Arkansas true Democrat., 1857-06-30
Crimes of Know Noihin gism.

neh the party flrSt arose all Know NOth- lngs 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 belonged. They surren- dered thelr consclences, so far as their duty to theIr country was concerned, to the keeping. control, aud 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 be- came mere automata in the hands of ignorant and venal politicians. They thus committed the very offence which they falsely charged on the Catholics; for, while driven by these men to vote ID tolerably compact body in self.de- fence, the Catholics voted inditlerently like other rellglonlsts with either party, as accorded with the preference and judgment of each in- dIvldual; thus ialsltyng and refuting the charge of priestly dictatjon. But the Know Nothings vote in body, in strict compliance with their midnight contract and stipulation and their solemn oaths. The charge which they falsely make against Catholics is true as to them selves.
 The crime of taking bribe for our votes all consists In permitting others to dictate how we shall vote Instead of exercising our own free will and discretion. This crime has been com mltted by all Know Nothings who have taken the usual oaths of the order. We know not how many have taken such oaths, and opv charge with crime those who have
 Very many-nay, most of the busy and ac- tive agents and SetterS up of the party-con- tract by oath to vote as directed, ill expectatjou ot large pecuniary cons dcrations of brbes to be received after voting, if not before 1t. They are men endeAvoring to obtain offices, of high or low degree, in villages, cities, and counties, by means of this sworn and secret organization. Morally, though not legally, these men are oilDed III the woEst sense of the term. They have sold their conscIences, their freedom of Judgment and action, and their obligations as citizens, for an expected pecuniary consdera- ton. Ihis class Is bot the most numerous, but lar the most active, efficient and criminal of the party. Let not these DaIgettys hope toefs, face the brand with which we Stamp them bv charging that the actioli>of the members of all poAetai parties IS influenced by party drill and dlciatlon.
 It is right to listen to counsel, to weigh and respect authority but it is a crime to conh act to submit to dlctation in matters ill which law, conscience, and morality demand of us the free exercise of our judgment and discretion
 The larger portion of the party are men &C., tuated by mere jealously and hatred of foreign ers They are less criminal than those we have described, because they have not super added to a criminal oath the expectation of be- cunlary consideration.
 Again: 1t is criminal to take away vested rights without paying due consideration there- for; yet Know Nottingham proposes to perpe. trate this crime, by practically excluding for elgners from their share of the offices of the country, no matter how superior their qualf- cations.
 Ihnt, 1o,, T tI turalized foreigner from holding office; but ashamed to propose such manifest injustice in legislative halls, in open day, they swore to perpetrate 1t in secret conclave 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 bathed the streets of many of our cities in blood Let them not e K pect to eude this charge by pretending that, ln the fights at the polls, the foreigners were the aggressors. The aggression began before the polls were opened. The midnight con- splracy sanctioned by an oath, which proposed to deprive these foreigners of their equal rights as American citizens, was the first great act of aggression; nor Is 1t credit be that the foreigners who are everywhere in the minority, have in any instance been the assailants, even at the polls. No! The blood shed on these occasions is a 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 united themselves to the party without a full sense of the | objectionable character of the obligations, they incurred. There are cautious over-con- servatve men, who really distrust the capacity of foreigners to fill office or to exercise the right of suffrage. To such men we appeal and ask them to compare ard contrast the political action of their party associates with that of the foreigners and determine which of the two are best qualified to exercise suffrage and fill off ces-which of the two is the most conserva- tive.- Washington Union.