Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-06-11
THEIR HSTIGATIONS TO VIOLENCE BY
KNOW NOTHING LEADERS.

KNOW NOTHING LEADERS
We have already copied from the Washington
papers an account of the riot in that city at their
recent municipal election, gotten up by set of i'm
ported throats from Baltimore calling themselves
"Plug Uglies," which resulted in the death of a
number of innocent persons. 1t viii be seen from
the following editorial Of the Washington Star that
the Know Nothing leaders, instead of clothing them
selves in sackcloth and ashes have been giving
their sanction to such proceedings by endeavoring
to lay the blame upon the President and city au.
thorites:
THE LATE RIoTs.-Our readers have been fully
informed of the miserable attempt by few speak
ers in front of the City Hall on Tuesday evening to
incte renewal, at day not distant, Of the horrible
scenes Of "bloody Monday in Washington. How
men occupying respectable positions in the cOmmU-
nifty hope to justify their extraordinary course,
it is difficult to conjecture.
1t is in evidence that the peaceable and order
loving citizens of Washington assembled in their
various Wards on Monday last to exercise the ina
lienable privilege Of choosing their officers for
the government of the city; that while so engaged
they we're interrupted by hired gang of DULLES
and cut-thrOats imported from Baltimore that this
filthy crowd trayersed the streets and pavements of
the federal capital to the terror of women and
children and unarmed men; that at an hour proba-
bly, precOncerted, they proceeded to beat with
stones and bricks, shoot with pistols, and menace
with almost every species of deadly weapon, all
such persons as dared to express opinions contrary
to their own to attempt to deposit their votes in
the ballot-box; that they travelled from ward to
ward, and particularly insulted and abused all such
as they came in contact with charged with the crime
of foreign birth; that they finally succeeded by
threats and actual deeds of violence in closing the
polls.
Here is a plain and unvarnished statement Of
facts which be proved by hundreds of the oldest
and best citizens of the metropolis statement
which no man, of any party or sect, having the
slightest regard for the truth, and UnWarped by the
vilest bigotry and prejudice, dare attempt to deny
Our city, our peace, our homes, very fresides,
were literally invaded and absolutely attacked by
a pack of cowardly, treacherous rufians, whose
aU01csd object was conquest and murder. Would it
have been less ereditable to surrender to the troops
of foreign government than to give up the streets
and ballOt-boxes of Washington to an infamous
horde of unwashed miscreants collected from the
lowestdens of adjoining city?
There was but one course left. The police had
been overpoWered; riot abOunded in every quarter
the "Plug Uglies as pestilent and scrofulous
breed of scOundrels as he'll itself could vomit from
its yilest crater-Were marched in double column
along the sidewalks, displaying heavy hammers,
clubs, revOlvers, knives, &c, and calling in loud
terms upon the natives" to rally and assist them
in their develsh pursuit of the Irish Germans and
such other persons as they IN their wisdom had de-
termined should not be allowed votes in the city.
At this crisis, the Mayor requested the President
to call out the Marines. The ''Plugs" and their
cOnfederates in crime then secured a brass piece
and after filing it with lead and stones planted it so
TO rake the ballOt-bOX and bid open defiance to
both the civil and military power. Even after these
outrageous proceedings, the Marines did not fire
until the enemies Of law and order had commenced
firing their pistols upon them.
The deaths Of some innocent persons will be sin
cerely regretted by ALL but it was necessary to set
a terrible example, and sustain the laws of the land
The writer of this article was exposed to the fire of
the Marines, and perhaps narrowly escaped q shot;
but had he been injured he would have blamed no
one but himself
The 'indignatiOn" meeting on Tuesday evening
a disgrace to the city. The man, whether in
high or low position, who apologies for criminals,
incies mob spirit in the community, or abuses and
denounees those who attempt to restore order is to
say the least, guilty of high offence. 1t would
have been little more proper, perhaps, to express
'indgnatiOn" in regard to the conduct of the Bali-
more rufhans, who after shooting our citizens ran
away at the smell Of powder, and used their revo-
Yers on their return home upon the COWS Of the
neighboring farmers of Maryland.
In conclusion, may remark that humanity alone
would have dictated the proprity Of employing the
Marines Another contest between the citizens,
which would have been unavoidable, would have
resulted, perhaps in the loss of a hundred valuable
lives.