The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-01

| guished Democratic congressman from Miss
issppi Reuben Davis. in the House of Repre-
resentatives, Jan. 7, 1860. Said he;
There are but minor differences between the par
ties opposed to the Republicans. There are but minor
differences between the Democrats and the South
Americans (Know-nothings); but minor differences be-
tween theanti- Lecompton Democrats and the Ameri-
cans (know-nothngs); What do differ
aboutl Are Americans (znow-nothings) in favor of
| United States bank! No. sir. Are they in favor OF
the government adopting a system of internal i'm
provements, such as has been condemned for years
past by the people of this Natonl No, sir they
not Are they in favor of protection at the expense of
the SOUTH No, sir they not. What
do we differ about
In much the same strain spoke Representative
VIM. Smith, prominent Democrat of Virginia,
in the House, Dec Is, 1855 But perhaps enough
has been said. 1t would become monotonous to
so more fully into details. 1t must be regarded
as l3mentable, however, that it did not trouble
such distinguished representatives of the Demo
cratic party to see narrow ana pusillanimous po-
litical organization hourshing in the maiDte-
nance of principles of bigotry and prescription
The existence of that dastardly organization in
spired no fear. 1t did not Judging by what was
said and done at that time, annoy Democrats to
see the churches dedicated to the faith of a large
proportion of their fellow citizens wantonly at
tackled and burned Such outrages did not i'm
pei them to execute the laws with vigor-to
suppress riotous assemblages and tumultuous
proceedings although at the time they were in
power, and all the federal Offices were
in their hands. They had bute lit
that aimed to deprive a large class
of their feow-citizens of fundamental and con-
stitutional rights. But they did dread the Re
publican party, for this party entered the lists
with the declared purpose of fighting them on
the only issue that to them seemed vital-the is
sue of slavery. Letthe great events thatfollowed
answer for the Republican party as to whether
it right wrong
In the winter of 1S39-60 when John Sherman,
of Ohio, was nominated and supported by the
Republican representatives in Congress for
Speaker of the House. tho Democrats and Know
nothings found it difficult to unite for the pur-
pose of defeating him. But the difficulty did
not proceed from incongruty of principles 1t
rested rather upon the selfish and humiliating
ground of inability to agree upon the distribu-
ton of the offices. In reference to the matter
Mr.. Davis, of Mississippi, said
Mr.. Clerk it is shrewdly suspected that the want
of organization here by union of the national Demo-
cratic party and the American Know-nothingl party
and the anti-Lecompton men, is dependent upon the
division of spoils X In what do Americans
Know-nothingsl and Democrats differl In nothing
sir.
But January "a, 1860 they did unite and the
Know-nothings did not go to the Democrats but
the Democrats did go to the Know nothings.
All the Democratic Representatives in Con-
gress fused and coalesced with the Know-nothngs
in their common struggle against the Repub
hcans, and together they put forth their best
efforts to defeat John Sherman, the Republican
candidate for the Speakership. VIM. N. H.
Smith, a know-nothing representative from
North Carolina, their candidate On the
| 39th ballot lie received l12 votes or only three
! less than enough to elect him to the third place
of official power and dignity in the Nation
About three fourths of the votes cast for this
Know nothing candidate were the votes
of Democrats Not one Republican so
voted. The Democrats continued to vote for
Smith until the forty-second ballot had been
taken. Having meanwhile changed from Sher-
man to Pennington, of New Jersey, the Repub
hcans caused stampede among their opponents
| a. nd Surppa1a6 in al in tha
forty fourth ballot, thus saving the country from
the disgrace of having Know nothing Speaker
of the House of Representatives. Mr.. Larrabee
of Wisconsin, gave voice to sentiments of his
party associates in Congress when he said that
he would rather vote for the most bgoted
Know nothing in the country than black Re-
publican" And in passing it may be worth
while to mention that Mr.. Larrabee came from
that part of Wiscon whence hailed that other
Democratic statesman and ex-congressman who
said in the Democratic convention recently held
in Chicago that he and his associates love Grover
Cleveland the moral monstrosity at the head
of the Democratic ticket, for the enemies he had
made within his own party. That
sweeping language particularly refers to
the workingmen and the Irish element as repre-
sented by such men as Kelly, Grady Cochran
etc. Grady has exhibited sufficient manhood to
rebuke the insult If the others can now tamely
support for the presidency that despicable pro
duct of a blunder, it must be conceded that
Bragg read them correctly, and proved that he
/
heaped upon them his verbal filth and vitupera-
ton
| But enough has been said to show that the
Republican party is in no way responsible for
either the outrages or the existence of the Know
nothing order. 1t was started in the North, and
did its worst here before the Republican party
was organized. AS soon as this great party Sc
cured a foothold it spread at once throughout
the free States, and Know nothingism skunk
away and forever disappeared before its defiant
mien, its courageous opposition, its uncompro-
missing enmity. In the South it was otherwise;
there the Know nothings and Democrats
were divided into pro slavery par
ties of almost equal numerical strength.
and so they continued until they united in the
iniquity of secession, coalesced in treason, to-
gether raised the standard of rebellion and
together invoked the horrors of ifternecine war
in defense of slavery and disunion. Ever since
they have acted together, and acted as one
party-the Democratic party, that fatal virus
| that poisonous leaven-goes far to account for
| the un-American tendencies and pro British
affiliations and reasonable instincts of the Dem
ocratc party Patriotic and independent men
have place in that degraded vacillating and
unprincpled organization Adherence to its
policy and principles reduces man to the low
est level of subservience to and dependence upon
''bosses' and ''bosssm." Its ipsincerity, du-
plcity and Know nothingism have been exnib-
tied time and again since the war-and reliable
signs happily indicate that the popular verdict
will be Overwhelmingly against it in the great
trial to be decided Tuesday, Nov.
Home Life In America.