Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1856-02-07

"Order," who. having been thoughtlessly
and innocently drawn into it, and finding
that they were deceived as to its purposes,
have answered the suggestions of conscience
by abjuring the oaths and obligations there
in illegally administered.
With you, gentlemen, abides under the
sanction of the House Of DelesaAs>the pow
er of fascertaining the truth or falsity Of these
serious allegations. I am powerless in the
premises, beyond the making known to you
what fear and believe in regard to them.
You, however, in the exercise of the pow
er, conferred upon you, to send for persons
and papers, and to examine persons under
oath, as to the existence Of secret societies,
and the ends they propose to accomplish,
may bring before you the living witnesses,
and the record proof which can efectually
set at rest the questions at issue. 1t will
give me great pleasure to facilitate, by all
the means in my power, the objects for
which your committee was raised; and IN
compliance with the request in your note Of
yesterday, respectfully suggest that you
take means to procure copies of the follow
ing papers, entitled as follows, viz: ''The
Constitution of the National Council of the
United States of North America" and tho
accompanying s'Constitution for the govern
ment of subordinate Councils, The Con-
stitution of the North Carolina State Coun-
Gil, adopted January 18th, 1852 and adj
dress adopted in the State Council Of Massa-
chusetts, June Doth, 1855; resolves of the
State Council of South Carolina, adopted at
meeting held at Charleston, August 18th,
I1S55-copies of which papers, I regret, 1
have not at hand to lay before you. | have
no doubt, however, the committee will be
able, if they desire it. to procure them.
would further respectfully suggest that
you summon before you the delegates from
this State, to the Convention, said to have
been held at the City of Cincinnati about the
close of the year 1854, and also the dele
gates from this State to the National Coun-
Gil held at the city of Philadelphia in tho
month of June last.
This last body, whose proceedings are said
to have been conducted in secret, issued
what purports to be platform of principles,
to which I would respectfully refer you. I
do so, because in the Sth section of said pub
licatien, the policy Of the Roman Cathelic-
Church in our country is denounced as ag-
gressive, and organized political resistance
to those of the Catholic faith plainly inlica-
ted and encouraged thus introducing re
Egious issues into the field of political agita-
ton"
The 14th section Of this platform declares
''that all the principles of the order shall be
henceto,th everywhere openly avowcd and
that each member shall be at liberty to make
known the existence of the order, and the
fact that he himself is a member; and it re-
commends that there be no concealment ctthc
place of meeting Of subordinate Councils"
Here we have the most conclusive proof
that to the date of the publication of this
platform everything connected with the cor
der" was a matter Of secrecy: its members
bound to conceal its existence, and their con-
nection with it and from the specific state
ment above quoted Of what its members are
now sat liberty" to reveal, the conclusion is
inevitable that there is still left, that, which
they are not allowed to disclose to the unin-
itiated.
[ further suggest that you summon be-
fore you such persons of responsibility as are
now known to have been connected with the
IOluCl, dlu dISO OtilSlo WIZ CiC AuClIi-
bers of the same, and that you seek to have
produced before you the secret work or ritu-
al of any secret political order, as may be in
the possession of any State or subordinate
Council in this State, or of any agent or Of
fcer of the same.
Should your inquiries result, as I trust
they may, in satisfying the public mind that
there are no such secret political combina
tions, or that no oath, obligations, or pledges
are administered in such councils, to the
prejudice of any class of American citizens,
, and that there does not exist any design or
purpose in such societies to s'trouble, mo-
lest or discountenance," or to exclude from
preferment, or Office, any citizen in conse-
quence of the religion he processes, or the
place of his nativity, no one will be more
pleased than myself, and none more ready
to acknowledge that injustice has been done
to large class our people. If however,
the proofs adduced before your committee
shall conclusively establish that secret poll
tical councils have been organized among
US for the purposes and designs attributed
to them, [ humbly conceive that there can
be little or no diversity of opinion as to their
tendency to subvert ''the well established
and dearly cherished principles of our gov
ernment." The Constitution degrades no
man either on account of his place of birth,
or his religious opinions, but equally covers
every citizen of the State, of whatever faith,
or wheresoever born, with its protecting
shield. And if it shall be made to appear
that in such of these political councils as
may be shown to exist, oaths or pledges are
administered for the purpose of qualifying
or restraining the exercise of the right Of
outrage, in any manner unknown to, or un-