The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-06-03

ready at hins - ~ n, kneok down
end drug cut" Il - csase q as clsn'
bis church, or biz party. without being very nice
OF inquisitive sssut principles or coasequences
It Yves quite natural, tea. heretofore, mat the
Irish Catholic after landing upsa orr sAeres and
casting about him tor the political party best
suited 70 represent bis right4 biz wrongs and bis
ssoIratioos-yes. IL WAS altogether consstentthat
be should strike hands and ideatify his citizen
shin and bis fortunes with the democratic party.
with The nomiDation Of General jackson for
President (the next thing to native born Irish
nan), an impulse was given to the movement of
that people coming among u.s. which soon re-
suited In the acquisition, en- msasss, Of our heavy
subsequent Irish reinforcements BY the dominant
democracy. The bulk of the Germans, from still
broader democratic considerations, went the same
way.
Our democratic politicians and pipeisyers were
not slow In sppropriating these European re-
oruits to every possible advantage. Corruptlons
aud excuses soon followed. When the occasion
demanded it, the democracy could turn out
thousands Of newly made citizens TO order; and
here ard there, at available points, the more bel
ligerent Of these ignorant but faithful recruits
were used effectively to frighten or beat of the
opposition non combatants from the polls. Aud
II is in these md other similar causes that we
may discover the origin Of these retallatory
movements of the native Americans, from 1874
to the present day.
Where these violent and bloody collisions be-
tween native Know Nothings and German and
Irish Catholic democrats are to end is the pro-
blem still to be solved. Nothing. in all the his
tory Of the wars Of races and sects, could be
better adapted for fighting and rioting, killing
and burning, thau the test oaths and obligations
of the sworn Know Nothing for the political ex-
termination Of aliens and Roman Catholics. But
"Sam," ia the elections Of the last two years, has
received some wholesome lessons. His dark laa-
tern has been put out, his secret mummeries he
has been compelled to recant, and from the Louis
vile National Council he may perhaps emerge
with principles more consistent with the consti-
tuition, and better adapted to the liberal and
progressive spirit of the age. At the same
time, the leaders of the democratic party, let us
hope, have learned enough since the election of
poor Pierce to discover that the party can never
be rebuilt upon the corruptious and election ex-
cesses which have done 80 much to demoralize
and break 1t to pieces.
Thus although this rabid and morbid native
reaction Of Know Nothingism has destroyed itself,
it has not been unproductive Of some good re-
cults 1t has admonished our adopted fellow
citizens not only of the full extern. of their rights
but of the dangers of overlapping them. 1t has
warned our party pipelayers of the perils of such
party election instruments as gangs Of rufians at
the ballot boxes, and of the folly of such party
Subdivisions, for example, as native democrats,
German democrats and Irish Catholic democrats;
but above all, these impotent excuses Of Know
Nolhingism have proved to the general satisfac
ton Of the country, that against all impositions
false pretences and Jack-o' lanterns, Americans"
as defined in the constitution, are competent "to
rule America"