The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-03-20

and their faction is kept alive by the Natict
Citizens. They nominated in their councils
ticket for municipal officers, selecting their owr
men, with the exception of Mayor; for which of
fee, conscious that they could not succeed
without cooperation with the Republicans, they
nominated Mr.. Sherman, who was not connect
ed with them, and did not sympathize with them
They published this ticket, and insisted on run
ming it. The Natice Citizen published the state
ment, which was rung in the ear of every adopt
ed citizen till election, that Mr.. Sherman was
an American, and was nominated and support.
ed as such by the Americans.
Mr.. Sherman had already been suggested by
the Republicans for Mayor before this nomi
nation, and, on being addressed by several prom
inent athens on behalf of the Anti ebraska
declared himself a candidate on that issue alone
10 inquiries put to him, he published card
stating that he was not and had never been a
Know Nothing and was opposed to an exten-
SION OF the naturalization term. The Republi-
cans on the whole concluded to sustain the ticket
yet with many misgivings. Unexceptionable
as Mr.. Sherman was as candidate, personally,
the fact of his nomination in the Know Moth.
ing Councils, and his association with Know
Nothings on ticket, together with the statement
of the Citizen, although denied as it was. were
enough to give plausibility to the charge that
the ticket was a Know Nothing one, and the
party which sustained it a Know Nothing party.
This was the key note of the whole campaign.
Know NOthingisnr, Knoso Nothingism, Knop
Nothingism, blazed in every column of the
Douglas sheet the Times. The dernagogues
rang the cry in every saloon ard shop of the
Germans, and told them that unless they went
in a body to the polls to vote for Dyer, the Lou
isville and Cincinnati riots would be repeated on
them. These appeals were sufficient to carry
along men who have been made suspicious by
the organized movement to degrade them, and
the secret crusade against their rights of citi-
zenship. The most intelligent and earnest re-
manned faithful, but they could not lead the rest
The Irish were infamed by constant appeals,
and rushed to the polls with unity and esprit
de corps never before known. All along before
the election, the charge that Sherman was a
Know Nothing was repeated, and as often as it
was denied, it was reiterated. The morning of
the election, placard appeared stating that he
was seen issuing from Know Nothing lodge
and false as the statement was in the excited
state of the public mind it was believed by
many.
The leading Republicans attribute the result
TO the unfortunate position in which they have
been placed. They regret that such a course
was not pursued as to exclude the possible sus-
picion of utilization with Know N othingism. AL
of them concur and such is the prevailing sen
timent of the friends of Freedom in Chicago
that the Order has done infinite and irreparable
damage, in distracting their councils and driv
ing the liberal Germans into the ranks of Ne
braska Democracy.
Dr. Bailey, you are right in your warfare on
Know Nothingism. In exposing and denounc
ing it, you have done a service not inferior to
that you rendered when to speak word for
Freedom was to run the risk of mob violence
and a service, 1 regret to say, that few Anti
Slavery men have had the comprehension to
appreciate, and fewer still the courage to coop
crate. You began the work when the cry on
all sides was hush, be quiet" and now every
earnest and intelligent Anti-Slavery man in the
land is with you. The protested allies of Free
dom, who gave to this crusade its first energy
and its earliest successes, will have to answer
at the bar of God and of Humanity for treason
to the grandest and hottest Of causes. / have
no patience with the meanness and presumption
of your subscribers, who stop your paper be
cause IT utters an independent word on this sub
ject. Tell them that it is their infdelity which
now enables Douglas to boast that Chicago has
succumbed to him.