New-York tribune., 1880-02-22
The RECORD OF FIFTY YEARS.
"REMINISCENCES OF A JOURNALIST.
BY CHARLES 7. CoNGDoN.
OLD PARTIES AND POLITICIANS.

PUBiICANs AND CONITIONISfs-ANsoN BUR-
LINGAME-SAIHANIEL p. BANKs-FRANCis W.
BIRD-GOvERNOR JOHN A. ANDREW
When ! went to Boston, in 1854, to become one OF
the editors of 7he Boston atlas, politics were III
transtory condition. With all my sympathies upon
the side of the Wings had no suspicion of 'he I'D,
pending demise of the party. thought that II hau
anti-slavery SAVIOR enough to sustain IL ana O,u
not apticipate that the people would so strongly
resent the obsolete notions OF the nun
ker Wings of Boston. We who did not
agree with them had tried hard to reconcile
radical differences One after one, we had seen
the n,en whom we loved and honored 90 away
from us into STANCE and. to MS, unpaatable ass0cia
tions While we hated the Fugitive slave LAW
and all the measures which were called ny the hahe
of compromise We looked back with aiiectoh upon
the old victories and the old defeats ana asKeo
ourselves If the name and the organization mgh not
vet be saved. But the pressure Tor thorough re-
vision of party lines was too strong 1or the ahI-
Slavery Wings of Massachusetts, and the tehpor-
ting no,icv of the Fillmore Administration, with
tbe cour,e which Mr.. Webster saw ft to pursue was
too much for the loyalty of our fast dimlnishing
ranks. A great many men. now persuade myself
went away from us merely because We
wore called Wings. 1t was III vain that not Few
of us ventured to the extreme verge OF GarrsOnlan
aboltionism in our denunciatlon OF the lnSiituJon'
and our opposition to the legislation when IL was
fondiy thought would pcrpetuate It, 1t was III VAN
that we abandoned all policy in the indulgence OF
our sympathies. Two classes OF men coA-
frented us with looks of dlsapprovai. Inc
Democratic party having utterly given ltsel'
M TO the control of the Oligarchy OF SaVehoiueS'
denounced us, as it had some right to do. Inc
IIunker Wings, still processing to be with US ana
of us. called by our name and claiming a place III
loto oA mr.
posed us more obstinately than did our tradl-
tonal enemies. the Democrats. Is it any won
der that we grew weary of the name
of Wbjp3 Yet in 1854 there was one
hattie more to be fought, though little did antlci-
nate its result 1t decided most emphatcally the
copvass of that year The organization OF the
Know Nothing party IN Massachusetts was one OF
the most curious of which have ever had any
knowledce. 1t was an anomaly for which tits impos-
siblc to occount went down to Boston to engage in
my new duties, late in the Autumn of 1874, With
ont the slightest idea of The impending catastrophe
and actually entertaining the belief that Emory
Washburn, the Wing candidate for Governor
voud be elected either by the people OF the Legis-
ature. He lacked only about 10000 votes OF
achieving that success. At this moment, more
than a quarter Of a century afterward, l blush
far the simplicity with which i anticipated
n widely different result. knew thst there was a
Know Nothing organization. was In the way OF
picking mp whatever political Intelligence might re
floating about yet associating every day with men
who were in the Know Nothing lodges. and IN the
new editorial position which | occupied having
every incentive 10 DO vigiant ana wary no more
suspected the impending result than looked for an
earthquake which would level The State House ana
reduce Faueuil Hall TO a heap OF ruins mention
The fact 70 show how faithfully political secret
DO f-o,en
In slD was kept went to work on The Atlds pre-
eiseIy as if | believed a decent Whig victory TO
h. certain. | knew that the Know NotbinGs
were DONG something. but little knew how much.
A week after began my new business l pass
inc through COngresS-st. with my associate, d.
Brewer We met Henry J. Gardner, the Know
Nothing candidate for Governor. lie took Dr.
Brewer aside for a long conversation, and when my
friend reioined me he told me that Mr.. Gardner
s.,d. "YOu had better not abuse me you
are abusing me in The Atlas l shall be
elected by a very large majority" The dry-goods
merchant turned politician understood matters
much better than | did, for upon the receipt OF
this pryate information not in the least daunted,
/ went back to my desk and predicted
his defeat more decidedly than ever. 1t
was perfect rout, as all the world knows;
Int remember. with pardOnable compacency.
That | said, the morning after the election.
tb.t the whole matter was empty piece of tom
foolery; that the Krow Nothing party had 10 Tea-
son for being; thai would give II three years OF
existence. aud not one year more. 1t seemed TO me
thsp rather like huge joke than anything
else. Governor GardEer was an excellent
representative of its thin and shallow
ins,ncerity and Of its hand-to~mouth expe-
dients He had no opinions. and II he had pos
sossed any they would have been of no value. We
L.. ta1
Know Nothing State Convention. delegate who
had as much to do with the matter as anybody told
me the story. 1t was monGrel gathering, full of
peoDle who did hate the Catholic Irish and of people
who did not Ii was hard TO agree upon
n candidate and my informant went TO Mr..
Cstdner and said : May assure the Convention
that you are both an anti-savery and temperance
manp' "You may say" said the future Governor.
"that have always been an antslavery man, and
tbat am temperance man Of fifteen years stand
ing Hum' said a friend to whom told the
story, chow was it, when he ran as Pro-Slavery,
Fugitive Slave Law. Webster Wing against me for the
Common Council and beat Inc y Hum J" said an
otber friend. "how was 1t that not very long
egoI was compelled TO throw the brandy bottle out
the window to keep him from drinking any more ~
He was nominated, as l told by
one who was well-informed, upon the
strength of these assurances. The Legislature
elected at the same time was overwhelmingly
Know Nothing. 1t sent Mr.. Wilson to the
United States Senate for he too was with the Phil
lstines There were Know Nothings who would have
been glad to defeat him. They came slyy to me
Itla, office and said so; and dare say they went
hack To the State House and voted for him. Why
.houldn,t theyf Wasn't Mr. Wilson a member of
tbe great American party. When he was running
FOR the vice-Presidoncy, and Catholic votes
were desirable, if no did not himself deny
the fact he suffered others TO deny 1t but he HIM
self told me that he was Know Nothing and !
know upon good information, that he was regularly
initiated in one lodge after being refused admission