Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-09-25

separable; 60 no sectarian inter-
ference in our legislation or in the
administration Of American law;
CD hostility to the assumption of
the pope. through the bishops. t
cetera, in u republic sanctified by
Protestant blood; CD thorough re-
form in the naturalization laws;
(S) free and liberal educational
institutions for all sects and classes,
with the Bible, Gods holy word,
as universal textbook"
That year there was also formed
an opposition society which was
known as the know-nothings but
it did not attain the proportions of
Il distinct political party.
Governors and legislatures were
elected by the know-nothings in
New York and four New England
states in 1855. and in the west i
south they were successful or We're
defeatal by only the narroWest of
margins in nina states. In 1886
eight of the then thirty-two states
had native American governors,
but in the presidential election Of
that year the new party did not DO
so well, polling only about one
fifth of the popular vote and carry
ing only a single state. Maryland,
which gave it but eight electoral
votes.
In the thirty-fourth congress,
1855, the know-nothing party had
five United States senators and
forty-three members of the house
who We're out-and out know moth
ings. In addition there were soy
enty members of the house VIII
called themselves republicans. but
who were known to be members ~
the know-nothing councils. Two
years later there were five know
nothing senator's and fourteen rep
reSentatives in the thirty fifth cor
gress, and in the thirty sixth con-
gress his membership had dwiu-
died to two senators and twenty.
three representatives, all from
southern states.
New Party Peters Out.
knoW-nothingism petered out or
died even more rapidly than it had
come into existence as a real factor
in the national political arena. It
had no representation in congress
after the Thirty-siXth and little was
heard of 1t from that date. Tho
abolition Of slavery and the preser
walton of the Union became the
over-shadowing issues and religious
prejudices or church affiliations
were little heard of in politics
thereafter for two or three decades.
The real name of the secret So
ciety that was back of the Know
nothing party was Sons of '76, or
Order of the Star Spangled Ban
ncr.' The countersign at its lodge
meetings was an order said to have
been Used by George Washington
on some memorable but unspecified
ocCasion-"Put none but Americans
on guard tonight"
It's political program was some
what similar to that of the farmer
labor coalition of the present year
in that it never nominated candi-
dates on a separate ticket of its
own. Instead. it adopted the policy
of endorsing candidates chosen by
the parties already in the field This
action was taken in secret conven-
ton of delegates from the various
lodges Of the society, at which ev-
cry member had to vote or rcnder
himself liable to expulsion. Inas-
much as there was never any pub
lie announcement as to the candi-
dates that were favored by the
Know-nothings, all the plans and
calculations of the old-line parties
were knocked galley-west. 1t hap
pened that the candidates of the
American party, which came into
the open field in 1854. were almost
invariably supported by the Know
rothings, and some historians classi
fly it as the real Know nothing
party That is not so important,
however, as the facts as to the ma $
turc Of the political movement. the
momentum it gained and the sud-
denness with which it crashed.
Horace Greeley was one of the
most vigorous opponents of Know