The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1880-03-02
Written for The Spirit Of Demooracy.] 9
COLUMBUS LETTER.

The American Alliance..Tho Dan.
gerOus Tendency OF Modern
Know NothingiSm.
Local Option the Sweet Child Ofl
Temuerance Bids Fair % die q
BOrnins--An Appropriate
Epitaph.
CoLuMsus, oHIo, Feb. 16, 1880.
It hardly seems possible that inlDhis|
enlightened age, that the government Of
10 free stste like Ohio should be under
the dominion and subject to the dicta-
|tion OF Dark lantern organisation like
the so.called American alliance, but facts
That are daily coming to the snrfsce In
fdicate that there h . powerful organized
hnduencs hanging ofer the Capitol Of
Ohio and exercising strange control
over the Legislative branch Of the gov
eminent and interfering with the Judi
ciary. Twas startled recently when q
prominent politician Of state reputation
said to nae in whisper as il he feared
some one would hear him-"Do you
know that the American Alliance" rims
the Legislature ?" I freely confessed
that did not know It, and he said swell
Lit does" It has 5000 members in Ham
alton county and 1t packs grand juries,
administers justice, bull-dozes politicians
and dictates legislation" He charged
further that majority Of the Republi-
can members Of the Legislature are
members OF the "American Alliance. ~
The objects Of this association have
been made public frequently in the last
four years. The members are bound by
q most terrible oath to use all means
possible to prevent any man Of foreign
birth from holding Office. Put none
but American born on guard" is the
motto. This order is one Of the most
secret in its workings ever organized in
America. The members are sworn not
to reveal members name. Its power
has been recently revealed In Cincinnati.
Sam Ramp the County Clerk after hav-
ing promised Mike Crolty an irish Cath
olic place in his ONCE refused to keep
his promise because be had been in
structed by the American Alliance not
to appoint him. Ramp was called be-
fore the grand jury after being bound
over to answer charges Of bribery under
the Seitz law, and although the most di-
rect and convincing evidence of his guilt
was produced he went free by the dicta-
ton of the "American Alliance" This
| is terrible and dangerous power for
any secret association to weld, and the
more terrible because il is secret. The
strangely unanimous election of Jim
Garfield the bribe taker and the perjurer
TO the United States Senate was accom-
plished by this mysterious influence. -
1t 10 fitting that sach narrow minded,
sordid, hating aud hateful thing as Ed.
Cowles, the muddle headed editor Of the
Cleveland Leader, should be at the head
OF this great band OF conspIrauurs; men
as high in place as Charley Foster and
Jim Garfield are members of this So
ciety and bound by its sac-religious oaths,
although they have kissed the good
book and sworn to support the Consti
tutions of the United States and States
and sustain the law.
When there comes Q conflict between
the Constitution and the laws Of the
State and the American Alliance which do
these men obey2
Think Of it fellow citizens.
The sacred ordinance of 1857 which
carved out the northwestern territory
and upon which this state was admitted
to the Union wisely laid the foundation
Of our peace and prosperity by forbid
ding that no man should be prescribed
for bis religious belief or excluded from
any OF the rights Of citizenship because
OF his birth. This act the wisest the
noblest that can grace the statutes Of
any state is the fundamental Law Of Ohio
every State that has been admitted to
the Union since Ohio joined the thirteenl
sisters has embodied these great princi-
pies in their Constitution. Now comes
an oath bound association sworn to SUBJ
vert these rights-sworn to subvert the
glorious heritage of justice and liberty
sworn TO SOW the seditious seeds OIL
religious strife, sworn to persecute al
large class of our citizens because of
their birth. e
The fate of Know Nothingism in |
American politics is o standing menace
to bigoted fools but its revival in the
American Alliance is species of trea-
son that should be speedily tramped out
by IN indignant public opinion. Thet
Legislature should order an immediate |
Investigation, and every member con-
fesslng to be member Of the American |
Alliance should be expelled from his
seat for taking an oath to subvert the
Constitution and the laws of Ohio.
LOCAL OPTION.
BY shrewd manipulation. solemn
promises, and generous bargains the
Republicans carried Ohio last fall by
calling to the support OF their banner
all the ''isms" in the State; among other
noble patriots who surrendered their
principles were the temperance people.
They permitted themselves to belief that
when "Calico" was crowned King and q
Republican majority sat In the Legisla-
ture intemperance would cease; once
more the era OF sobriety was to dawn
upon the sin sick earth. The fires Of the
OF the distilleries would 60 out
forever and the smoke from the still
would no longer mar the blue face Of
heaven. The mission OF the whisky
guager would be gone, and no longer
would the government agents caress the
mucilage Of the tax stamps with their
official tongues, silence would reign in
the doggeries and the saloon keeper
would cease to retail poison, and 60 to
Leadville or enter the lecture field, all
men would bow at the shrine Of MUIR
ply and for the first time in the history
Of the race the doors Of the temple Of
Bacchus would be closed and the God
of inebrity would suffer the horrors Of
All \ - - - y