Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-09-25
The Haskin Letter By ' : as:sa
A DIP INTO POLITICAL HISTORY

called themselves republicans, but who
were known to be members of the
know-nothing councils. Two years lat
err there were five know-nothing SEN
ators and IA representatives in the
Thirty fifth congress, nj IN the
Thirty-s sixth congress this membership
had dwindled to two senator's and 70
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. 1t had no
representation in congress after the
thirty sixth and little was heard OF it
from that date. The abolition OF slav-
ery and the preservation of the Union
became the ~-shadowing issues and
religious prejudices or church aftiha-
tons were little heard of In politics
| thereafter for two or three decades.
The real name of the secret society
that was back of the know-nothing
marty was "Sons of '76. or Order of the
Star Spangled Banner" The counter
! sign at its lodge meetings was an or
| der said to have been issued by George
| Washington on some memorable but
unspecified occasion: Put none Dut
Americans on guard tonight
It's political program was somewhat
similar to that Of the farmer-laoor CO.
alition of the present year IN that il
never nominated candidates on a sep
crate ticket of it's own. Instead, II
adopted the policy of endorsing can
didate chosen by the parties already
in the field. This action was taken
in secret convention of delegates from
various lodges of the society, at which
every member had to vote or rendei
himself liable to expulsion. Inasmucf
as there was never any public an
nouncement as to the candidates thai
were favored by the know-nothings
all the plans and calculations OF ths
old-line parties were knocked gaiiey'
west. 1t happened that the candidate'
of the American party, Wnich cam
into the open field in 1904, were al
most invariably supported by tn
know-nothings, and some historians
classify it as the real know-nothlnt
party. That is not so important, how
ever. as the facts as to the nature O
the political movement, the momen
tum It gained and the suddenness witt
which it crashed.
Horace Greeley was n OF tn
most vigorous opponents of Know
nothingism and said or that NJ con
tanned about as much Of the element
an anti-potato-rot society. Henri.
Ward Beecher was another of tn
,more prominent opponents OF tn
movement.
The beginning of the movement
however, was not without its JUST
fication. In the earliest days of tn
republic. immigrants who had left Eu
rope because Of too free indulgenc
in freedom of speech. thought, an
action, showed a decided disposltlo'
to take possession of and run tn
government of the country that OF
fered them sanctuary. This result
ed in 1895 in a change in the natur
alization term from two to five years
and in 1898 it was increased to 1
years, only to be placed again on tn
five-year basis in 1902.
In New York City there develope
with the passing years a compact an
clannish body of immigrants, hungr
office and the rewards of polite:
who arrayed themselves openly a
foreigners against the natives. In on
campaign they made a great dem
&. onstration in which a transparency wa
displayed that actually carried th
! threat, Americans shan't rule us!
In the face of a challenge of tbs
kind, it is not surprising that til
! native sons decided it was up TO thel
to get busy.