New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-09-09
i" Jerry SNEdK.O

We hope that our readers will excuse us if
we refer once more to Gen. Wilson's Know
Nothing record. That person made speech
at Natick, Mass, on Friday evening, the pur-
mort of which was that the speaker was
Know Nothing, but that he became so out OF
the most yirtuous motives, and without In fact
becoming a Know Nothing at all So, we sup
pose. he took the solemn and tremendous oaths
which the order required of its novices with
out meaning anything, and most decidedly
without meaning to be true to them. This
Natick speech in view of the facts, will con-
vince nobody, and ought to convince nobody.
1t is time, perhaps, to sum up this matter.
The facts proved and not now denied by the
General are, that he became know-NothIng;
that he protested to entertain the distinctive
doctrines of the Know othings; that he sat
as q delegate il the Know Nothing National
Convention: that he was elected Senator by
Know-Nothing votes. SO much for proven
charges
Mr.. Wilson responds by saying that he was
Know Nothing; that while he professed to
entertain the distinctive doctrines OF the
Know -Nothings he inwardly repudiated them
all that he sal in the National Know-Nothing
Convention as delegate for the purpose OF
defeating the object of that Convention; and
that he played double game, and while he
was at heart friendly to foreigners, he was
acting with men who were their avowed
enemies.
But the case of Mr.. Wilson needs to be
considered as a whole, and we purpose now
TO show it. We have not bo'H censuring Mr.
Wilson for being a Kno hing, but for
dishonorably sneaking o. OF It, We
have no controversy about acknowledgement.
IL is not our habit to discuss dead issues
When Knog-Nothingism was live question,
we fought h;-now that it is dead, we care
nothing about it, and have no controversy
with the hundreds of thousands of good men
who were once deluded into a support OF it,
But this is the case of man who now asplres
to be Vice-President of the United States.
He was asked whether he had not been
member of the Know-Nothing party. He re-
piled, Indignantly branding as monstrous
and wicked Islander the intimation that he
had ever said one word or done one thing
against the equal rights of all citizens
of whatever color, race, or nationality.
Then it WIS proved by the unimpeachable
testimony Of Frank w. Bird, Albert Pike, and
whole cloud of witnesses that he had been
duly elected, duly initiated and uncom-
monty active Know-Nothing. Then some
Germans here mailed him letter
asking ABOUT it. They received re-
ply from bis home, under his frank
and bearing his signature, fatty denying
that he had ever been O KnOw-NothinG.
Then +. W. Bird and other old friends of his
openly denounced him as liar. Then he
authorized an Associated Press dispatch, de-
claring tie German letter q forgery. The
Germans thereupon brought to us copy of
their letter to him, and his reply, in German,
under his frank, and in the same hand
in which previous German letters of his
were written, duly signed as they had been,
"Henry Wilson, per II. Al Herman Askenasy
of Boston then acknowledged himself the
amanuensis of the letter, admitted That
he was in the habit of conducting
Senator Wilson's German correspondence.
said he had been instructed to answer
this letter, and that, after preparing the
answer, he had consulted the Senator about
it. And then, Senator Wilson makes speech,
acknowledging that he was Know-Nothing
That is his case and the whole OF 1T.
We have elected o good many. kinds of
people to our highest Executive offices. but