The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-12-13

"
matt. There they authorized a third de-
gree-the order of the American union.
The oaths and ceremonials Of that de-
gree were more directed 10 the preserVa-
ton Of the union than to the exclusion
of foreigners and catholics, and the
union degree was construed to mean
that the North should keep quiet on
the subject of slavery; il was adopted
largely through the influence of Ray
nor Of North Carolina, an old-time wing,
who foresaw the contingency of seces-
sion and wished to prevent II if possible.
In six months after that degree was in
stituted it was estimated that 1900 900
men had taken it, and the boast that
the members Of the order would elect
the next president did not seem alto
gether empty. In the elections of 1856
the knoWnothings gained little in the
West, but made great stride in adj
vance southwark where they easily cap
tured most of the wings. In this year,
too, they first appeared effectively in
Rhode Island politics. They had begun
to gain a foothOld here in the winter of
1854 as a political organization and had
organized themselves in ward and town.
ship councils. Their growth was rapid,
particularly in Providence, and in 1855
they elected their candidate for govern
or, the Hon. William Warner Hoppin.
and all the other state officers, as well
as controlling the state legislature.
In electing governors and legislatures
in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Con-
necticut, New York, California and
Kentucky, also some officers in Mary
land and Texas; and in Virginia.
Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Lou
isiana were defeated by only small ma
jorities ranging from 1000 to 1000.
Encouraged by these successes in local
politics, the order began to prepare for
campaign as a national party in 1856. IT
went upon the theory that large numbers
of people were tired of the agitation for
and against slavery, and 1t thought that
in place of the slavery question il could
make opposition to aliens and catholics
a national issue. To this end leading
catholics were brought to bay in public
controversies, the prosecutions by the
catholic church in all countries were re-
counted, special denunciatiOns were
leveled at Bedini the pope's nuncio, and
Americans were warned that the inquisi-
ton would kindle the fires of the holy
auto de fe on the high places of our re-
public and deluge our blooming plains
with American blood" In pursuance Of
their more ambitious plans a secret
grand council of delegates assembled in
Philadelphia Feb. 49, 1856, and in a
stormy session of three days adopted a
platform in sixteen propositions. the
principal of which was that only native
born citizens should be selected for pub
lie offices, and that there should be 're-
sistance to the aggressive policy and
cOrrupting tendencies of the Roman cath
Ole church" Though intending to push
the slavery question to one side, the
delegates to the council could not do
this. and, after a heated debate between
the northern and the southern elements,
a proposition was adopted which de-
clared that congress ought not to pro-
hibit slavery in any territory or the Dis
49, II. e
power to exclude any state from the
union because its constitution recognized
slavery. The northern delegates, though
accepting all the rest of the platform
refused to abide by this slavery plank
and in the subsequent elections of that
year, while the southern knownothings
made their campaign on the national
platform entire, the northern know
nathings repudistsd the slavery plank
when they asked for the votes of the
people. Aside from this splitting of
knownothingism into two factions by
the obtruding question of the times, an
other result Of that council was the
abandonment of the farce of mystery
and secrecy. 1t was discovered that all
the virtue Of this secret machinery had
been exhausted, and it was accordingly
recommended that the state councils
abandon their degrees" and substitute
simple pledge Of honor for the oaths.
From that time on the organization held
conventions like regular political organ
izauons. and is better known as the
American party.
On the day following the adjournment
or the secret council an open nominating
convention met, with 227 delegates pres
ent, only Maine. Vermont Georgia and
South Carolina being unrepresented
After one informal ballot Willard Fill
more was nominated for president and
the declaration of principles previously
made by the council was adopted as the
party's platform. Disliking the slavery
plank in this platform, the northern
delegates, to the number Of seventy-two,
withdrew and issued a call for another
convention in June. The seeding dele
gates then nominated Banks, and when
he declined they Endorsed Fremont the
nominee OF the new republican party
The democrats nominated Buchanan
and the wings accepted Fillmore The
campaign that followed was sluggish
enough, except for the Fremont hula
baloo, and the real contest was between
Buchanan and Fillmore The prelim-
mary state elections OF 1856 were not
discourasing to the American party. 1t
reelected its governors in New Hamp-
shire and Rhode Island, and 1t could be
said that eight Of the thfrty-two states
had American executives. But the pres
idential election Of November showed
that on national matters the party had
none OF the elements of persistence"
Thus. while I'm New Hampshire, for In
stance, in the local elections In March
the vote was 3d. 119 American, 80, 031 dem
ocratic and 1850 whig, in the national
election in November the vote was IS. 345
republican, 32,7S9 democratic and 422
American. In the country as a whole
the popular vote for Fillmore american
and whig) was S74534 in a total vote of
4,053,976, and his electoral votes were
only eight, all from Maryland
A new, vital and important issue had
come into politics and the old know
nothing organization, in even its later
forms, was done for. While politics was
in a state OF flux and parties were
broken up and sharp alignments of the
people on great questions had not been
completed, IL was easy enough for this
eccentric and baseless organization to
get a transient foothold. But the mo-
ment burning question Of national con-
sequence came TO the front people
turned very quickly away from the I'M
jUstifable principles OF the know-noth-
ings. The allurements Of ceremonial
and mystery had lost their force. and
the early members of the order grew
ashamed of their childish methods and
equally childish fears OF catholicism and
alienism. They had been frightened by
bugaboos only because their minds had
not been occupied with grave questions
such as had fully asserted themselves I'm
1855 and 1857 In the state elections OF
the latter year the American party once
more carried Rhode Island and Mary
land, and in the Thirty-fifth congress.
which met Ia December, 1857 IL had five
senators and from fifteen to twenty rep