Evening star., 1924-07-06
KU KLUX ISSUE OLD
Present Political Situation Marked by Resurgence to "Know
Nothngism," Which Long Ago Stirred Bitterness

ary ~, 1855. the American party held
us national convention in PhiladeI-T
phla, adopted platform and nomj-s
mated presidential ticket The NOM
lnee for President was no less a per-
sonage than Millard Fillmore of New
York, a former President of the
United States, ascending to the Office
from the vice presidency upon the
oeath In off1ce of President Zachary
Taylor. The nominee for Vice Presi-
dent was Andrew Jackson Donelson
OF Tennessee, relative of "Old Hick-
ory' and owner of a splendid estate
adjacent to "the Hermitage"
There were 227 delegates in the con-
ventlon. sent by the party from every
state in the Union, except the states
of Maine, Vermont, Georgia and South
Carolina. The platform contained six
planks: Q) For the perpetuation of
the Union; (2) preference of native
born citizens for public office; CD no
office for any one who recognizes OBJ
legation to any foreign prince, poten--
tate or power tmeaning Catholics ;
% non nterference by Congress with
the power of the state, or by the
states with each other; go right of
the natlve-born citizens of any terri
tory to frame their own constitution
and laws; 90 a residence of twenty
one years in the United States to
qualify foreigner for naturalization
very strong campaign for the
party was carried on against the
Democratic ticket of Buchanan and
breckenridge and the new Repub-
lican ticket of Fremont and Dayton,
notwithstanding that in the previous
year Gov Henry A. Wise of Virginia
had beaten the KnoW-Nothings crush
ingly in that state and Gov. Andrew
Johnson had smashed them hopelessly
in Tennessee. The result was that OF
the thirty-one states in the Union the
American party carried only the state
Of Maryland, with eight electoral
votes-and Maryland had been the
first of the colonies to declare for
liberation of all religious faiths al
though itself Catholic colony After
the American party, as its member
ship almost at once deserted into the
Democratic or Republican parties.
Great Bitterness shown,
Some liberal persons of today
marvel over the bitterness that is
manifested by the Ku klux and
anti Khan partisans. Yet this modern
bitterness of feeling is scarcely to be
compared with that which ragged
during the KnowNothing era. 1t led
to murderous riots in several i'm
portant cities and to many personal
encounters between conspicuous pub
lie characters; it created the long
nine weeks contest over the speaker
ship in the Thirty-fourth Congress,
ended at last in February of 1856 by
81 ola ~, II
on a compromise vote. he having the
highest number cast. though not
majority. The Know -Nothings con-
trolled the majority in that House of
Representatives. Banks was chosen
cor also had something to do with
the beating down of Senator Charles
Sumner in the Senate chamber by
Congressman Preston Brooks of
South Carolina.
At the outset of the campaign in
Tennessee joint discussion between
the candidates for goyernor-AndreW
Johnson for the Democrats and
Meredith. /. Gentry for the Know
Nothings-was held at the town Of
Murfreesboro, quite near to Nash
vile. The locality was stronghold
of aristocracy, whiSgery and know
nothingism. And here Johnson de-
termined to make the issue of the
campaign plain and scapable. A
tremendous and terribly earnest con-
course of voters attended to hear
their contesting champions. Many
of the men were armed and prepared
for bloody trouble.
Called "LoathsOme Reptfles.s
A contemporary report of the meet
ing says of Johnson:
He assailed know-nothingism
with an audacity unknown before
even to himself Men were con-
raigned the party for its signs, its
grips and passwords. its oaths and
secret conclaves, its midnight gather
ings, its narrowness, littleness and
proscriptiveness. He Charged that
the members were sworn to tell lie
when they first entered the order.
He exclaimed with all his bitterness
Show me a knowNothing and Will
show you loathsome reptile on
whose neck every honest man should
put his feet! He. finally charged
that they were no better than John
A. Nurrelrs elan of outlaws.
At this utterance thousand men
snrang to their feet and the cooking
of pistols was heard all through the
assemblage. Every man awaited the
signal for action. Johnson stood
like a bronze figure and surveyed the
throng with an unf1inching eye. No
shot rang out, The danger died
Johnson calmly went on with his
speech and finished amid the tumultu-
Gus cheers of his adherents.
Gentry did not try to beat down
the fierce diatribe against his sup
porters and they left the field cowed
and disheartened; and their cause
was lost one from that day.
Copyright, 1920