Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1857-05-01

Eg" When we hear Know-nothings
extolling truth as praiseworthy and com
mcndable, we should have some hope for
their reformation if they did not cling
with so much tenacity to a system so ut
terly at variance with the spirit of that
beautiful virtue.
The best criterion Of their sincerity is
to be found in that feature Of their creed
which imposes upon them Tie necessity
of resorting to prayarication ana false
hood in order to avoid the kindred crime
OF moral perjury The oaths aiminis-
tered upon the Initiation Of caulilatos
for admission into the several successive
degrees cannot by possibility be kept in
violate by those who remain in the order
without either the evasion Of the truth
or the Affirmation of falsehool, or the
violation of one OF Tie social courtesics
OF friendly intercourse. To illustrate ::
The candidate for initiation swoars that.
under no circumstances AMI by no means,
will he, while his connection with the
order subsists, disclose the existence Of
snch an organization or the names of his
fellow members. If the question is pro-
pounded to him whether he himself, or a
given person who is known by him to be
member, belongs to the order, the an
swcr must be either that he is a member
that would be moral perjury; Or that
he is not mcmbcr-that would be a
falsehood or that he knows nothing
that would be an evasion of the truth
or he must stand mute and refuse to an
swer--and that would be a violation Of
social courtesy.
With such a code Of morality as the
basis Of its organization, no one need Ia
surprised hat alsebood should be re
sorted TO in seeking 10 promote It's Objects.
1t is the handspring Of the machinery
by which all lis operations are regulated
To instance: 1t jsn9w we'll auown that
those Kuow nothing heraabou,s WHO arc
just now 50 lavish ia their praise Of truth
have taken the pledge above referred to
and that taeg still continue in full fellow.
ship with the order. 1t is Just as vel
known that they have been repeatedly
asked by their most intimate persona
friends, who were unwilling to belicv,
the outside reports that they we're mem
bers of the order. whether they did belon,
to it or not, and in every instance the.
have most solemnIy asservated that the,
did not The inquiry has been put t
them in every possible form to proclud
evasion, and their answers have beef
direct that they did not then nor a
any previous time belong to the Know
nothings or any organization called b,
any persons by that name. Indeed, som
Of them, who arc now ia the enioymen
of public favor, bestowed before tn
origin of Know-nothingism, and VIII
are anxiously looking forward to AM
zealously laboriRg for continuation Q
that favor, have not scrupled to declar
TO their former friends their readiness t
take solemn oath on the Holy Evangel
of Almighty God that they had nOthini
to do with this thing called Know-noth
ingisn.
Through the kindness Of friend, W
have been lately furnished with data g
character not to be qucstionodby Know
nothingism Itself, Of which We shall
from time to time, avail ourselves to sho,
that however handsomely their tongue
may tall, Of tra,h, thair hearts and ,iei
practices are far FROM o.
Be- The Democratic State Contra