| bIazpd or Bunker Hill. There true men
national men-in New Hampshra in Connecticut,
10 New York, in Iowa, many in Illinois; that
policy not to join The know things, who
were fighting these met, but to stand bv our
friends there, and soon they would rally again. and
| gain strength. From twenty-one they would swell
up to thirty. to forty. TO fifty to one hundred in
Congress. They would stand by US and our
the country.
Mr. Stephens beautifully compared the entrance
| of this order from the North into the South to The
entrance of Satan IN the form Of the subtle serpent
into the garden OF Edrn, with lie in his mouth.
calling on Eve to eat o. the fruit, for in that day
| she should not surely die.
! He concluded amid great cheering.
| Mr.. Toombs then called for, and responded
in most eloquent and impressive speech, and ~
his happest manner. He fully coincided in Mr..
| Stephens sentiments. and uttered a sperdid eulo-
gium upon the principles OF American liberty, civil
and reIigious-uPon The noble feature Of religious
tolerance which characterIzes institutions, and
the wise policy OF inviting to our shores foreign
| emigration.
| We regret space will not enable US this
| morning 10 give a sketch of his very interesting