The New York herald., 1873-10-06
KNOW
Revival Of the Native American Party
in This City and State.
A HERALD PROPHECY FULFILLED.
The Offices and the Entire Political Machinery
in the Hands Of Bigots.
LETTER FROM. MIR. JOHN M'KEoN.

LETTER FROM. MR. JOHN M'KE0N.
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD
The object OF the writer OF the present communi-
cation to submit TO the calm consideration OF the
people Of this city and State some facts which must
satisfy every unprejudced mind that crusade has
been regularly planned and organized against Irish
adopted citzensIand their descendants and against
those protesting the Roman Catholic religion That
crusade il now in successful movement and, unless
checked, must result In the humiliation and tram
pling under foot of some OF our best citizens
This spirit OF bigotry Is not Of modern growth.
From the earliest history Of our country preju-
dice has existed against foreigners. Men have
been so blind to true interests that they de-
sired to throw obstacles In the way OF the immgrR-
tion and naturalization OF those who had aban-
doned the despotisms OF the Old World, who be-
came exiles from the land OF their nativity, and
who brought to this land the industry, the
stalwart arms and the money which has
converted the dense forests and limitaole
prarles OF the West into fields overnowing with
agricultural wealth and towns teeming with o popu-
lation engaged IN every department OF human In
genuity. During the administration Of the federal
party under the elder Adams this anti-foreign
feeling took shape and vitality In the Alien and Sc
cratic party under the lead OF Thomas JEFFERSON.
Again, with the object OF undermining the demo-
cratic administration OF Madison while the coun-
try, yet in its infancy, was engaged In war for
national existence against the colossal power OF
Great Britain, convention was held in Hartford,
Conn. This convention was suspected OF treason
able purposes against the United States. One or
its resolves was
OPPOSITION TO THE NATURALIZATION OF FOR
EIGNERS.
The orlginators OF these schemes were all from
the New England States and they and their de-
scendants have steadily and increasingly assailed
the public mind with appeals to the ignorance and
baser passions OF our nature, till the storm Of IA
naticism broke forth at last in setting fire to
vent near Boston, and driving at night the inno-
cent and helpless women and children, who were
its inmates, into the street amid the glaring names
OF the burning ruins. Massachusetts, bigotry claims
the triumph Of this act Of vandalism, which stands
to-day unatoned and remains lasting disgrace on
the escutcheon Of that Commonwealth The Mas
sachusetts senator. Sumner truly rejecting the
baser nature OF his constituents, has Illuminated
in the Senate OF the United States disgracelul
diatribes against the Catholics, with no other pur-
pose intended than to misrepr esent and degrade
them in the estimation OF their fellow
citizens. But Massachusetts was not destined
to stand alone in her infamy. Years after the per-
secution began in New England, Pennsylvania be-
came seized with the Madness That State was
also dsgraced by the murder OF Catholics and the
burning OF Catholic churches in Philadelphia: In
this city, about forty years ago, an opposition
to foreigners and Catholics was organized, under
'.rHE NATIVE AMERICAN PARTY,n
who presented as their candidate for Mayor Mr..
Morse, who afterwards became distinguished as the
inventor of the electric telegraph and whose statue
now stands in Central Park. This same party
elected as Mayors Of this city Aaron Clark
and James Harper lat one time in his life one of
to the truth OF political history to state that these
anti-American organizations were formed out
scendants SC @ seA Of da the federal Nv party Pa and '
portion OF the democratic party About
twenty years ago these blgoted. llliberal
ideas were given force to by the creation
OF a caba known as the Know Nothing party. This
organization was secret and oathbound. 1t had
tatlon OF the Masonic Order The members were
only known to each other. 1t was the incarnation
OF hypocrisy, cowardice and bigotry. Its members
hated foreigners and Catholics, put had not the
courage to avow their antpathy. They were hypo-
critics inasmuch as they shook the hands OF those
whom they sought to stab in the dark. They pre-
tended TO be friends with those whom they had
sworn to degrade. Their bigotry can only be known
by the following oath wLich the members took on
THE KNOW NOTHING OATH.
these sacred ssSparss Holy word % desars M ihas
Of y e q 81 my osns an a my m eep
sacred all the signs. tokens and degree words
sosmny will not
o oGs m The oa On
general administration Of the american governmen,
the % an Reman and ches
the United s,aiss ana paris
obligation on my part without seryaton pray that
me God
Though this oath seems comprehensive enough,
it was explicitly understood to comprise more;
because on the occasion of taking 1t the formula
was Ihat 1.-THE President (of the Lodge) will ad-
dress the brethren as follows":-
AS q member Of this patriotic lodge IT win become
ct in the ice of your country order that
ally combated and destroyed and here il w be under.
stood, OF foreigners and Of Roman Catholics
This declaration under oath, SO profane in It's
appeal to the Deity and SO revolving to every
manly or Christian heart. was taken by hundreds
movement showed how many were ready to pro-
scribe men for their birth or their faith. Public
men OF the country were found who bent them
selves to the low level of their platform. President
Fillmore, ex-Presdent OF the United States: Henry
are living examples on the one side, and Tammany
Hail. with Fernando Wood and hundreds OF the
democratic parry t ana they e ocehoiders on the
pretending to be the friends OF foreigners and
Catholics. BY downrgns falsehood and denial OF
their having taken the oath, they have 10y the
assistance OF set or politicians who are ever ready
to sacrifice creed or country to obtain an office)
dupes whom they have endeavOred to degrade
and whom in their hearts they despised.
This spirit OF persecution and hostility to foreign
ers and Catholics is never at rest. Its motto Is
"Nalla cesttgto retrorsunoi" 1t takes backward
step. "Oni onp' is It's unceasing command to
its followers. Within the past few years this feel
ing is again forming It's battaons The pulpits OF
this city and its environs have OF late resonant
with sermons, intoxicating the idea that the Catho-
lie Church is hostile to freedom, to the education
OF the people and to the very existence OF repub-
lican form OF government. The charge Ia openly
made that the Church seeks to overturn the founda
tions OF the Republic. The shrill pipe OF Puritan
ism in the New World is in accord with the deep,
low growl OF inndelity and communism OF the Old.
peals their readers to resist the nsidious move
ments OF the Catholic clergy and laity against the
best interests OF the country.
THE PENCIL OF THE CARTCATURrsT
is called into service, and depicts in the most
revolving aspects the Catholic clergy, and partcu-
larly the Catholic lrshman. How often have we