The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1868-09-10
Was CoIGax IA Know Nofh.n~ =,


papers are endeavoriDg to cover up the
know-nothing record of Schuyler Colfax.
That they are ashamed of what they once
cioried in is a significant indication.
They quote speech which Ma Colfax
delivered Immediately after his arrival at
his home short time since, as conclusive
evidence that their candidate for Vice
president never WAS member OF the in
famous know nothing organization. We
have read that speech, and we are fully
convinced that il is disingenuous trick,
gotten up 10 deceive. 1t is a lie in terms
II not in exact words Mr.. Colfax SAYS
foW Aere t1ao1c that there has not been un
eLectto" for the past t'celre years that hare
not gone TO the polls, not lcih closed b1ltOt
bat an OPEN one. and roted for a,er. Of foreign
birth, and arho ocorshipped at different altar
from sohat did myself
That is his defense Mark now the
trick there Is in it. "f'or tie past tpeire
gears is the time he fixes. during which
he has not refused to vote for foreiyners or
Catholics. Twelve years That takes
Us back IN the fall of 1856. 1t does not
include 1854 and 1855, the years when
know~nothngism was most rampant, nor
the summer of 1856. His denial is only
as to time, and the limit is put in go as TO
save ham from being shown TO have ut-
tered barefaced falsehood. II is disin-
gennous, uncandid and unmanL, and
stamps Mr. Collax as man lacking in
PIiucipie and honor. A correspondent of
the n l. fTeenaan's Journal, speaking of
this matter says:
Mr. ColfaZ we'll knew that the ncwspa-
Pers Of June, 1855, would show, and many
/ HVlnS witness es can testify, that he was an
active and prominent mem Der OF the Know
! Nothing National Council, which met, in
secret session, ia Philadelphia, about tie 9th
Of June, 1855. 1t was well known, at the
time, that only the most trusted of the secret
order gained admission TO that Council that
Tor several days, nothing was publicly
known Of its proceedings, or who were dele
/ gates 10 It. a Philadelphia correspondent
wrote: "A large number of gentlemen Of
| distinction are here, and the general iRpres-
sion seems tn be that they are intimate &C
/ luaintances Of the mysterious and ubiquitous
. sam" About the 1lth June, the organiza-
tion was comp leted by the election of the
, officers, and Committee on Platform was
. announced. The second name on that Com
mittee was "Cofax, OF Intianaa" TbGc Cr-
respondent stated that ''Hr. Colfax, the
member of Congress elect. wants a platform
to suit Northern Indiana . Tbs Daiarity
Cvcrruled Mr.. Colfax. and reported a plat
form that did not suit Northern Indiana4-
, Mr.. COlfax and the minority of the Commit
tee made . minority report. which being
r. eCted, he and Others subsequently, aban-
doucG the American party, as they then
called themselves. (en account Of their views
. Of the Slavery questions, went 5E ahd joined
the radical abolitionists, and nominated
; Fremont. This is Mr. Colfax's true record
j2st anterior to "the past twelve years.
/ Will he, or his friends, Low deny that in
! 1856 lie was asrabid.. Know Nothing? Ask
/ George d. Prentice, of the LoEissitLe J0pir-
nal. who was with Mr.. Colfax in the Phiia-
I clelphia Convention in June. 1866.
And the editor of that journal says sdi-
torially:
I We have the eridcnce that Colfax was in
the "kuow Nothing party, and in tie de-
/ grees, away up" in that Infamous Con-
spiracy. and that he only differed from it
when ''San"-the slang phrase for all that
was proscriptive--did not accept the adjunct
and become Sambo.
Our correspondent, whose letter is on the
! first page, may be right. But. our casual
impression is that the year he refers to is
! 1856, and not 1855. At the place. and mo-
ment we write, we cannot verify this. But
we are certain Of the fact that Colfax was
one of the leading know-Nothings 1T the
Convention.
This fixes it that he acas nSw-Nothing
/ They did not their work negligently. They
put their oacn seal on their doings.
Our own honest conclusion is that Colfax
! is a sacor7t brother Of the Gilolc- Nothing or
( gaHiz1ts0a, and that, while trying to fool one
other Frenchnan. he is hostile to Catholics,
and plays the hypocrite when he pretends to
! be their friends.
That the convention alluded 10 was
held in Philadelphia, and that ColfaX was
/ prominent member of ii is matter of
| political record. 1t cannot be denied
I How dospicable then must the Radical
candidate for Vice President seem in the
! eyes of all honest men, when he stands
! before the world, guilty of framing such a
! sneaking falsehood as that by which he
! attempted to escape the deserved odium of
! having been a leader in the Infamous and
proscriptive Know-Nothing party The
! truth Is Mr.. Colfax is "a professional politi-
clan, and tricky and dishonest one at
that. He has boxed the political com>
pass, and has borne. in turn all the aliases
by which the opposition to the Democratic
party has been distinguished, from the
days of Whiggery down to the present
time That he was Know Nothing
there can be no doubt. The proof is be-
yond controversy, and his quibbling
speech at South Bend can only damage
him by showing how little regard he has
for truth, and making it plain to the peo-
pie what contemplate political trickster
be Is Lancaster Intslhgencer.
How Do YOU LIKE Irf-In order to