The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-08-09
BLAINE's KNowNOTHINGIsM.


Blaine forward as champion of the rights
and interests of the class of people known
as Irish Catholics, when the record shows
that his whole life up to this time has been
one of bitter hostility to foreigners of every
kind and especially to Irish Catholics.
This is so we'll understood at his home in
Maine that among quite "A large Irish pop
ulation in Augusta not single voter is
known to he in favor of Mr. Blaine. His
organ in that town has always been the
heRaebee J0utnal, of which, from 1858 10
about 1858 he was chief editor, and of
which he is believed to be part owner TO this
day. That paper from the first dawn of
Knownothingism in 1858 down to the pres
ent year has never abated particle in its
bitter, persistent, bigotcd hatred of foreign
ers and Catholics and especially the Irish.
Even last March it wrote up with every
effort at ridicule, lying account of the Gel
ebration of St Patrick's day in Augusta :;
though since Blane's nomination, and this
impudent attempt has been made to put
him forward as an Irish champion and tail
twister of the British lion, the tone of the
paper in question has become amazingly
softened and sugary towards the Irish peo
pie.
But the evidence of Blane's strong
Knownothing partisanship and of his bit
ter anti Irish and anti Catholic feelings lies
revealed in sufficient mass to fill several
volumes in the form of the editorials in
the Kenne5ec Jouradl from 1853 to 1857
while he was its sole editor, for although
he had partner named Baker, it is known
that the latter was only the business man of
the concern, and that Blaine was the sole
editor.
Knownothingism as political party at
tanned its first prominence in Maine in
1854 when after the Wings had nominated
a Mr.. Reed for governor, and the Demo
Gratis Albion X. Paris, Lot Morrill, was
brought out as the knownothing and Pro-
hibition candidate. Mr.. Blaine supported
Morrill, with all the fervor of a young man
both talented and ambitious and he was
elected. In his first message Gov. Morrill,
dwelt with much length upon needed leg
islation to protect the country against the
incursions of the dangerous foreigners as
well as upon the beauties of the law of
prohibition. In the course of an article
highly commendatory of Gov. Morrill's
message, delivered to the Maine Legislature
on the lst day of January, 1855, Mr.. Blaine
had this among other things to say about
the Knownothing clause
The governor alludes to the many and Sc
rious evils entailed upon our community
by the hasty admission of foreign immi-
grants to the rights of suffrage and sug-
gests that the Legislature, in discharge of
their appropriate duties, investigate
whether new legislative provisions are
necessary to preserve the sacredness of the
elective franchise and guard the purity of
our institutions"
Mr.. Blaine had been busy writing on the
question of admitting foreigners to citizen
ship during the whole of Gov. Morrill's
canvass as that with the temperance ques.
ton was Il leading issue of the campaign
and in one of his editorials, published in
August, 1854, took the position that all for.
eigners should be kept in a sort of political
quarantine in this country before being al.
lowed to vote.
AT the opening of the Maine Legislature
in 1856 Mr.. Blaine wrote (hennebec Jour-
nal of Jan. 5, 1862 as follows:
We need stringent laws to regulate the
immigration from Europe, and faithful Of
ticers to administer them. If present
abuses are not corrected, and corrected
speedily, we shall become worse than Bot
any Bay. In fact we are worse now, for
we have little doubt that more criminals
reach us from Great Britain in a single year
than were ever transported to the penal col
onies in ten years. And these convicts and
felons have hardly got our dust upon their
feet before they are allowed to vote and
control our elections. And yet, with these
facts plain as the light demagogues will
tell us that our foreign immigration is moth
ing but "a benefit to Us, and that our laws
regulating it need no amendment Wei
hope and we certainly believe the day is
not far distant when this whole subject will
be impartially reviewed by the law max
ing power of our government, and such
wholesome restraints and judicious checks
imposed as will keep back the avalanche
of crime which threatens to fall upon Us
from Europe, and then the just and honor
able pride of being an American citizen
will suffer no blush from having our pater
nal rights bestowed in full equality upon
those who are not of the household.
The Republican legislature of 1850 took
the hint given them so often by Mr.
Blaine's paper and by Gov Morrill, in his
message and passed some of the most re-
markable laws on the subject of giving nat
uralization and the franchise to foreigners
ever heard of The first act was entitled
AN Act Regulating the Suffrage of Nat
uralized Citizens and provided that
No person of foreign birth who shall
claim the right to vote by reason of natur-
alization papers issued to him by any court