Volume 14 , Issue 39

1855 - Know-Nothing & Anti-Know Nothing Factions

It was reported in The Perrysburg Journal, Saturday, 27th of October 1855, in Perrysburg, Ohio, that, The Toledo Daily Times agitated for an investigation as to the legality of the wholesale naturalization practiced by Judge Hall at its last court. The Toledo Daily Times claimed that the result of a recent election was a "Know Nothing" triumph.

The Toledo Daily Times assumed that the "Know Nothings" were able to have achieved the recent victory in Ohio without the assistance of the Republicans. The claim reported, "It is absurd." They did not believe it could had been gained in any other way than it was -- by a united effort. The thought was to divide the Republican strength into "Know Nothing" and "Anti-Know Nothing" factions, as a legitimate result of the labors of the Times and either part would be easily beaten by the Democrats.

They believed the opponents of a proscriptive policy and of all secret political organizations would speedily gain an immense preponderance of numbers. The confidence of the "Know Nothings" in their own unaided strength must have been taken with rather more grains of allowance, when they cut loose from the Republicans, than the numerous failures of their predictions hitherto had provided.

On the other hand, if there had seen no "Know Nothing" organization, they asked any candid man if he believed that the administration could had made a respectable show of fight in 1855 in a single northern state? Why, what had the administration pressed and stumpers talked about in all the recent campaigns of 1855? Nothing but "Know Nothingism."

The Republican strength was all that had kept the "Know Nothings" from being crushed as between the upper and nether millstones. Without the incubus of the "Know Nothing" name, large accessions to the Republican rank might have been expected from the Democratic party, while the German voters would have been with others almost en masse.

There were no more decided opponents of "Know Nothingism" than many of the Republicans, but, as the "Know Nothings" of the north professed to be anti-slavery, these Republicans had waived the other question for the present, to unite against the impudent and urgent demands of slavery, with all who would have united with them on the Republican Platform. And they desired to remain united upon it.   |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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