Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-08-17
WAS MENEy WATSON a KNOW.
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" No THING -
Mr.. Henry Wilson, ne seremia Goliath,
has published aietter Indignantly repudIat-
ing certain remarks insulting to foreign
voters attributed 70 linn In tie newspapers.
"They and all thoughts and words of like
character" he says, .sare pure inventions,
wicked forgeries, absolute falsehoods.n
Aud then he goes ON with vehement pro-
testation Of bis devotion to the equal rights
of all men, native and foreign born.
Still he does not explain what he was
doing in the Know Nothing Lodge, or
how he came 10 be not merely
worthy but often honored member of the
Know-Nothing party. Unfortunately for
himself he cannot rail away the record.
We admit he has been extremely polite to
the naturalized citizens, when he thought
that politeness would pay; but that hasn't
been always the case by any means. For
instance, in 1867, Mr.. Wilson, making a
Temperance speech at Worcester accord
ing TO the Worcester (Mass.) Gazette, Oct.
24,) 'alluded to the great amount of drink.
ing done by our foreign-born citizens, espe-
c,ally the Irish aud Germans-the first
class drinking the vilest whisky, and
the latter using lager-beer, which made
them stupid race" When Mr.. Wilson
was candidate for United States Senator,
and the Massachusetts, Legislature was de-
cldedly Know Nothing or American" he
wrote the following letter, which is com
mended 10 those who deny That Wilson
ever belonged 10 the American party:
81 did not then approve, do not now
/ approve, and | never can approve of the or
! ganization of military companies composed
Of men Of foreign birth. The American
movement proposes 10 protect ourselves by
thoroughly revising the naturalization laws
aud destroying that political element of for.
eign influence heretofore so potent in pub.
lie affairs, and TO place the government Of
| America in the hands Of Americans, who
alone are imbued with the spirit of her dem.
| ocratic institutions. Concurring with YOU
in the opinion that the highest interests oil
| freedom are identified with the supremacy
of the ideas that underlie this populaI
movement, shall cheerfully labor in public
and private for their advancement.
HENRY WILSON.
This decoration was so satisfactory Il
those who burned the Ursuline Convent a
Charlestown, and mobbed It's inmates, thai
Mr. Wilson was elected without serious OPP
position. Men talk of Mr.. Greeley's chan
ges with whine and whaWi but have they
considered Wilson'S antecedents? MIR. ]
NJ. Fitzgerald, of Boston, recently referring
70 Wilson, said: EEE
cdr. Wilson is political acrobat by ed
/ ucation, an cfiice-Seeker by instinct. HI
was everything by starts, and nothing long
originally a Democrat. He changed hi!
political religion and joined the Wings
was brought into power by that party ant
| sustained 1t for years. Again you seq hin
| wearing the colors Of free-soil partis2nsbip
but political coquette as he was, he for
sock his free-sol love very soon
| Once more in the Constitutional Con
vention - of Massachusetts he pro
claimed the doctrine of fraternity anC
equality, and before Che breath is cold which
| proclaimed against the exclusion of men O
anv race or color, he writes letter JAN 20
| 1855, TO Robert &. Hall, KnOw-Nothins
member of the Legislature, from Plymouth
proclaiming himself an out and-out Know
Nothing. | saw from Mr.. Wilson, a few
days ago, letter written to gentleman il
Wisconsin, in which, after saying that ht
was born at an early age "a wonderful
thing he also states that in 300 speeehe!
which be had delivered, he never uttered q
word in opposition TO freedom. was sur
| prised that Mr.. Wilson should have made
such statement, he being q member O
the Know-Nothing organization. / there
fore took the trouble of going
to the Boston Public Library K
find the speeches Of MIR. Wilson in The
fall of 1854, but the Auds and Bee of The
last half of that year, the Know Nothing
organ of the time, was gone and could no
be found, and nobody knew where it wen
either, though / could get the atlas Gnt
Bee of any other date. However, looked
through the other numbers and fal1nd O let
ter addressed 70 Robert q. Hall. If yoI
remember, Mr.. Wilson was at that time
candidate for the Senate of the United
States. The Know Nothing members o
the Massachusetts, Legislature thought b
was not true blue, and that certain utter
ances Of his in the Massachusetts Constitu
tional Convention had not the true ring o
Native Americanism, hence many of then
opposed him; but Henry Wilson quieteC
their feelings by explaining his position
Referring to his action in the Constitutions
Convention he wrote the above letter."