The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-09-11
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oLD-TIME POLITICS.

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party in the United States based upon
opposition to all men of foreign birth
and Of that religious faith which but a
few centuries since held the entire Chris
tian world, is brought to memory by a
Congressional Committee in Rhode ISL
and, which shows that, while free suf-
frage is accorded to all of American birth,
yet the man whose misfortune it was to
be born in Germany, ireland, or any
other foreign land, is not allowed the
right TO vote unless he owns property to
certain amount. Rhode Island is
small State. It's soil is, as general rule,
owned by few rich men-lords of the
loom-and it is rare that man in mod.
crate circumstances can own property
enough to vote. II foreigner he must
own it, or he can have no hand in elect
lug the men who make the laws or ad.
minister justice. If negro, or if an
American, no matter how ignorant, how
debased, he can vote. II born in Ger
many, in Ireland, or any other country
beyond the sea, il he owns property, he,
or rather his property, has the right of
suffrage for, in this case, the property,
not the man, has theright to vote. This
is Know.Notbingism in modified form.
In New Hampshire naturalized for
eigners have the right to vote, but the
Constitution of that State says that none
but Protestants can hold certain Of
fees, among them Governor of the State,
and, we believes a seat in the Legislature.
Catholics Jews, and others whose idea
of getting to heaven is to follow the
faith in whose doctrines they believe,
can. hold no high Office in New Hamp-
shire, because they hold to Church gov
ernment and Church forms different
from the majority. Rhode Island and
New Hampshire make up the doctrine
of Knoy.Nothingism full and complete
by placing bar on both religion and
birth. ,.. ..- .
The old Know. Nothing excitement
which spread through the land years
since-so many years, indeed, as to be
forgotten by the younger men, and al
most 30 by 0ld-Time Politicans-had
it's origin way back in times shortly after
England, by the aid of Henry VIII and
the virgin Queen, Elizabeth, forced the
Reformation on the people. Fierce and
terrible charges of crime, of arson, treA
son, murder, were made by the famous
DR.. Titus Oates and fully believed, or
pretended to be believed by all who
dared not for their lifes sake disbelieve
or utter doubt And when the whole
tale of Oates was proved false, when all
sensible men knew and felt and believed
that many innocent men and women
had been executed for no crime, yet still
the anti.Popery cry went forth from the
ignorant, the debased and the vicious
And years after, centuries after, it found
an abiding placer in the United States,
and became, in part, the creed of polit.
ical party.
The 6rst outburst of this religious (P)
party in politics was in Philadelphia,
where it engendered mobs, which, in its
insane fury, burned churches and COM
mitted other outrages, similar in frenzy
and in design to the atrocities of the anti
Popery mob led by Lord George Gordon
in London, as depicted by Dickens in one
of his novels. SO strong was the party
thus formed under the name of Native
American" that for several sessions it
elected member of Congress in Phila.
delphia From thence it spread to other
cities, eleCting one of the Harpers, of the
great publishing house of Harper Broth
ers, Mayor of New York city, and in
Baltimore electing city officers and mem
bers of Congress.
About the time the old Wing party was
on the eve of disruption, the passage of
the Kansas Nebraska bill Of Mr.. Douglas,
which repealed the Missouri Compro.
mise, passed Congress, disorganizing to
a great extent the Democratic party.
The Native American party, as a secret
political organization, drifted to the
Western States, and under the nickname
of Nnow Nothings swept the Northwest
like tornado. The society was secret;
its members oath-bound not, under any
circumstances, to vote for or support
either Roman Catholic or foreigner for
any Office. Their meetings we're secret
their nominations for Office in many
cases were not known until their tickets
appeared at the polls, and not even then,
as each man had his ticket in his pocket,
until tie polls we're closed, and men
were elected to Office that many of their
most intimate friends, unless members
of the Order, never dreamed were can
didates, All proceedings were secret,
the members were we'll drilled in their
political duties, and were bound to obey.
They knew each other by signs, grips,
pass words, &C., as Masons and Odd Fell
lows. but question them and they were
Know Kothings, i. e. they knew moth
ing' of the Order, and from that familiar
disclaimer they got their cognomen of
"Know- Nothings." ..IE.Nt 4
At the October election of 1858, Wm.
Medill, the Democratic candidate, was
elected Governor over Nelson Barre,
Wing by majority of6l,806 Over both
Barre and Samuel Lewis, the Abolition
candidate, who received 0,346 votes, Me-
dill's majority was IL ,460.
At the same election, as shown by the
voets at the organization of the second
General Assembly, under the present
Constitution, the Democracy elected
twenty-three Senators to seven for the
Wings. In the House seventy one mem.
bers were Democrats and but sixteen
were Wings.
At the election of 1866 Medill was
beaten by Salmon P. Chase Is 751 votes.
The balance of the Democratic State
ticket was defeated by msiorities vary.
ing from "a 7l4, the 10 west, to 36 425, the
highest given, which was for Wm. II.
Gibson, as Treasurer of State.
In the Senate there were but six Dem.
ocrats three of whom, Stanley Matthe vs.,
William F. Converse and George w.
Holmes, were from Hamilton county,,
to thirty Wings. In the House the vote
-. =. q, 80 aL S.unL nnua,Lu. o.. w L.. =.