The Washington union., 1857-06-09
cRnlEs on KNow. NorHINaIsM.

CRIMES OF KNOW -NoTHINGISM.
When the party first arose all know-nothings bound
themselves by secret oath to vote according to the
direction and requirement Of the clubs councils or
superior authorities of the order to which they be.
longed. They surrendered their conscences, so far
as their duty their country concerned to the
keeping, control and direction of midnight meetings
of political hacks They parted with the right and
obligation of all freemen TO vote according to their
sense of duty and propriety, and became au.
tomata in the hands of ignorant and venal poll
ticians. They thus committed the very offence
which they falsely charged on the Catholics for,
while driven by these men TO vote in toleraby
compact body in selfdefence the Catholics voted in
differently like other religionsts with either party
as accorded with the preference and Judgment of each
individual thus fasfyng and refuting the charge of
priestly dictaton. But tho know-nothings vote in
body, in strict compliance with their midnight con-
tract and stipulation, and their solemn oaths, The
charge which they falsely make against Catholics il
true as to themselves.
The crime of taking bribe for our votes all con
sists in permitting others to dictate how shall
vote, instead of exercising free win and dis
cretion. This crime has been committed by all
know -nothings who have taken the usual oas of the
order We know not how many have taken such
oaths and only charge with crime those who have
many--nay, most Of the busy and active agents
and geters-up the partycontract by oath to vote
as directed in expectation of large pccuniary con-
sideratons of bribes to be received after voting if
not before it, They are endeavorng to obtain
Offices of high low degree, in villages cities and
counties by means of this sworn and secret organ
zation Morally, though not legally, these men are
bribed in the worst sense Of the term. They have
sold their conscienccs, their freedom Of Judgment
and action and their obligations as citizens, for an
expected pecunary consideration. This class is not
the most numerous, but far the most active, chi
cent, and criminal of the party. Let not these Dal
gettys hope to etface the brand with which stamp
them by charging that the action of the members of
all political parties influenced by party drill and
dication.
1t is right to listen to counsel to weigh and respect
authority but it is crime TO contraet to submit to
dictation in matters in which law, conscience, and
morality demand of us the free exercise of judg
ment and discretion.
The larger portion of the party are men actuatcd
| by mere jealousy and hatred of foreigners. They
are less criminal than those we have described, be-
| cause they have not superadded to criminal oath
the expectation of pecuniary consideration.
| Again: it is criminal to take away vested rights
without paying due consideration therefor yet
know -nothingism proposes to perpctate this crime
by practically excluding foreigners from their share
of the offices of the country, matter how superior
| their qualifications
| They propose no law disquafyng the naturalized
foreigner from holding office but ashamed to pro
pose such manifest injustice in Legislative halls in
open day, they to pcrpctrate it in secret
| clave at night.
| Another to the list of their crimes and we have
done for the present In attempting to arrest and
prevent the free exercise of the right of suffrage,
they have bahed the streets of many of cities in
blood Let them not expect to elude this charge by
pretending that in the fights at the polls, the for
| eigners the aggressors The aggression began
before the polls were opened The midnight con
spiracy, sanctioned 10y an oath, which proposed TO
deprive these foreigners of their equal rights as
American citizens was the first great act of aggres
sion nor is it credible that the foreigners, who
everywhere in the minority, have in any instance
been the assailants, at the polls. No! The
blood shed these occasions is crime for which
know-nothings, and they alone, have to atone.
| We should not do justice to this party if we did
not describe class of men among them small in
numbers, but highly respectable in character who,
we believe, have united themselves to the party
without full sense of the Objectionable character of
the obligations they incurred. There cautious,
conservative men, who really distrust the ca
pacity of foreigners to fill Office to exercise the
right of suffrage. To such men we appeal, and ask
them compare and contrast the political action OF
their party associates with that of the foreigners
and determine which of the two best qualified to
exercise suffrage and fill ofices-which of the two
| is the most conservative
QUARANTINE CERTIFICATES IN RUSSIAN BALTIC
| PORTS.
| Vessels arriving in Russian Baltic ports no
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