The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1856-04-04
mainly because Of its farfcie,i Strength.

Mutually adIering, then, TO the tenetS okour
respective political creeds, we can vet meet cor
daily and in good faith, upon the common
ground OF antagonism 10 On oath-bound party,
whose pretensions and practices ought to con-
denim fluthr Judgment Of the rejecting, lnde-
pendent, aid conservative men Of ALI parties.
On the common platform Of hostility TO an ass
sociatlon whose tendencies religionsly believe,
are dangerous 70 the civil and religious freedom
of our country, meet YOU with hand and heart.
! e!aimsnot TO bebehind any one in an uncon-
querahle aversion to such a party.
Why am ! opposed 10 i? is it from mere
whim az acaprice1 No. Is il because lis ranks
Save baEn sWeilpd mainly bv deserlers ifom the
Wing haity No. 'lroe, it is to ne bntnil-
fating tact fRsAfbot a femnant Of the Wing par
fy have stood firmly by their colors hardly
.enough. ldderd, tosiEan and siee4 III safrfy, The
old Whig sl,ip, aSidststll$ eiJbs ana Aeqs .and
storms, which 6o& ag5tatp the 'oesal9of is po-
liical existence. But thpis .dislowaty Sexcites
compassion, rather thah $ninosity. 1T IS upon
other and higher grounds that my opposition to
the order rests. | have neither space nor
time 10 enumelatp one half of the objections
that occur 20 me, but VIII venture to present 10
YOU hnrriedlv, one or two reasons sufficient, in
rlght-minded, independent men, whether wbigs
or Democrats
First, despise the subtle arts and trickerey
that by day and by night, are pracliced by
the whipperS-in Of The order, to swell shpir
numbers aud Increase their strength. They ey-
cite he curiosity Of youth. and the crednlity Of
The ignorant: they lantaize the cnpidity Of az
aricous sPoSnen fire the aspirations of the
more ambitious pattizan, and nhamr even the
blind bui honest prrjudices, Of the zealot and
the tgot.
Secondly, ] condemn all secret political COM
binations. In a country like this, where no
trampeIS are imposed upon the freedom Of
speech, they are not only unnecessary, but mis-
cbiev9us. They are at war with the genius of
our people, aud the spirit of our institutions,
whose welfare and preservation depend in no
slight degree, upon the free, open, and manly
discussion in public places, OF those great ma
tional questions in which all are interested
Political principles and public measures need
TO hiding places for their discussion. The
broad sunlight OF day is best adopted 70 their
development and growth. A policy that de-
perds on secrecy Tor success, cannot be inhe-
reptly right And yet, save from rumor, we
know as little Of the midnight councils Of this
! .gr,sat american party" as the unlathomable
- ss1sscrsTs 81 tFis grave.
Thirdly, a most serions objection is the spirit
Of d,spoiSm that rpgnS over this mysterious or
der The old ''Couucl Of Irn," whose iron
sway broke the spirit of the proud Ernetians,
was not more secret or desPotic. 1t is now a
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l,,,.,.,a,,a r;lss ar ,o,,ivncat;on and
,ls.,;o. f.,.,.,. 18th 7 hora
w;lnr,spJ the sudden decay Of old friendships.
and he nfiale practice Of deceit. with the tri-
I'd and ,rusi,d inlinacips Of = Iiistime-all. a
tb,. fruits Of this secret order. Can any one.
INN d,,,bt tba, is tpndsrci.s ar. 10 drbapch
~. nnpic morals. lower the standard of public
and nr;,a,. virtue destroy all confidence b,-
aod ,,a, ard Son H.. v.ry Eounda-
inns ON which r.>ts In. fabric Of socjrty.