Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-10-19
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"PROSCRIPrION."
We have been not little amused at the weeping
aud wailing and gnashng Of teeth Of the knowNo.
things aud their sympathzers, OH account of the
election from office, by the Governor, OF the men-
bcrs Of that fraternity. The Governor ought to be
applauded for his action and every man in the De-
mocrntic party should make it point of duty TO feed
these purists with the poison with which they had
sworn To dose others. The circumstances in which
these gentlemen find themselves should cause them
t. blush with shame whenever word of complaint
proceeds from their lips. Instead of which, rage and
disappointment fill their hearts, and they remind
Of the description given by Dryden of Asanemnon:
"With boiling ra p Atrides hurrd
And foam, ostwixt his snashng grinders churncd"
We propose to recall to recollection some of their
misdeeds and would impress them iudclibly upon the
Democratic mind, that, hereafter, stern justice may
mete out tho punishment their case demands. sthe
Psnmst sad, They gnash upon W. with their teeth"
but we will spare not. Who does not remember the
precipitation with which they nocked into secret
lodges aud Tho eagerncss they exhibited in gu!pins
down on,ll. st which wise men might shudicr-
Oaths requiring them to vote for no man unless he
belonged :: :he Know Nothing Order, aud especially
to the particular degree 20 which hr might have Mt
tanned. We quote from their abominablc ritual, by
which, it seems, they cntere! into solemn obliga-
on '.onc which We all have taken aud nterd <"c,cd
iy 10 keep through hG',' ITO support in all political
matters for all political Offices, second degree MEM
bers OF this Order, provided II be necessary for Amc-
rican interest that, if il may be legally done, we will,
when elected to any Office, remove al Foreigners,
aliens or Roman Catholics from Office, and that We
will in appoint such 10 Office And 10 third
degree members administered similar oaths-
And this they swore in the presence oi God with
their right hand upon the Bible and the Cross. And
now when they are told We shall do unto you rs you
would have done unto US, they burst forth into in
dsnant cries, exhibiting eyes sparkling with rage Gnd
"gnashinS for anguish and despite, and shame t"
find themselves not matchless."
Who does not remember the Rntics they cut mme-
date!y preceding the Spring elections! With their
seyen;Y,wo thousand voters they intended Ia crush
Democratic heresics untler their fcot, and, in their
seconceii. waggcd their heads. aud, III vain lmagh-
uys licked their chops at the idea of the offices they
We're to enjoy, after driving tho "Goths and FandaIs
from the Capitol! They could not wait until they had
secured the popular voe but candidates for every OIL
dce were announced and they unblnshngly went
abou, the streets, obtaining recommendations AMI im-
neu.e lists of signatures to remove the best officers
in the Stalc-not because the officers were Demo-
cra,.-no, they proiesscd TO have Democrats IN their
Order and TO love the Democracy-but because they
were not Know-Nohngs. How many officers were
told-"Join Us and not hair Of your head shall be
touchedl' We venture the assertion, that there is
not Democrat in office, throughout the State, "ho
was not told this, in substance over and over again.
It was not then, the principles they opposed it was
the desire for power-power as know-Nothng Or
der. There were men in this city who obtained the
s;rongcst recommendations and VIC have heard that
Mr.. Flournoy received application after application
petition upon petition seeking promises of Offices
TINT, 80 far Us he is concerned, located in the
moon.
Not only were these applications made for i'm
portant offices, but for inspectors o every grae, and
for every grade vf office. Every man in this commu-
pity. we dare saw heard of the recommendations for
the flour inspectors office, which were hawked about
the streets with an eagcrness which dehes description
Who does not remember to have heard how the rs
pirant orators in their mpassoned appeals to arouse
thu droopinr spirits of their hearers which had begun
some,,hnt To Aar and falter few days before the
election painted in glowing colOrs the delightful feast
upon offices to which they were to be invited at the
Governors inaugural! Who does not remember,
how first one orator and then another Prophcsled rum
to the basement officers in the Capitol, nnd how onc'
in particular displayed wood cut representing the
Can;tol. with several men walking away from IT, and
d;snIayed his taste, by describing by name, the Off
cors who were rafting it from the Treasury
of tho Stato-fat, sleek and highly pampered'
about to assume the lean ank and cadayerous aspect
Of til. half starved miserable honnd;-and how iace-
tousy and smoothly he portrayed the entrance OF the
new officers into their vacated apartments, forgetting
70 deeate their hungry rapacous and eager anxiety
n procure their food before it was cooked1 WHAT
,houuhts may have fitted across the mind of i and
me, and the possibilities and contingencies Of sell
sacrifice in accepting lost Offices few can TELL A'"
these things, they cry out pr"scrip'
tion internal Democratic prescriptions md the unsuc
cessfu asprants who have been compelled to lock up
in their escritoircs the long lists OF Recommendations
which. when accidentally thrust upon their view, coi
strain them to retre behind some friendly screen TO
conceal their chaSrn or excessive merrlmcn arc u'c
frat +, commence the horrible din. OF such an one
il may with truth be said
"I,;s great iron teeth ne still did grind
And grmly gnash, threatening revens" III VAIN
Je. him grind on. Who does not remember how
this ,ranscendcntIy great party Rugged t" their po
,om, with all the ardor of virgin love- The man VINO
lscared that no Catholic or foreigner should receive
his support but that they ought "by "a iu!I anu Ihue
,,nd.nt exercise of the right of suffrage, ana me
7y,outinc porr, be excluded from the Offices OF the
government in all its departments" And, yet, these
very men .'gnnsh upon us with their teeth' II we
,sre ,o remove one of their followers from any office
By the principles they cherished, every man "as 10
% excluded from the Offices Of the government =" Af
IS depar,ncns who dared to differ with them III roll
rious opnion, or svho unfortunately nn accidentally
happened 10 be boru in locality not pleasing t" their
nncy; and yet they expect to have perfect immunity
ur their want of to!craton, and absolute indemnity
nr the future.
Who does not remember the delight they evlnced
n this CITY in removing every Democrat from the
,uncil and the Court and the Indian pleasure dis
,,av,d in tomahswkug men Of their own principles
rho refused to be bound by their ontbs, to 20 into
their dark dens and enrol their names as memperso OF
The Order7 The man who knew not how many "rnps
20 give at the inner door, who understood not Tie
pass word d"tweuty'-who knew not when Or how to
place the index finger of the right hand in the space
between the button Of the coat, vest or Shirt eleva
ing the thumb, and when nterrosated' "what timer
could not promptly respond "tme for work." was
considered wholly unworthy to superintend the ma
manufacture of gas-and every man who belonged to
This grand conception sworn TO vote against such
nersop. If the Grand Council so commanded. And
b.y did it q. servc!y as dog win lick hs masters
hand when he lns whipped him soundly. The man
who would not poluts himself by studying their