Evening star., 1924-07-06
BY REV. SAM w. SMALL,
Noted Southern Evangelist.

n spite of the action of the Demo-
cratic national convention the
Ku Klux Klan, the present -da y
resurgence Of know-nothingism.
Is bound to figure as an issue in
many localities during the on coming
campaign. Therefore, those who may
be tempted to discuss the klan and
it's salient objectives would be well
advised by having in hand the his
tory of it's once famous and formid-
able archetype.
Every organized people have shown
an instructive, and often intense, dis
position to set up and maintain a
"nationalism" that would be their
test Of patriotism and keep them
aloof from any other people. His
torians tell US that the native
American" idea is almost as old as
the idea of American independence.
1t swayed Washington in a memo
| rable crisis of the revolution when
he issued the order Put none but
Americans on guard tonight"
1t was probably also with him and
his colleagues in the making of the
federal Constitution. for they fixed
OF article ii, which says: NO per-
son except natural born citizen, or
citizen of the United States at the
time of the adoption of this Consti-
tuition, shall be eligible to the office
OF President" Under that clause all
long naturaiized as citizens, are
barred from election to the pres1-
dency and logically also to the vice
presidency. What native Amer
leans" have always contended for is
the application of a like bar as to
all other political offices, state or
federal.
Always Strongly Opposed.
The latter proposition, however.
las always been strongly and sue
cessfully opposed, especially since the
early Republicans. through the in
f1uence Of Thomas jefferson, trans
formed themselves into the Demo-
cratic party. The early Federalists
were the quasi Know-Nothings of
their day. In 1890 naturalization
could be had after only two years
residence in the United States, but
in 1895 the required residence was
extended to five years. Then, be-
cause of a steady and large influx
OF Frenchmen and of Irish and
France, the Federalists. seeing those
newcomers welcomed by the Demo-
Gratis, extended, in 1898, the residen-
tlal requirement to fourteen years
That change excited so much indig-
nation among the people who warmly
regarded the political exiles that the
Democrats, in 1902, reduced the term
of residence to the compromise basis
of five years, and it has so remained
to this day.
First Movement in 1885.
The first organized political move
ment to put none but Americans on
guard was made in New York in
1885. Its objects were to restrict i'm
migration, extend the term of nat
uraliZation to twenty-one years resi-
dence. and to challenge and diminish
the foreign vote. The progress these
native Americans made was slow
but steady, so that IL 1874 they car
ried the city of New York, electing
their mayor by a decisive majority.
That victory aroused excited interest
outside of New York and gave the
movement birth and impetus in other
states. both in the north and in the
south and west. So intense became
the popular interest in Philadelphia
that it caused. later in 1874, a series
of bloody political riots in that city.
The agitation grew and spread and
in 1852 had evolved into secret.
oath bound political party. with grips.
signs. passwords, and all the esoteriC
rites peculiar to such cabalS. 1t was
called officially the American party,
but was popularity dubbed the Know
Nothing party" because any of it's
members. when quizzed, professed to
know nothing about it.
When challenged about its patriot
ism and purposes, Alexander H. H.
Stuart, an eminent Virginian, de-
Tended it by saying: THE vital prin-
ciple of the American party is Amer
icanism, developing itself in a deep
rooted attachment to our own coun-
try-its Constitution, it's Union. its
laws to American men. American
measures and American interests.
Americans must rule America
By 1855 the American party had be-
come formidable political power in
many states. drawing into its ranks
the antiNebraska and anti-slavery
extension elements. together with the
more radical abolitionists In that
year the party carried the state cleo
tions in nine of the states of the
Union, and declared its intention to
enter the presidential campaign of
1856. Meanwhile, the anti-Slavery
contingents in the north, fearing that
the American party would fall under
control of the southern pro-slavery
Wings, began to filter out of the
ranks and prepare the new Repub-
lican party.