The true Democrat., 1856-04-22

tue smallest appropriation to improve either of . our rivers, although acknowed ged to be prope, s ss objects for such appropriations. 1 trust that our efforts in fut will be regarded with more ! favor In all these important propositions 4 shall, without doubt, have the co-operation ot the whole delegation, which, I am prond to say, are uni and act together with the mt. most harmony.
 Fellow. citizens, 1 cannot close this address
 without aiuding, briefly, to the political oues- }, tiohs "hlch now are exciting the whole country. hiorth ana south As your representative you
 are entitled to know my opinions upon all qu as-
 bons Ill any way connected with my public
 Putles. l have no opinions which 1 desire to
 E'hceal. would be unworthy of your conf
 uehce, II l entertained opinions upon any sub
 Ject affecting you politically or otherwise, that
 was unwilling, publicly, to avow After the
 triumphant success of the democratic party and
 their principles in 1852 our political oppo
 nents seemed to acqnesce in the result The
 prlnclples Of the two parties had been freel,
 and fairly discussed before the people, and they
 had rendered their verdict through the ballot
 box. The American people did not suppose
 at that time that, within the short space of
 eighteen months, any new party would present
 itself In opposition to the time honored prin-
 clples Of the democratic party; but expected to l
 cohiended for years past. But we were met
 by party who professed to have arisen upon
 the ruins of the old whig and democratic par ! ties, charging that both the old parties were corrupt and asserting that they were the lonly pure party in the country. They were Icalled and known as the KnoeU N0thinq party. This party has arise in your midst, which. l Tor time, by its secret and midnight opera tons, concealed from the public its objects and designs. It originated in that fanatical spirit of intolerance which had marked the aggres- slve policy of the abolitonists upon the consti- tutonal rights of the south; and, therefore in- | cluded in it's ranks and councils the same class of men. And in that dark recess aboltionism and Know Nottingham embraced with brother ly affection; and the united band, at least in the northern States marched in one common brotherhood in their unrelenting warfare upon the constitution of our country. Their cry is. "Down with the south and her institutions! D then Down with the foreign born citizen and | the Roman Catholic"
 Not only in the north, but in Arkansas, one ot the southern States of this Union, has this | k1aoao Nothing party found advocates of these proscrlptve and intolerant doctrines. You are awarey also, that whenever we charge upon this f party prescription and intolerance, they deny the charge, and refer us to their published plat form, to which their great convention in June
 last gave birth.
 For the purpose of fixing this charge upon them refer you, fellow citizens, to the speech or one of thelr own party, delivered in the | hall of the House of Representatives during the protracted contest for the election of Speaker. 1 allude to Mir. EUsTIs, of Lousi- ana who declared that his party did prescribe the Roman Catholics; and that if the eighth sec tlon did not mean prescription, it meant noth- ing. In the course of his remarks he reioiced that General Flournoy was defeated in Virginia for the office of Governor; and, as further wi dence of the meaning ami intention of this party, will introduce other testimony which has met the public eye, and therefore higher evidence ot the principles and objects of this party than mere empty declarations of State or national conventions 1 propose to judge of this party, not by what they say, (tor they have placed themselves in such position by their oath of secrecy, that they are not entitled upon this subject to the fullest credit,) but what they have paraded before the country will not in my opinion, relieve their conscien- ces of the abominable oaths they have voun- Garilv taken. The members of this party, or at least such as they thought could not be other wise trusted, have sworn:
 "That they will not vote, nor give their in tluence for any man for any office in the gift of the people, unless he be an American born citi- zen, ia favor of Americans ruling America nor if he be a Roman Catholic; and that they will, when elected or appointe.l to any office or ln6l cial station, conferrng on such officer tn
 CT to do so, remove all foreigners, al
 Roman Catholics from office or place, and
 they will, in no case, appoint such to any office or place within their gift"
 But, it may be asked, upon what ground l make the charge, that these oaths have been taken by the members of this party? My an- swer Is, that have, in my public addresses at home upon this subject, charged it upon them; and that the charge has been publicly admitted hy some of the members of this party, and never denied by any that I am aware of; and that in every instance, when l made this charge, if 1t had been denied, 1 stood prepared to prove my assertion. Then the whole platform of this party is contained in the oaths which l regard as the key to this whole thing; which is, that none but American born citizens shall hold any office of honor or profit, unless he be in favor of KlaoD Nottingham ruling America; and, ill no event, shall a Roman Catholic hold office, whether he be native or foreign born, thus prescribing one and c half millions of the native born citizens of the United States sim ply because they prefer different mode of worship to what we do. 1 am no advocate for the Catholic mode of worship. l am Pro- testant in belief; but 1 am unwilling to pro- scribe my neighbor because he differs with me upon religious faith. If this party should per siSt in this warfare upon one religious denOmi- nation, and should be successful, let me tell you that no religious denomination will be safe Every other church, who may dare to differ with or oppose the policy of this party, will be similarly proscrbed and put down if they have the power to accomplish it. This party have, from the commencement, sought to dl vide and distract the democratic party, and for no other reason than that the democracy have from the beginning, sought to expose the act ings and dongs of the Know Nothing organiza tion, and to hold them up to the public gaze that the world might their desi gns and treachery. We are for the largest freedom of conscience, and seek to prescribe man on account of his birth or his religious sentiments This is not the first time within your recollec- ton and mine, that an attempt has been made to form what tn ey are pleased to call an Ame- rican party in this country.
 In 1889, an organization was commenced under the lead of General Scott, which, how ever, was soon abandoned. In 1842 and 1844, and as late in 1846, party had its origin of this character, ali of which, however, was soon drowned down as unworthy the American people These demonstrations, however, were made in open day, and the people could un- derstand at once the object and intention of the proposition. And imagine, if the present or ranizatioL of the Know Nothings had been openly and publicly, and in the light of day proclaimed, it would have long since met the same fate But they preferred darkness rather than light, and they bound their followers down by oaths of the most degrading character The days of the Hartford convention have not pas sei from your memory so far that we may not trace some of the leading features of the origin of the creed of this proscriptive party. In the days of the revolution, the father of his coun- try never stopped to ask, his noble followers where they were born, or what religion they professed. The foreign born and the native, the Protestant and the Catholic each mingled 1