The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1855-06-15

i nroposed and they should have irll opportunity
Of discussing the merits and pretensions OF every can
,late who proposed for office, openly and publicly,
II, order that the best may be selected. In
cTet cabai the designing demagogue has greater
enpoTtanfy further hls own selfish views and rob
fb paoplp of their rights. And, if be addition
to this. compel others 10 support him IN his niquit
Gus projects, indeed Is The INJURY inflicted upon
nopuar sovereignty. But then. tbs compelling men
Ia sacrifice their own opinion, and vote as Others
shall direct Is an utter subversion Of the right Of
s,iffrage-it is tyranny and despoiism. whether
ercised by or by many men-the tyranny of
the many IS often destructive OF the rights OF
others than the tyranny OF one man. There NAV BE-
generous impulses about despot which wonid not
rervade set Of selfish aFstocrats demagosues.--
The giving up Of ONES opinion Of the fitness Of
candidate for Office ard bindIy following the orders
Of others in voting entirely destructive Of the
right of free choice which is the object of the ballot
box.
The open meeting together Of men protesting the
same political creed and selecting from number of
asprants those thought worthy Of pnhc support for
office. is proper mode for The concentration Of pub
Iic opinio to carry out the principles Of the party,
bat there is no compulson by secret oaths in that
case, TO compel 10 vote for SHch candidate il
he is worthy OF public confidence. That is a
very different thing from the secret midnight oath
bound concave Of the Know-Nohngs.
Il was the secret conclaves; The deep and silent
intrgues tyrants who ruled France the reign
fair conntTp with blood. Beware thaf Won do not
pernir like causes TO produce like effrris here.
So much for the moral and political aspects Of this
organization. independent Gifts attempts to restrict
the rights OF naturalized citizens and Catholics In
these respects. their operations unjust polnt
&C principles, as they are Illegal and unconstitutional
in point Of law. II IS attempt, by operating upon
Sectarian and local feelings, To create prejudice
against all persons born in foreign counfriesno mat
ter how long since they may bave been naturaIiZef
nor how long they have resided among u>-no matter
that they men OF the highesr moral worth, intel
ligence ard virtue. No matter that they have come
this country from deliberate choice, and have
red and settled among YOU. None OF these things
can be taken into consideration in prescription that
reaches the whole class Talents capacity. integrity
OF the highest order, and education of the most finish
ed Kind, all be set aside for the mere accident
OF birth. Many of these foreigners who have come
here by choce-many who have come here in nfan-
cy with their parents, and have really known other
country than this. have been citizens Of the United
States for years than many OF those who find
fault with them have attained.
am not one Of those, WHO pyrfsr foreigners to
native born ctizens. But all should have the rights
whch the constitution guarantees. A. i has been
remarked. there i little danger of the Haturalized
citizens controlling our elections, Notwithstanding
all that be said upon this subject the matter
OF prime PIES there and will be such pariiatty
among he majority native born citizens, in
favor Of themselves, that they viii grant to the
minority. which natnraliZed citizens compose. a
whit more of public patronage and employment than
their numbers and capacity enttle them to-if so
much. There may have been exceptions 10 thts. IN
former days, in OF large cities, where both
the political parties into which country di-
vided, have been courtng the foreign population by
giving them place and Office. Bot this has corrected
itself, and they scarcely have lustice done 10
them in this respect. Such even the before
this organized prescription took place. Bar through
out the country they constitute bGt drop in the
bucket Of orr eniTe population, that if they were
even disposed 10 evil, OF which have evidence,
they would be perfectly impotent to accomplish their
objecS.
The result therefore is. that this denuncaton and
prescription OF naturazpd citizens. is sheer pretense
"a bug-bear, created by political hypocrfes and
kRaves, 10 bambooze political fools. sheer hum-
bug 10 bring unthnking from the support Of the
Democratic party which always goes the support
at the principles Of free government and has in view
the greatest good OF the greatest num5er-nanf1ins
the right and capacity OF the people TO them
selves, extends Equal rights all because II holds
that all men are created equal 1t 10 sednce men
from this party aid unprincpIed aspirants 10 obtain
Office and piaceto fatten upon the publ'ctO be fed
from the public treasury, thatths prejudice Is fos
tered and fomented. This aud the prejudice excited
against one christian denomination, have enabled this
organization By coae>cing with other TO sweep
the LATE elections in several of the States and invest
them with power, which they have ineveTy instance
az }rast, used without discretion and without any
gard to the organic law of our country THIS pro-
cTpinp. for opinions sake IN matters Of rel ginn,
independent ot lis being papable lnfraction Of the
principles of the constitution OF the United States
and OF this State, and crimina offence, tor which,
the punishment by fine and Imprisonment, Is none
too heavy, Is calculated 10 set society hv > ears,
and introduce a state of feeling hat would make a
perfect Pandemonium Of our happy conntTy-It Is an
offence, against the light and intelligence of the nine
teeu1h ceniury-an attempt 10 bring MS back to the
dark ages Of barbaru and superstition. The
bad been brought 10 TO sprrad iigh and knowledge
henighted world. II the moral aud political
atmosphere OF country, is Thus to be beclouded
then the Declaration of Independence was adopted for
nothing and the toll treasure and blood Of the Revo-
lotion spent m pursuit of phantom which appeared
hnt to deIuge the oppressed aad downtrodden friends
of liberty
This election in Virginia has eheered the members
of the Democratic party throughout The Union Ii
shows that there Is a redeening spirit the people
lit encourages the republican, by giving him another
evidence thar the people fit to be their rulers
lit gives 10 all who have abiding confidence in
popular government assurance that that confidence
not misplaced. The people awakened 10
sense OF the error and misrepresentation by which
they Were rnsled The light of truth is irradiatinc
orr whole political atmosphere. and error and mis-.
representation must fly dscomhtted from the radiant
light Of truth.
Hundreds and thousands Of deceived seeing
the abyss into which the measures o their decever,
were about plunge the institutions OF our country
will shrink aehast from the spectacle-Tefuse their
aid TO rake shipwreck of the hopes Of patriot sm
and turn upon the men who have been turing them
on to this work of destruction. The people al
ways honest when rightly informed; they inten
iionally do political wrong. If under impulse and
msrepres esentaton, they sometimes from the mfr
nifty of human nature, they correct the evil at the
first opportunity. Time and the ballot box-the diff
fusion Of knowledge and truth great correcives
OF he evils 10 which political society is subject.
To those who have unwingly been led a>tfay bni
have now seen their error and repent Of il, lex Us
hold ont the hand reconciliation and forgiveness
To err is human--to forgive divine.
70 those who, with light and truth before them
persist ia these 6agtious attempts to violate the
,lnnr frannnnn nn s11c Lindr fnenns shnnI1