Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1866-10-04
Is the Union Party a Know
Nothing Party!

nents meet every argument addressed to
foreigners with the charge that the Union
party is a Know Nothing party, and that
the instincts of its members are inimical to
foreigners. Nothing can be more untrue
than this, and yet, despairing of setting our
selves right in the eyes of that large class
of our citizens who have fled the tyranny
of other shores, the charge has often went
uncontradcted.
In 1854 the alarming encroachments of
the slave power, its demand that the virgin
territories should be submitted to its con-
troll, led large numbers of both the old
Wing and Democratic parties to cast about
them for means to resist its usurpatiOns.-
Most unfortunately for the permanent sue
cess of the anti-slavery movement, at this
time there sprang up secret order whose
institutors approached Northern men with
the idea that its purposes were in accord
ance with their principles. BY such means
thousands of men were induced to take
| upon themselves oaths and obligations, and
not until then were they informed that one
| of its objects was to deprive foreigners of a
voice in our elections.
Based upon groundless fears and I'M
worthy prejudices, the Know Nothing par
ty, like Jonah's gourd, sprang up in the
night, and, like its prototype, withered in
the morning. 1t swept over the land like a
whirlwind, prostrating old parties and their
leaders, and marking its way with blood
shed and ruin. 1t carried nearly every
State in the Union, but before the next cleo
ton it could scarcely command corpor-
ais guard 1t is only necessary to name
the classes that really favored the Know
Nothing movement, and show where
they may now be found, to determine which
is the party that foreigners should fear:
1t embraced the lowest order of natives
those whose narrow minds dread I'M
trameled competition, who fear the acute
ness, energy and daring of men who could
sever the ties of kindred, home and friend
| ship to seek liberty in a strange land. This
class have strong prejudices, and are ever
ready to join hue and cry against those
whom they term their interiors. Their
frantic hate of foreigners in 1854 now de-
ve!opcs itself in implacable hostility to the
colored man. whom, they fear, if unop-
pressed by law, would soon assert his su-
periority over them. Mr. David How is
striking representative of this class He
was blatant Know Nothing in 1854. He
then hated with all the force of his weak
brain the ''lop-eared Dutch" and the red
mouthcd Irish" He probably woke up in
the middle of the night and made a light to
see how TO hate them. But the Know
Nothings did not give David an oflice-he
abandoned them and now pours out the vi
ais of his wrath upon the poor negro. In
1854 he was as heartily opposed to Dutch
and Irish suffrage as he is, in 1866, to ne
gro suffrage. and all the superlatves of vi
tuperation that he now heaps upon the
head of the colOred man, ii was his wont
to apply to foreigners.
The scum and refuse of the cities. the
roughs. rowdies and plug uglics of the al
leys and back streets, eagerly joined the
crusade against foreigners in 1854. and
they seized the opportunity to riot in blood
and murder and arson. This class furnish
ed the substitute brokers and bounty-iump-
ers OF the war, and they arc, almost TO a
man, now in the Democratic fold. where
their bad passions are appealed TO. and
where their inclinationS towards murder
and arson are fostered
Other and better men were induced to
join the Know Nothing lodges. but their
better judgments led them to see that its
objects were not cOmmendabe and that the
triumph of its policy would be prejudicial
to the best interests ofthe country.
So far is the Cniol. party from being a
Know Nothing party that it can justly
claim to have done more for foreigners and
any other party in existence. The home
stead system, which it established, giving
to every settler farm of leo acres, is more
in itself than our opponents can claim to
have done. The Union party now propos-
es, not only to remove the negro question
from national politics, but also to render
| abortive all future attempts to narrow the
elective franchise. Any one who will take
the trouble to read the constitutional
amendment proposed by congress, must
acknowledge that this will be one effect of
its adoption. 1t first declares that all per-
sons born or nafu, allied in the United States
are citizens thereof. and after establishing
the basis ofrepresentation upon the whole
population, it provides, that whenever the
elective franchise shall be denied to any of
the male inh bitants of any State, being-2l
years old and citizens of the United States.
except for participation in rebellion or 9th
er crime, the basis of representation there
in shall be reduced in the proportion which
the number of such male citizens shall bear
to the whole number of male citizens 81
years of age in such State.
Should this amendment be adopted, of
which there is no doubt, if any State pre-
scribes foreigners or any other class of cit
liens, she will be shorn of a portion of her
power in the national councils. All ofthem
wish to retain their present power, at least,
and no one of them will be so foolish and
blind to her own interests. On the other
hand, if the constitutional amendment is
defeated. prejudices like those entertained
by the Know Nothings will be fostered By
narrow minds. anil the rights of natural
lied citizens will frequently become a sub
! ject of discussion.