The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1855-01-19

Mr.. BANKS. 1t has not. 1t is sltogcth.
or another line Of business. own 10 stock
that corporation. Renewed laughter
We'll, sir, think have substantiated my
view Of Government, and of the rights or the
people 10 act in this way; and now cal the
attention OF gentlemen here, who are inter.
ested in this matter, and particularly that Of
my friend from Mississippi Mr. BARRY. who
has presented the fuestioh from his point o.
view, in fair, manly, sensible light, to the
fact, that 10 the first instance those who do
the wrong he complains of are the people
the majority o! the people Of the United
States.
In the second place, nothing has yet been
done which makes them amenabe to pro-e-
cution or censure. There is nothing 10 what
they have done, or in what they propose 10
do,s1 far as secrecy is concerned. which
makes then amenable. II they DO not deem
it right to give publicity 70 their vie vs. aud
designs, that is :heir business. and they
may do in that respect as pIeasea them.
Now, word tpon secrecy in roiitics!--
who made the p sident Of the United States
The pcop le, YOU vii say, have elected him
to the Office. But wh1 laid the uau, 10
which the people set fire! Sir, there never
has been presidential election in this coun-
try which has not been controlled by secret
associations and combinations; and let me
say, too, by "A combination which has no pop
ular elements; which has no popularity in its
constitution; which operates through few
privileged members; and it is, in fact, such
combinations that control the government, o!
the cou1try. How happt rs it that Governor
Reeler dcnounces combinations of men 10
affect the election in Kansas vino belong to
Missouri, and VINO arc citizens and eaLin .
men ia that state! Did it not come by means
OF secret combination ana arraUTemrn,-1
combination and arrangement by which the
rank ard file were excluded, and the leaders
only initiated! Who can undertake t. say
( that the next presidential conventions will
not be controlled by coteries OF men whose
only power is the secrecy with which their
! plans and pur poses are held! VINO wi!ideny
that it has been ever thus, or tb at it will be
ever thus! Why is tha; criminal in the peo-
| pie which has been the constant practice .,
poticians!
| But am for publicity as well as secrecy.
| | 20 beyond the gentleman from Mississippi
| in that res ect. | um for publicity when a
man assumes TO act Tor other neu; but when
| lie acts foi himself any that 20 man has d
! right to require him to divuge his purposes
or views. II he chooses to wear them on
! his sleeve, it is his right to do SO; and if he
choose to keep them in his own breast and
say nothing, and know Dthinr CauIhler.)
( it is equally his right. But when man as
sumcs to act for others, then SIR. he Ia not
the right as representative party, to secre-
{, and if the original power call upon him
! for a Development OF his policy he canno;
withhold it.
! may say here, in passing, that the sccre-
cy which this country has, in some degree,
contributed to Iasten on the diplomacy Of
the world, is an element o! power which IS
! doing more to crush the matte rs OF the earth
than pny other element Of oppression. The
! five N ilions If men who are this hour in
arms, under whose heavy tread the earth
shlkcs, are not 4. lag one tenth part Of the
wrong 10 the generations now existing, and
yet unborn, which .hc secret and false Dip
lomacy of the world is producing in its Ci-
=
contributes, in any degree, to sustain the Sc
crecy of diplomacy, 50 .ar, say, its policy
should be chaoged; and therefore voted-ns
| think my friend from Mississippi did not
vote-tcr an exposition of what our friends
anu diplomatic agents were doing in the con-
gress Of OStend.
Mr.. BAYLY. Of Virginia. On, let that
alone.
Mr. BANKS. Yes, if the committee will
report soon. (Laughter)
Then ask the attention of the committee
for moment 10 the programme which the
gentleman from Mississippi exhibited as the
proposed operations Of whit he calls the
Know Nuthngs. do not know whether ne
is right or wrong; but in Il paper published
in pennsy lvAud, read some months since
an expose OF what the purposes OF that Or
ganzttiun are. and of the means throug
VI ch they intend TO operate. In the first
place, did not see anything there shout the I
naturalzlt laws; nothing OF their rep al
nor the limitation OF the term; nor any other .
mattee u topic referring to that SUBJECT
The Pennsylvania published the document
and it was copied in our section Of the coun- I
Try, as Il full, entire, and perfect erPose OF the
purposes orthe secret usso-iutiun tx sting in
Pennsylvania, and having its ran!cations
thr, ughout the country. Therefore, it does
not appear that interference with the natu-
raizrion avs is one of these purposes. |
looked carefully to TINT point, but saw no. |
thing referring u that, nor 10 the Catholic !
Church or Catholic religion
Mr.. BARRY. VIII the gentleman allow |
me to correct him. read here from the
same paper the Pennsylvania, and it the |
gentleman admits this to be an authentic CO.
py of tho rules Of the body-
Dir. B lNKS. Sir. ! admit nothing. |
know nothing. (LrughterD
Mr. BARRY. hold in my hand the pa
per to which the gentleman from Massachu-
sets reiers--lhe nnsyIvanian- and find
in The oath which the member is required to
take, the following sentence:
That you will support, in all political matters for
nIl po,ica. oiirrs, second degree members Of this
order. prONi.ius II bu necessary Tor the American
inle,cst; thai. il it may b. done lega y, you will