Daily national Democrat., 1861-02-13
The Golden Circle and the Pacific Re-
public.

ing, through The Legislature, the following
query TO the different candidates for election
TO the United States Senate:
"Are YOU a member Of certain secret as
I sociation known as the Golden Circle, having
| for It's object the establishment of a Southern
/ Republic composed of Sonora, Chihuahua,
/ Lower California, Arizona, Mexico, New
Mexico, Kansas, Missouri, Louisiana, por-
ton OF Georgia portion Of Alabana, and
South Carolina, Mississippi and Texas 2
Aud adds:
"From what | know Of the workings Of The
Society in general during the last six years,
| am Of the opinion that upon this question
being propoundcd to the candidates, there
will be at least one aspirant less"
The above indicates that the Society Of the
Golden Circle has been in operation, at least
six years, and that one Of the candidates for
the United States Senate, before the present
Legislature, is II member of IT, W men one
of the candidates it is who is the Knight OF
the Golden Circle in question, we certainly
cannot conjecture, but, if there be such a
man. his hypocrisy in pretending sufficient
loyalty to the present Union to apply to the
State for the privilege Of representing her III
the National Legislature, is Of the basest and
Llackcst character Can there be the least
shade of honor in a position of that charoc
ter? We elect "A man TO represent us as
State Of this Union, and he goes to Washing
ton sworn to lend all his secret efforts ard
influence to the breaking up Of that Union
/ Ia. al i'll nf 81 SnuthprD ON
fcderacy lie swears to support the Constl-
tuition Of the United States and is already
bound by previous oath to play the traitor
TO that very Constitution. We cannot be-
lieye that there is such Il man in the field.
Men have heretofore obtained responsible sta
tion under false prctcnses, but this is a depth
of hypocricy and baseness that the plummet
line has seldom sounded in all the wide seas
Of political corruption.
That there is such an organization as that
of the Knights of the Golden Circle, there
can scarcely be question What its num-
bers are, Of course we cannot say, but that
there are many sympathzers Ohough we
trust not in this Statc) with the supposed OBJ
ects it has in view, no one disputes. The
primary object of the association un-
doubtedly the dissolution of the American
Union, as a necessary step towards the final
o iect the establishment of a Southern Con-
| federacy, whose area should be extended by
conquest into Mexico and other regions
Though Yancey and his followers may not
| A. 1 H..
in view by the two bodies Of men were the
same. The first step towards success was il
the trcochery Of the Yanceyites at Charles
ton, and the consequent breaking up and de-
feat of the Democratic party the inevitable
result being the election of "A Republican
President, which result was claimed by the
Yanccyitcs and the Knights Of the Golden
Circle and their sympathizers as "A just cause
for the dissolution of the Union. See how
step by step the ultimate object is arrived at
Knowing that Douglas was the only Demo-
crat who could be elected they pretended to
| believe that he was unsafe for the South, and
rejected him, deliberately and of malice pre-
! pense giving the Presidency to the Republic
can party. Still do they follow up their
programme, and vote against the Crittendeu
propositions in the United States Senate, OF
their Representatives do it for them They
are determined to have no Compromise. Con
trary to all their malignant prophecies, Ste
phen A. Douglas, notwithstanding his rcjec-
tion by the South, arises in his place in the
Senate and expresses his willingness to stand
by the adjustment proposed by Southern
Senator, the Senator from Kentucky, and
makes his war, as of old, upon the Republican
party. But the men of whom we speak are
not the men to recognize these noble and
patriotic deeds and declarations. Trne Mr.
Douglas did not turn Republican, as they
predicted but they viii reject him and his
cflorls nevertheless Why will they do so
Because they are determined to carry out
their original purpose, which was TO precipi
tate revolution and to establish Southern
Confederacy at all hazards They knew well
enough that Mr.. Douglas could be trusted.
They rejected him, IN order to bring about
Ll6 CIlclS WIIcll Has COlllCj ANU hONJ - G'tt
counsels prevail, the experiment of South
ern Confederacy will be tried
Be it understood that we speak now, eX
clusively. of the Yanceyites, the knights of
the Golden Circle and their sympathizers
There are thousands of men in the South who
do not agree with them, by any manner Of
means But, these characters are trying to
take the lead and to drag hoadlong with
them men who are conservative in their opin-
ions and love the Union.
So much for the intentions of these schem-
ers and adventures. Let us see, now, what
they could effect, even after a dissolution of
the Union. Suppose that the disaffected
States we've to be allowed to go OUT peace
ably-could they carry out the programme
of the Yanceyites and the Knights of the
olden Circle ? Certainly not. The basis Of
the Government would be slavery. That
would all be well enough provided the insti-
tuition were left alone. But it would not be-
All compromises being rejected, of course
there would be no understanding between
the Northern and Southern Confederaces-
North would refuse TO give them up, as Eng
land, France and other foreign nations al
ready refuse. There would be war upon the
question, because the returning of a fugitive
slave would be necessary to the very exist
cnce of the Southern Government, its whole