Arkansas true Democrat., 1857-12-08
Know Nothingism-Its Advent and Exit

Know NOth1ngiSm-Its Advent and Exit The progress of this heresv, says the Mobile
 Register, from its first baptism in blood at Phil
 adelphia, to its last carnival of violence in Bal
 timore, has been marked by riot and disorder
 Immediately upon its introduction in any com.
 munity, another element seemed to be added
 to the character of political strife, an intense
 bloody personal hatred of the foreigner. sort of monomania for the murder of Irishmer,
 who were looked upon as the fatted oxen for
 the slaughter-pen. During the brief supre.
 macy of Know Nothingsm, the statistics of
 the country show greater amount of lawless violence than any previous decade of years ex-
 lnSted. Its movements were marked bv the secrecy and severity of the tribunal of free knights in Germany or the putative horrors of the Spanish lnquisiton. They did not go to the same extent, for the age, the country, and form of government rendered that impossible. but their tendencies and temper were the same. So wild was the delrium which over came the popular mind, that many of the best citlzens Of the country were seized with a rag
 ing epidemic, and lent the power of their pre- sence aud negative approval of the acts of the more active and daring leaders
 But 1t is subject of reorganization that the popular American heart has recoved from this l evil has been discovered and appreciated the immnence of the danger from such an associa. ton of members, has been felt, and many of those who once swelled its ranks are now loud est ln their denuncaton. While the feeling of nativism still exists, and the necessity for some modification of the naturalization laws is stl!l maintained by many honest men and true patriots, Know Nottingham as an organization IS dead, Its altars are deserted its councils dis banded and Its huge machinery of signs and cerem0nleS scattered to the winds. It has dis appeared like the simeon from the scene of de- solatlon, and throughout the broad extent of this vast republic retains the semblance of life lh put two communities and they, we regret to say, are southern cties--Baltimore and New Orieans. The incidents accompanying the last municipal election in the former, have been for ten days past the theme of unqualified dem,u- cations by all the presses of the country of every party. The legislature of Louisiana was compelled to pass new election law for New Orleans, to protect its quiet citizens from out rage and violence. The law was at first as- sailed as unconstitutional, and the interposition oi our courts invoked to enjoin its execution, put the policy has been abandoned. and the elecuon will proceed under the provisions of the new election law. But even this shield. it ooVino, "!i hot protect the naturallZed voters tor Tn another column we publish full account oi one of the most daring violations of law which can be found on the record, perpetratad Tn New Orleans on the night of the 27th inst A band of men disguised, deliberately and lei surely paraded St. Thomas street, a public thoroushfare, while the places of business were stlil open, and knocked down, belt, bruised and murdered unottending citizens, for no other Known cause than that they were Irishmen.- The object no doubt was to spread alarm and deter this class of voters from the polls OF Mon- day next. This was not all We learn from me Louisiana Courier, that on "Wednesday. the 28th inst, the register office was sezed by some " notorious members of the Know Nothing party, and not naturalized citizen was allow ed to record his name or give notice of a change of precinct"
 Are any stronger proofs of the nature and tendency of this terrible agency required, than are furnished by the present condition of Balti- more and New Orleans--two cities possessing all the elements of the highest civilization, and yet degraded by scenes of brutal violence and outrage scarcely surpassed in the annals of barbarsm. When will this "reign of terror end, when will this nightmare of horrors be dISpelled: It IS fearful portent when order can be preserved in our cities only by the inter- position of the power of tho State