A Formidable And Compact
Body Thus Arises, And It Occasionally Happens That Such A Society,
Originating In The Weakness Of A Minority, Becomes Strong Enough To
Dictate A Course Of Action To The Executive.
Of all the associations ever formed, none promised to exercise so
important an influence as that of the Know-nothings, or the American
party.
It arose out of the terrific spread of a recognised evil - namely,
the power exercised upon the Legislature by foreigners, more especially by
the Irish Romanists. The great influx of aliens, chiefly Irish and
Germans, who speedily or unscrupulously obtain the franchise, had caused
much alarm throughout the country. It was seen that the former, being
under the temporal and spiritual domination of their priests, and through
them under an Italian prince, were exerting a most baneful influence upon
the republican institutions of the States. Already in two or more States
the Romanists had organised themselves to interfere with the management of
the public schools. This alarm paved the way for the rapid extension of
the new party, which first made its appearance before men's eyes with a
secret organization and enormous political machinery. Its success was
unprecedented. Favoured by the secresy of the ballot, it succeeded in
placing its nominees in all the responsible offices in several of the
States. Other parties appeared paralysed, and men yielded before a
mysterious power of whose real strength they were in complete ignorance.
The avowed objects of the Know-nothings were to establish new
naturalization laws, prohibiting any from acquiring the franchise without
a residence of twenty-one years in the States - to procure the exclusion of
Romanists from all public offices - to restore the working of the
constitution to its original purity - and to guarantee to the nation
religious freedom, a free Bible, and free schools; in fact, to secure to
Americans the right which they are in danger of ceasing to possess -
namely, that of governing themselves.
The objects avowed in the preliminary address were high and holy; they
stirred the patriotism of those who writhed under the tyranny of an
heterogeneous majority, while the mystery of nocturnal meetings, and a
secret organization, conciliated the support of the young and ardent. For
a time a hope was afforded of the revival of a pure form of republican
government, but unfortunately the Know-nothing party contained the
elements of dissolution within itself. Some of its principles savoured of
intolerance, and of persecution for religious opinions, and it ignored the
subject of slavery. This can never be long excluded from any party
consideration, and, though politicians strive to evade it, the question
still recurs, and will force itself into notice. Little more than a year
after the Know-nothings were first heard of, they came into collision with
the subject, in the summer of 1855, and, after stormy dissensions at their
great convention, broke up into several branches, some of which totally
altered or abandoned the original objects of their association.
Their triumph was brief:
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