The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-06-21
THE KNOW NOTHING sEcEssIoN-ITs PROB.
ABLE EFFECT

We present in another column a succinc
statement of the proceedings of the Nationa
Know Nothing Convention, and of the seces
sion of its Northern Delegates. Many member.
of that Order were inexperienced enough t.
hope that some compromise of the Slavery
Question, not yet devised, might be hi
upon, to unite Anti-Slavery and Pro-Slavery
voters in National Party. BY this time they
have learned that the alternative always pre-
scented by the Pro-Slavery men, is, Submission
or Ostracism. "You SHALL" is their language
BE it So" it is expected, will always be the
language of the North.
This time, secession was preferred to sub
mission. AS has uniformly been the case, in
National Conventions of the Wing and Demo
cratic Parties, so in this, the free States were
divided, the slave States united. New York
and California did vassal work for the Slave
Power all the time; New Jersey and Pennsyl-
vania were sometimes on one side, sometimes
on the other. Timid, half:hearted, hating, un-
der the lead of Ex-Governor Johnston, of Penn.
sylvania, who has been repeatedly pulled as
an Anti-Savery man, they would have preferred
to ignore every question connected with Sla-
very, but, as this was introduced, and passed
upon, they avowed their purpose to cooperate
with no oganization, the result of whose party
action should be to endorse the Kansas Ne
braska bill. Such position, at this crisis of
our history, is beneath criticism. The Sece-
ders themselves, it seems, were willing to sur
tho ubolo 6 Al
single point. Their ultimatum was this:
"Resotred, That the repeal of the Missouri
Compromise was an infraction of the plghted
faith of the Nation, and that it should be re-
stored; and if efforts to that end shall fail.
Congress should refuse to admit any State toll
Grating Slavery, which shall be formed out of
any portion of the Territory from which that
Institution was excluded by the Compromise"
The only demand made, was, to redress
single wrong, to back out from single ag-
gression. Tacit acquiescence in all the other
aggressions of Slavery, in all its usurpations,
in the slave code of the District of Columbia,
in the Compromise Acts, and in the Fugitive
Slave Act of 1850, was implied-and we see
not the slightest recognition of the necessary,
and Freedom, not the slightest indication of a
purpose to secure to Freedom ascendency in
the Federal Government. The Northern mem.
bers could not have taken lower ground, with
out covering themselves with infamy-they
could not have demanded less, without provo.
king the contempt even of their Southern
brethren-but even this humble demand was
sternly denied. Not a Southern man would
listen to it-not Southern man would be salts
fed with anything less than ratification of
all the usurpations of Slavery, and pledge to
maintain them.
The secession of the Anti-Slavery members
was then necessity. Had they submitted,
political death at the hands of their constitu.
ents would have been their fate. But. so ha.
bitual has been the subservence of Northern
politicians, that Wilson, Ford, and their fellow
seceders, deserve credit for the step they have
taken. We have no authentic reports of the
speeches of these gentlemen in Council, but the
Tribune correspondent represents them as glow
ing with the spirit oflberty. One thing, however,
is certain; they demonstrated their consistency
with their previous declarations, by resisting
the proslavery action of the Council, and, fail
ing to defeat it, by Withdrawing, and by SUBJ
hitting their appeal from its decisions, to the
People.
AS to the National Council, it has succeeded
in organizing National Know Nothing Party,
on an open Pro-Slavery Platform. 1t is to be
Anti Catholic and nti-Foreign, but the rule of
secresy is abolished. How many Councils in
the Free States will recognise the national
lied" Order, remains to be seen. All the
Southern Councils, of course, will be gratifed.
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and
California, will probably adhere; but consider.
able secessions may be expected In the
other Free States, generally, the Councils will
probably sunder their connection, hut then
there will be seeessions of the Nationals.
The new Party, with its mask of Secresy
thrown off, would seem to be an amalgam OF
bunker Whigery and Native Americanism,
and it takes the place of the old National
Wing party. The Wings of the South, the
Silver Grays of the North, and the bipoted
Natives" in both sections, will constitute the
main body, with recruits of disafected Demo.
Gratis, Quietists, Union Savers, &c.