Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1872-09-26


the Charge of Know-NOthingism The
Latest DOdge-Is Such a Man Fit For
Vice-President2
The New York Tribune thus pays its re-
spects to Mr.. Jeremiah Goliath Qatterly
known as Henry WILSON,, the Grant Vice
Presidential candidate. While the COM
ments are sharp and incisive, every one
must admit that they are not whit more
so than the dishonorable and sneaking con-
duct of Mr.. Colbaith warrants:
"JERRY SNEAK"
We hope that our readers will excuse us if
we refer once more to Gen. Wilson's Know
Nothing record. That person made a speech
at Natick, Mass, Friday evening, the
purport of which was that the speaker was a
Know Nothing, but that he became SO out of
the most virtuous motives, and without in
fact becoming a Know-Nothing at all So,
we suppose, he took the solemn and tre-
mendous saths which the order required of
its novices without meaning anything, and
most decidedly without meaning to be true
to them. This Natick speech, in view of the
facts, will convince 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 a Know Moth
ing; that he protested to entertain the dis
tinctive doctrines of the Know -Nothings;
that he sat as delegate in the Know Moth
ed Senator by Know-Nothing votes So much
for proven chargesl gg.-.e~l
Mr. Wilson responds by saying that he
was a Known Nothing; that while he pro-
fessed to entertain the distinctive doctrines
of the Know Nothings he inwardly repu-
dated them all; that he sat in the National
Know-No -hiBg Convention as delegate for
the purpose of defeating the object of that
Convention; and that he played q 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 propose now
to show it. We have not been censuring
Mr.. Wilson for being a Know-Nothing, but
for dishonorably sueaking out of it. We
have no controversy about
1t Is not our habit to discuss dead issues.
When Know-Nothingism was live ques-
ton, we fought it; now that it 10 dead, we
care nothing about it, and have no contre-
yersy with the hundreds of thousands of
good men who were once deluded into
support of it. But this is the case of a man
who now aspires to be Vice-Presldent OF the
United States.
He was asked whether he had not been
member of the Know-Nothing party. He re-
piled, Indignantly branding as a monstrous
| and wicked SANDER the intimation that he
had ever ssid one word or done one thing
| against the equal rights of all citizens of
| whatever color, race, or nationality. Then
it was proved by the unimpeachable testi-
mony of Frank W. Bird, Albert Pike, and
a 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 reply from his
home, under his frank and bearing his sig
nature, fatty denying that he had ever been
| a Know Nothing. Then F. W. Bird and
other old frienes of his openly denounced
| him as a liar. Then he authorized an Asso
ciated Press dispatch, declaring the German
letter forgery. The Germans thereupon
brought to US a copy of their letter to hi NJ,
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 H. A." Herman Askenasy, of Boston,
| then scknowledged himself the amanuensis
| of the letter, admitted that be was in the
habit of conducting Senator Wilson's Ger
man corresp> nnence, said he had been in
| structed to answer this letter, and that
after preparing the answer, he had consult
ed the Senator about it. And then, Senator
Wilson makes a speech, acknowledging thai
he was a Known othing. That is his case
and the whole OF 1t.
We have elected good many kinds o.
people to our highest executive offices, bu
never a paltry creature like this. We droI
Mr.. Wilson. We have, in time past, regard
! ed and treated him as an honorable man
No intelligent person need make that mis-
take again.