The true Democrat., 1855-09-18
To Samuel W. Williams, esq.,, Little Rock,
 Arkansas.
 Per7Yu,iWe A3E Sent II 1S55

authority to establls h know nothing council. somewhere or anywhere in this county; and learn that you expressed a decided preference that 1 should lead in the work, being an oM line democrat, etc., fairly leaving the inference, that It was necessary to lead the democrats, but that the wings would betake themselves to the fold without the lead of shepherd.
 Although grateful for the assurances of friend ship and confidence reposed in me, 1 must de- cline to accept the honor, or perform the task you would impose upon me. l. therefore, leave the paHrs, etc., in the hands of the gen. tleman with whom you deposited them.
 l have examined the doctrines and tencs of the know nothing order with much care and solicitude, desiring to learn its objects, and, if possible, to approve and think we'll of the or der; and have carefully and honestly examin- ed myself with all my affinitics and political antecedents and I am forced to the conclusion that can no more make a (goodD know noth- ing than, with all my preconceived pre- judces 1 can make Roman Catholic. Dctesting the religion of the latter, can see no reason to in duce me to approve the former. 1 h. 9 also diligently searched for a necessity, or even an apology for the order in the State of Arkansas and declare can find none In referring to the census reports for 1850, find but one per cent of the free population of Arkansas to be of foreign birth, and comparatively but very few Catholics, none in favor of dissolving the American Union; and not one that have ever seen that denies the existence of Supreme Being. Then what is the high calling and ob- ject of know nottingham in this State, that men should be appointed everywhere to enlist and qualify them for their work, and particularly to gather them from the democratic ranks? If the object is to enlist and bind men to denounce the present Governor. and vote for-(of course know nothing,) against him or any other de- mocrat, at the approaching election, assure you l can give no aid or comfort to the enter prise.
 When l entered upon the duties of an hum ble representative, last November, ignorant in deed of all that constituted legislator, found that had imbibed what LOW believe to be a very undue prejudice against Gov Conway, from reading paper bitterly opposed to him; but my position made it my duty, and afforded the facilities to examine into his public acts, which thoroughly convinced me that he Is a faithful and efficient public servant; and one that has and will guard the State as faithfully as any other could possibly do. And we should all remember that the State Of Arkansas is in volvcd in a suit versus the trustees of the Real Estate Bank, which directly interests the State to the amount of three and half millions of dollars, which has long threatened to drive the State into a shameful repudiation. The law imposes upon the Governor the duty of prose- cutting said suit, with almost unlimited dlscre- tionary power; and by the energy with which the suit has been prosecuted, the amount of about three quarters of million of dollars has already been saved to the credit of the State, and the same energetic course will no doubt develop other resources that would otherwis e upon the part of the Governor and his council, or little treachery, would forever deprive the State of the whole, and involve her in perpet- ual ruin-an event at which every patriot must shudder And yet it is an undeniable fact, that there are some citizens of the State, who have, and do oppose the prosecution of the suit, and would advise its abandonment even now, and let the worst come.
 That Gov. Conway has all his energies and all his pride enlisted in the matter in behalf of the State, no one will deny. That he is hav- ing the suit prosecuted with eminent success, none can deny. Then, as patriot, I can vote for no one against him, whose history will lead me to doubt his soundness in the matter. can vote for no one who has been employed as council for the State, and proved recreant to his trust. 1 will vote for no one who has been or-is now under pay against the State; for know that money is power. 1 will not vote for any one who has endeavored to prejudice the claims of the State or discourage the pros- ecution of the suit to obtain those claims.
 Then you will readily excuse me for declin- ing the honor you would confer upon me. I am certain that you would not want such know nothings as I would make. And then there is another reason why ought to be excused: in your speech at Perryvlle, which l did not have the pleasure of hearing 1 understand you said and bound yourself to prove, that the know nothing party or order in Arkansas, was composed of ten democrats to one whig; and that there was no longer any democratic party it was defunct, that you had been democrat but had renounced 1t, etc. Without stopping to prove to you that this assertion or cacua. tion must include me and all the rest of the democrats in the State, and good mony more (for we never could multiply the whigs by ten, or disputing anything that you said in thai speech, l am nevertheless, anxious to show that there is yet one, (and 1 think more,) who have never renounced the old democratic faith l would as soon disown the land that gave mo birth, as }he party with which l have always acted, unless there were better reasons for il than 1 am aware of.
 When took the blrd's-eye peep did las winter, into your order, at the city of Little Rock, had never dreamed that 1t was CT would be political party destined to swallow up one and make war to the knife, upon the other o the great political parties of the country. supposed 1t, as 1t was represented, to be a COL. servative reservoir, designed to regulate the acts aud correct the wrongs of both. 1 could not approve of the entire unconditional pro- scripti0n of foreigners from all the rights of ci tizenship, for the most of them that I am ac quainted with, in point of honesty patriotism and devotion to our political institutions, com pare favoraby with our own native born cit zens; but paupers and criminals would gladly see deprived of office and suffrage too, bott foreign and native. Nor could my judgmen approve the war that the order or party make! against the Catholics neither as being just o polite; because they, in times past, in some countries have persecuted, prescribed and pun ished Protestants; for all conyersant with the history of our country know that even Pro testants have done the same, and that the dis position to persecute, is always the result o the power to do so
 If you want high authority for this asser tion, 1 will refer you to the language of Mr. J eff ferson, in a letter to MT. Noah, Jew of New York, in which he says: "your sect, by its sui ferings, has furnished remarkable proof o the universal spirit of religious intolerance, in