Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-08-01

Total,


Total, 80
When Congress assembled and the election of
Speaker came on, eighty:tOEr out of these ninety
Know NOthings proved be AbOlitiOnists and voted
for Banks of Massachusetts, the recently nominated
Know Nothing Black Republican candidate for Gov
ernor in that State. While Mr.. Banks was admitted
to be an AbOlitiOnist he also declared himself
sworn member of the Order In the course of the
House proceedings we find that Mr.. Letcher said:
''Now let me try the gentleman from Massachu-
sets; does he belong to the organization called
Know NOthings?"
Mr.. Banks in reply said:
al belong to an organization-not that know it
is called by the name Know Nothing but that an
swers the description that is generally understood
by the name in my own town. Nobody has asked
me the question. have never declined to answer
it, and nobody has screwed me up to it."
This is the same Banks who was willing ''tO let
the Union slide, and who believes in an amalgama
ton of the black and white races.
During the same elections of 1854, the Know
NothiDgs defeated the Democrats for Governor in
ten of the free States, viz: Morrill, of Name over
Paris, national Democrat; Metcalf, of New Hamp-
SHIRE over Baker, national Democrat; Gardner, of
Massachusetts,; Hoppiu, of Rhode Island; Minor, of
Connecticut; Grimes, of Iowa, Chase of Ohio, over
Medil, national Democrat Bingham, of Michigan,
over Barry, national Democrat and Pollock of Penn
sylvania, over Bigler, national Democrat.
The whole ten Governors thus elected, all voted
for Fremont, abOlitOnists, and hostile to the
south. This same party then in the free States
elected aud aided in electing eleven Senators of the
United States, viz:
Fessenden, Abolitionist and Know Nothing from
Maine; John P. Hale and James Bell, Abolitionists
and Know Nothings from New Hampshire, over
Wells and Williams, national Democrats Henry
Wilson, AboltiOnist and Know Nothing, from Mas
sachusets, to succeed Edward Everett national Whig
Foster for the long term and Gillett for the short
term, from Connecticut, the former to succeed the
latter, both AboliGOnists; Charles Durkee, Know
Nothing and Abolitionist, from Wisconsin. They
also aided in electing Seward, from New York, AbO
national Democrat; TrumbulI, from Illinois, over
Shields, national Democrat.
Thus it was for the first time in the history of
those States that all the Governors, Senators and
eighty out Of their ninety members of Congress-
turned out to be Aboltoniss ofthe deepest dye and
were cleo ed as KnO0 Nothiags. Such we're some of
the fruits of the first years work of the Know Moth
ing Order in the free States 1--WE cannot take time
to 90 into their local legislation such the appoint
ment of their famous "Hiss smelling committee
gotten up by the Legislature of Massachusetts to
visit all the Catholic schools and, under the pre-
tence of hunting up evidence of the inquisitiOn,
insult the nuns in charge-such as their act of
notification, in refusing to the Federal authorities
the use of their as for the safe keeping Of fugitive
saves-such as their act authorising the admission
of negro children in to the public schools upon
equality with the whites-their act to permit all
negroes to vote who could read and disfranchise
all white persons who could not read-Or their act
expelling, paupers, all poor foreigners from their
territory. But to continue:
During the last Presidential election almost the
entire party in the free States that had short time
before belonged to the Know Nothing order, the
same party that elected the ninety members of Con-
gress the ten Governors and eleven Senator'S threw
of the mask and voted for Fremont for President.
Mr.. Fillmore received for the Presidency in no
one of the free States even a respectable vote. He
received in the whole United States the electoral
vote of but one State. From the time the Know
Nothing party in the free States made its appear
ance up to this time, it has, upon every occasion
when assembled in State convention adopted reso-
lutions hostile to the south and against the intro
ductiOn of any more slave States.
In addition to this, the Z n. order at this time
has separate organization in the north from that
of the Republican party. Republicanism and Know
Nothingsm are one andth same thing. From sll the
northern States the K n order has not elected single
member to the next Congress. II has been absorbed
~ Black Republicanism. 1t established Abolition
ism as positive element of power in the north, and
hen dissolved organization except in sfew States
Wherever 1t yet has existence, it is secondary to
Republcanism and is allied with it. In Pennsyl
vania at this time, the fugitive members of this
disabanded party supporting ,Wilmot the notori-
Gus Aboltionist, for Governor. The President of
this powerless faction has put forth his proclama-
tion urging all true Americans to vote for Wilmot
in Massachusetts, they met together, a short time
since in State convention and nominal ed for Govern
TOR of that State n P Banks the Abolition exSpea-
.ker. In every public meeting they have held in the
north, they have adopted strong ant-slavery reso-
utiOns denounOing the Supreme Court for its decision
fn the bred Scott case.
Thus it will be seen that though brief and in
glorious, the Know Nothing order has not been
without its results Volumes would not thoroughly
portray the enOrmties it has committed. Ten lines
would be more than adequate to chronicle every good
1t has accomplished. 1t has dwinded down to the
most contemplate faction, and the people of Ten
essee asked to throw away their political power
in the nation by entrusting it into such hands For
them to do so, insanity must first become an cpl
demic, and rage with violence from one extreme Of
the State to the other. As this is not very proba-
bic we reasonably hope that after the ensuing cleo
Tennessee,