The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-06-06
The Prudential squabbIe-T The Late Fill
more Know Nothing National Council, and
the Approaching George Law Know No
thing Convention.


the Approaching George Law Know No
thing convention.
The National Council of the Know Nothings,
convened in this city on Tuesday last, has
closed its wonderful labors and adjourned, but
not without having accomplished some admi-
rable and wonderful things.
The most prominent OF its acts, and the most
sensible, although at the eleventh hour of the
day, is the abolition Of the dark lantern, the
secret lodge, the triangular pieces of red and
white paper, the mysteries, outside and inside
doorkeeper, the password. the signs, grips,
mods, winks, blinks and hard swearing which
have heretofore characterized the working
machinery Of the Order. All this foolish
mummery and trumpery being thus done away
with, the brothers of the Order can now 90
before the country and confront their oppo-
nents of all sorts, openly, like Americans, and
in the face of DAY. Mr.. Wise in Virginia
some twelve months OF so past, fought the
test battle with Sam exclusively upon the
bigotries, mummeries and mysteries of the
Know Nothing organization; and it is rather
surprising that the brethren, with the awful
received, should have required whole yea to
decide upon their true policy. As however
it is never too late to do right, we congratu-
late our Know Nothing friends and fellow citi-
zens-no-slaVery and pro slavery-upon this
important step OF their late National Council;
and that thus, at length, their dark lantern is
put out, their doors thrown open, and their
sentinel, with his grips and counter
sgns, is dismissed, to go about his business
The next thing, in point of Importance, de-
cided upon by this late Council, is that the
Philadelphia Know Nothing ticket of Fillmore
and Donelson, and their political platform,
shall stand. This platform, upon the slavery
question, is submission to the laws of the land
and hostility to all sectional agitation. 1t
neither goes for carrying slavery into Kansas
through the aid Of bowie knives and "border
ruffians," nor for making Kansas free State
10y the restoration of the Missouri line; for If
the first plan is revolutionary, the second is
impracticable. This National Know Nothing
Council, therefore, in splitting the difference,
consents to fair trial of the sublime doctrine
OF sauatter sovereignty, line of policy which,
in these dark and threatening times, embodice
the very essence Of human wisdom, or we are
very much mistaken.
This Grand Council, which has thus grandly
distinguished itself amidst all the party de-
moralizations Of this degenerate age, number
ed about one hundred and fifty members on
the first day, gradually dwindling down to
about forty on the third or last day of their
momentous labors. The two lions among
them, giving tone, character, pith and decision
to their deliberations, were Hon. Humphrey
Marshall CT Kentucky, and Hon. John Minor
Botts, of Virginia. The former, as our Minis
ter to China under Mr.. Fillmore's administra-
ion, no doubt imbibed at Shanghae or Can.
on the grand idea of America for the Anne
leans" from the fact that China has been re-
served exclusively for the Chinese for
a good many thousand years. Mr.. Bolts.
our readers will not forget, is the same
Mr.. Bolts who once upon time slept under
the same blanket with Captain TYLER
and then pledged himself to "head him or
die But the sntecedents of Mr. Bolts, in re-.
ference to Mr.. Fillmore, do not appear to have
been quite 80 familiar or cordial, because Mr..
Bolts, with all his apparent admiration Of mir.
Fillmore, did rot swallow the Philadelphia
ticket without q wry face or SO. Yet as he
does swallow II rather gracefully, II IL ell
right.
The grand result IS, that the moderate pro.
slavery ticket Of Fillmore and Dopelson con