The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1884-11-08

Blaine rs q Knnw.N0thfng.
With most of the Blaine organs the
defense of that gentleman's Know
Nothing record is the statute of limi-
tations. cit was good many years
ago." they plead. alt was before the
war; and "before the Republican
party was fairly organized" The Post.
of this city, sees, however, the weak
ness of this plea 1t is astute enough
to comprehend that such plea in be-
half of candidate exploited as the
friend of Irishmen should be accom-
panied by evidence that Blaine's
original views have undergone a
change. And. knowing that there is no
such evidence, it boldly takes the bull
by the horns, applauds Blaine's Know
Nothing record as published in the
Free Press, and begs us to ''Do so
some more"
1t is a pleasure to oblige contem-
porary SO DESTROYS OF information. We
give, therefore, some additional illus
trations of Blaine's proscriptive spirit
toward foreigners, and especially
toward Irishmen and Catholics. One
OF these is the palliation by the Ken
nebec journal, then edited by Blaine.
of the burning of the Catholic Church
at Bath by mob, the ground of pal
liation being the alleged fact that q
carriage filled with Catholic Irishmen
drove through the crowd and dis
turbed a meeting which was taking
place. Another illustration is the
Journals approval in paragraphs
like the following of the doctrines
which Ned Buntline was then preach
ing:
NO one who is acquainted with the history
OF this country and other countries can deny
that there is strong provocation for Ameri,
cans to claim the right to govern America and
to put foreigners upon such probation that
they will have an opportunity TO become
somewhat acquainted with our institutions
and forms of government before they are re-
ceiyed into full and active participation in
its administration. Americans are put on
probation for twenty-one years. and have to
undergo q constant training and education
into ali the details of the theory and practice
of our republicanism before they are allowed
20 vote or hold office, and yet many foreigners
are permitted to do the same in live years
after they emerge from the darkness of
european despotism, and in some of the
States they have been smugg'ed into all the
lights OF citizenship in much less time.
8laine's paper also copied with APP
proval the resolutions adopted by the
Known othings at their Bangor meet
ing, one of which read as follows:
Itesolued, That native Amcricanlsm, anti
slavery and temperance are the foundation
stones OF our order, equally deserving our
consideration. and that before giving our po-
litical support to any man, for any office, we
VIII tmperatively demand his entire commit
e ea "a OF these great and cardinal prin-
During the session of the Maine Legis-
lature in 1875, while Blaine was in
control of the journal, the bill which
we have already referred TO was passed.
depriving the State courts of power in
naturalization cases. One of the
speeches in support of this bill. made
by q prominent Know-Nothing and
warm personal friend of Blaine, and
published in full by the latter, contained
the following suggestive PASSAGE:
DRome's legions are among us, naturalized
and as free to vote as an American And they
be- s se se stay away d
ever know Catholic to go to the polls hesi-
Eating who he should vote for? He always
votes from design and In accordance with a
plan well understood before going to the
place OF voting. That plan contains q worm
out OF sight, but 1t gnaws at the very roots of
American institutions whose whiting. as IN
ton that poison is secreted there. This power
has already to an alarming extent got control
of our schools. In many extensive and inn
pOrtaut localities in this country the Protect
ant Bible is ignored in the schools. School
agents and teachers and experimenting
school committees are elected by Catholic
votes and influence, and the school funds,
derived almost exclusively from Protestants
for literary education. is grossly perverted
and made to subserve Roman sectarianism
and anti-republicanism. - The Pope
has determined that the seat of power shall
be in the the United States of America Our
Institutions of to-day, with all their blessings
to us as Protestants and freemen he has de-
termined to make his institutions tomorrow.
Let not the American sentiment now aroused
subside. Permit it not to slumber.
Should our contemporary desire any
more light, either on Blaine's connec-
ton and sympathy with the original
Know-Nothing movement or upon his
more recent manifestations of the same
proscriptive spirit, it can be accommo-
dated. But if it really has any faith in
its pretenses that Blaine is gaining sup
port from the Irish it should stille its
curiosity on this point until the cam
paign is over.-DstrcSt Free Press.