Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1856-03-22

Aadi,eEssips 1Ah lats Oonsent;oa Of r
cthings Hoso and s0hy they met, and a lao
!: snaaasr 81 pestiqg g vas -" ""4s
Says Shakespeare, = He is bastard to t;mo 4.
doth not smack Of observation !" and how IT.. mat
illegimate to the tiinc is be- whose discernaseg
has not detected the gross the arrant want of
tn'ng like unity, harmony, and everv o,h:y
required chatacteristic Of national conven,ion e
the late Know Nothing Convention held in pt, n
+ delPhn Dust see with what yenomous conts,n" a
with what sincere and whitening dsdain, the norIss
ern section OF the concern is splitting upon the rh
affair. Yes 1.-THE Northern Know Nothnss whole .t
alone who gave il its early and only spasmod;c "Us
cess, those who nnrsed and watched over il mn su
little age and time developed the defornitv Of y"
monster. are now spurning and splitting upon I %e
disgusting object They do not even manifrst e ae
the socitude n'aternal ordinarily felt by mott.
for her Informed brat And see at the South hoa
the more honest and conscientious of the par,r 's
those high-minded Wings, who from tradition,s a
position to Democrats sympathized with the mos p
ment, are Conforming and loathing, in speech ,na
Editorial leader, the ridiculous apology for nn,
al convention, which deseerated the 22d of FpL,"
ry at Philadelphia. And why is all this? Becs"s'
said Convention met to consult about measure =.
attain no high ends by noble means; :" because u
met with no intention Of disposing of wrong Inv a.
substitution Of right because it's two master ss Wv
were, one an obscene priest, the other an ayovsI
and branded traitor because the sole object Of i.
meeting was " To avenge. private not pnh;s
wrong" that prirGte grievance being that its man"
bers are not in officeare not exchequer puard;.ns
Of what George the Third called "golden mlss
Thus it was, the objects Of the Convention and fl.
character and style of proceedings after it met
which have caused it to be visited by SO much ;',
scorn and merited contumely since il has been dis
banded. 'N'
Let it now be seen what encouragement the Knov
Nothngs of the South have in the prospect of ths
election of Mr. Fillmore: At their cabai clamorins
Convention of the 22d ult.. all who voted for NJ
Fillmore, in some shape or other represented mi
norities: that is to say, those who sustained him
from the South with much alacrity, were from
States that give certain and reliable maiores for
| Democracy; States where Know Nothingism is in
minority SO hopeless and despairng that scarcely
the breath Of the gods could inspire it into cheerful
ness: and those who from the North went for him
with SO much evident reluctance were speaking the
suffering, stammcring, reluctant voice of ,nnortu
| factions of the X. N. party ITSELF Mr.. Fillmore
did not receive the cheerful, hearty undivided SUD-
port of any State which as a straght-out, old.ins
Wing. he could have reasonably counted upon nor
OF any State North which heretofore has been claim.
ed as safe for the Know Nothings. Is there much
encouragement in this view Of the case?
When Mr. Fillmore belonged to the Wing party,
it was always claimed, AM with every degree Of
|
of the principte the very ''ninth power cubed" of
the declared, intact tenets of that party But where
| are the principles that are to be embodied, the
abstract doctrines that to be living realities in
the person and name of Mr. Fillmore. now? The
Philadelphia council THAI cloud before the storm
annuled and cancelled every thing like principle or
tenet that had been previously avowed by the shred
of the party at the same place year or so before.
The oath and the secresy, two things which more
than any thing else had attracted the vicious the
curious and the ignorant, but which the same time
repealed the vrtuous the intelligent and the noble
had been thrown overheard. The 18th section, a
Paraphrasc of similar section in the creed Of the
Democratic party, pron,ulged at Baltimore in 49,
was expunged and then all was gone that had distn
guished the Know Nothings peculiar people"
The Convention met, composed principally of ad
journers from the council and after stormy debates
angry retorts, eliminating assaults and recrimina.
ting rejoinders. disbanded without the enunciaton
of single new dogma OF the reitcration If single
previously held tenet leaving Mr. Fillmore, the man
Of principles the very Atridcs platforms without
principle Or a>plank to stand on. Is there any
thing very encouraging in this?
Not more than fourth of the number of the
Congressional Districts were represented in the Con.
vention and in instance entire State waspre.
sent in the person of selfconsttutcd delegate who
assumed to speak and vote for all the Districts in
his State; while some States were not represented
eitncf III person Ol
the assumed authority of selfcrcated deputies.
What amount of encouragement is there in this!
The sum total of the matter is, that Know Moth.
ingism had worn itself out before the few obscure
persons composing the Convention met There was
nothing to be expected from it, and consequently
there was not of first rate, nor even of sec.
ond rate distinction not even one of the doubtful
distinction belonging to the best men of its own
sort no Rayner there, no Wilson there, and there
no Flournoy. A Donelson was there, and his pr'
vate secretary, rererend Brownlow!! Of those
who there, there were no less than four differ
ent factions viz: the men from the South who were
at first sincere about Southern rights and the 18th
section, and those from the same section who were
willing to yield both to the available" tactics OF
the party; the mensfrom the North who made pro-
LESSONS Of regard or the South and the 18th Sec
ton, and those others who glored in their abolition
ism and correspondent with their brethren at the
Pittsburg Convention. Each of these factions had
mutual distrust of the others equal to that OF Ape
mantas in Timon of Athens, which distrust as the
Convention progressed had added to its mutually
that worst sort of hatred, which is engendered
among pretended friends whose only bond OF unlon'
sympathy aud effort is common hostility to
common foe.
However, "while there is life there.is hope, and
in full view Of all the discouragements, and Of all
the ridicue thathas been cast upon the Convention
the New York Herald throws out ga cheer iof
them to the windward," by giving the Know Moth
ings four States.
Mr.. Fillmore win have much cause to felicitate
himself when he comes home. 1886.
Portsmouth, Va, March 10th.
An EDrroR's LIrE.-A gentleman who formerly
conducted aweekly paper writes to friend in tns y
country, who has recently assumed the charge ="
daily paper, as follows:
"You must live in and for the paper. Theresno
vof1