Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-01-05
Debale Ia one House, ThursdaY. .


TO defend what had been called despised and alb
ject sect and, notwithstanding the bitter inyec
tive Of the gentleman from South Carolina, (Mr
KErrr,) and the serious charges made against what
were termed "Know- Nothings," as though they
we're the most degraded and miserable OF the hui
man species, he had undertaken to appear for the
heir-at-law against foreigners.
! He had listened attentiyely to what had been
said by the two gentlemen )Messrs. BARRY and
kerry who had made terrible onsaughts on the
Know. Nothing party, and had endeayored hon
estly and conscientousy TO ascertain whether there
was ANYTHING in their arguments which would go
to change his views in reference TO this new organ
ization; and yet for the life of him, he had been
/ unable TO fnd in what he heard from the eloquent
and excitable gentleman from South Carolina or
| the more calm and elaborate gentleman from Mis-
sissippi anything to convince him, "a native, and
to the manor born" that he should take up arms
against his own country and his own people. He
never had done 80, and, SO help him God, he never
should The flag Of his country had hoated In trl-
umph everywhere---on the land and on the sea- at
home and abroad. II was the star-spangled ban
ner, and wo to the man, be he English, German,
or Mexican who dared to insult it.
Mr. s. then proceeded to review the history OF
1 this order 1t was, he said matter Of taunt with
the gentleman from South Carolina that Know
| Nothingism made its first appearance in Massachu-
setts. Therefore that gentleman, out OF the most
| ecstatic imagination, had connected the movement
with abolitionism. If this movement did begin in
| Massachusetts,, 1t came from an appropriate spot,
| for in that State were Bunker Hill, Concord, and
Lexington. The descendants OF the gallant men
who 80 lavishly poured out their blood on the
plains of that Commonwealth had not forgotten nor
ceased to love the liberty for which their fathers
fought They had not forgotten that foreigners
waged bloody war against their ancestors, and he
| thanked God that this movement did come from
Massachusetts,. But il did not stop there. Il
| passed through the Jerseys, and the descendants
Of the soldiers who fought with bloody feet and
naked hands in defending the liberties Of the coun-
try against the accursed Hessians entered heartily
| into the organization.
1t passed through the State Of Pennsylvania,
which had been called the Keystone Of the Federal
Arch, entered the State Of New York, where, II 1t
| was not triumphant, 1t was because its members
| did not know their own strength. It also passed
through the little State of Delaware always true
and faithful to the Union in all Of its exigencies
| and emergencies and he would tell his friend, the
chairman of the guano committee, Mr.. RIDDLE, J
that at some future day some explorer after the
remains of an extinct race, undertaking to make
political-geologca survey, would not have to 80 to
the Chincha Islands, to find another specimen of a
petrifed man. [Laughtcr.] In his own State Of
Maryland the recent municipal election in the city
of Baltimore would tell a tale He wondered that
| gentlemen did not learn lessons from it.
The main objection urged by the gentleman from
South Carolina against Know othingism WAS that
it interfered with what he was pleased to term
"Statc-rights." He (Mr. 81 never knew of any
question presented to this House or the other branch
but what the members from South Carolina were
scared to death by the phantom Of consolidation.
He thanked the gentleman for utterng the senti-
ment that the Know-N Nothing organization was en-
deavoring to bring about unity Of the States and
that it was opposed to State rights, which he (Mr
81 understood to be secession Ind notification.
Its special and peculiar province to consolidate
the union of the States they were at the moment
when the Convention declared that they framed the
Constitution for perfect union of the States;
and this II meant to do. He would 60 further, and
say that if he knew any thing of the principles Of
the Know-Nothing party, North and South, that
party looked upon Southern fanatics in the same
light as they did upon Northern abolitionsts. II
would place them both side by side, and hang them
Us high as Hannah.
Known othingism did not intend to permit ex-
tremists to dissolve this Union. 1t intended to
hold on to the Union, as the last hope the last
shect-anchor. 1t did not hold that an appropria-
ton for an internal improvement was perfectly
constitutional If the stream to which IL was intend
ed to apply passed through three States, and un
unconstitutional if it proposed to render nayigable
stream which flowed through but one State. II
did not intend to permit the southern nullifers to
assert their infamous doctrines Of secession and
notification as the only remedy for abuses, after
they themselves had agreed to judicial tribunal
to try the consttutionality of laws passed by Con-
gress. In other words, this new order did not in
tend to bubble about the letter Of the constitu-
ton with the afectation Of prude, and to violate
its plainest provisions with the erontery Of pros
titute.
Mr. KErTT desired to know If the gentleman
.,to. lnIL
ton?
Mr.. SELLERS disclaimed any such intention.
He was talking about South Carolina politics. The
gentleman might be their express representative,
but he Mr.. S. would denounce them when and
where he chose, ..r
He then replied to the various arguments ad-
vanced by Messrs. BARRY and KEITT and referred
to the amount Of immigration to this country. He
declared that II, for the next twenty years. mmi.
grafton should continue as it had for the last five
years. we would have foreign population within
our limits superior in numerical force TO native
born citizens He alluded to the assertion that for
egners built our railroads and dug canals, and
asked IL nothing TO be placed TO the account
of American enterprise, capital, and industry? He
predicted that when gentlemen returned TO their
homes they would find Know Nothings as thick as
the leaves that strew the vale Of Valambrosa.
Mr.. GIDDINGS was understood to say that the
gentleman from Maryland had declared That the
Know-Nothngs would leave slavery where they
found It. He desired to know II that party would
restore freedom TO Kansas
Mr. SELLERS replied that he would never take
the construction of the gentlemen from Ohio on
any point of constitutional law.
Mr.. GIDDINGS Then the gentleman backs
out from his own position.
Mr. SELLERS. l do not back out but do
most cheerfuIly retire from such contest /
would Just as soon think ofentering into contest
may God forgive mel--with pregnant woman.
Laughter.
In conclusion Mr. s. declared that Il this country
did not arrest the increase Of foreign power our
government would soon be wrested from our
hands
Mr.. GIDD1NGS said that he had propounded his
question to the gentleman from Maryland with the
sincerest and purest motives. The gentleman had
announced himself as a champion Of Know Nothing
ism, and had proclaimed It's principles He de-
sired to know Of the gentleman, when he declared
that this new party would preserve the Union,
rlat. skav. do mr.