The true Democrat., 1856-03-11
Letter from Pope County.
Pope County, March 5, Io56. EDITOR TRUE DEMOCRAT-

III tHc peS lHIIilS Ol huOW NOIulH lSlll | in our country: it came to pass, that many men whose vcracity heretofore has never been doubted, joined the Seystylea " American" :" or Know Nothing party, and for reasons obvious denied their connection with it, and even the existence of their councils, whereby they for feited the confidence of their friends, and the public. For since the facts have been revealed, it is useless for any of us who have ever been connected with that party to say we have left it, that we are no longer members, or to de- clair our dsconnection with it, for no one will give it credence, and it would be unreasonable to ask, or expect deceived public to give it credit, when they had been so repeatedly told by members of the party, that they did not be- long to the Kiaow Nothing" party, when it was known by no other name. What assurance have they that it is not a ne0 trick? There fore we are required, and very justly too, to give some evidence of our withdrawal, and are driven to the necessity of declaring through some public journal our disconnection with the party.
 As deplorable as that state of affairs may be, and as unenviable as our condition is it is but too true. The confidence of the public has been betrayed, their jealousies aroused, until one neighbor will not trust another for his po- litical opinions, and many will be the changes with some, before they restore themselves to the confidence they once enjoyed.
 joined council No 94, in Bill Mes store, (not in his lint room,) in July last was bare ly initiated was told that the initiating fee was tif- ty cents, that it would cost me seventy-fve cents to take the next degree, and something more for the third. 1 found great deal of secrecy and mystery about it, learned that it was neces- sary fer the president of the council to com init to memory certain things contained in a small book, and when thus committed, to burn tue book! A new idea to me, not sublime one, but one very ridiculous in my estimaton.-- That so valuable a book, one through which the very life of the nation was to be preserved it's youthful health and vigor restored, to be burned to ashes, its useful instructions oblter- ated, to prevent any except tavored tel0, who were to be enriched by its lessons, from gleaning its invaltsabe contents, whilst Ameri- ca's sons were standing around, watching its sinking condition, with hands ready to admin ster to its relief, or smite that foreign foe, who with daggar raised, was ready to nflict the ia tai blow. These all had very strange appear ancc to me, for the machinery of political party in republican government, where the sover- laiC, ic aA f lo md hnra the public should be advised (not one part in the dark and the other sworn to keep them so) to sustain that form government.
 I left there, rather disgusted than pleased, with many strange thoughts flying in rapid sue cession through my half bewildered mind, for 1 had taxed my wits to their utmost talent to apply this new invention to politics, to the ma chnery of our government, which in my mind seemed rather to distract than facilitate the present mode and before reaching home, resol- we'd to never visit another Know Nothing coun- cil and true 1 never have.
 am an old line whig and in that council met some ofmy oH ,chg friends upon whom I would cast no reflections and to whose motives 1 would 
 1 do not charge any notwithstanding me in, nor with getting me out. 1 went ihvoluntarily and came out in tn, same manner, and it is not for the mere sake of seeing my name in print that l publish my withdrawal, but from the reasons heretofore given: nor is it from aspirations for office that 1 withdraw It is true hold town ship office, but no man would join, or leave party, for the sake of mere township office; but from the very feelings which should actu ate every southern man, do 1 withdraw.
 It is asserted by the friends of Know Nothing ism, that their party rose upon the ruins and in spite of the two old party organizations, which had alternately ruled and ruinei the country" that those old parties had become "corrupt" These are things North Ameri- cans " might assert, but of which South Amer jeans" should ever be ashamed. Or have they sold themselves to the north, and proud ly repeat after the immortal Pike, "he a0hole north is ,uiM us'? And will they now in the face of reason, and the better sense oi the south, and on the heels of their efforts to hold Mir. Fuller up before the southern people, as sound Nebraska man, join the north in pouring out its vituperaton upon the friends of the Nebras- ka act say that it should never have been pas scd, etc?
 deny that either of the old parties, in their alternate ruling, had ruined the country, or that either had become corrupt, and regard Know Nottingham, as a sure destruction to sound IL f politics.
 confess the old whig party has become so far disorganized to leave us powerless, and that we have but one alternative left us to show any thing like consistency as southern men, and that is, to unite under the democra. tic banner, around whose standard the national democracy, the Union loving and the consti- tuition abiding men nobly rallied, in the late contest for Speaker in Congress. This I say we can do with consistency, and if we will lend our aid to that gallant band, we may yet save this Union from the impending danger with which it is threatend by northern fanati- csm, which in my opinion, is just what the inn mortal Clay and Webster, (the fathers of our party,) would do if they were alive and here, and we will not ask the acltole north '" to be with us, but just such as are willing to defend the constitutional rights Of the States respec- lively, such as supported the Nebraska Kansas act
 This, I repeat, we can do with consistency If I mistake not, in 1848, when Gen. Taylor was candidate for the Presidency it was pub- licly proclaimed, that the old issues, between the two old partes were settled, were obsolete etc., and since no new issues have been sprung between them; except it was in 1852 when Gen. Scott was candidate for the Pre-