logwood axe, and cleared a continent of forests. It made an exodus in the old world, and dotted the new with log-cabins, around the hearths of which the tears of the aged and the oppressed were wiped away, and cherub children were born to liberty, and sang its songs, and have grown up in its strength and might and majesty. It brought together foreigners of every country and clime-immigrants from Europe of every language and religion, and its most wonderful effect has been to assimilate all races. Irish and German, English and French, Scotch and Spaniard, have met on the western prairies, in the western woods, and have peopled villages and towns and cities-queen cities, rivalling the marts of eastern commerce; and the Teutonic and Celtic and Anglo-Saxon races have in a day mingled into one undistinguishable mass-and that one is American!"-American in every sense and in every feeling, in every instinct, and in every impulse of American patriotism. The raw German's ambition is first to acquire land enough upon which to send word back to the Baron he left behind him, that he does not envy him his principality!

The Irishman no longer hurra's for "my Lord" or "my Lady," but exclaims in his heart of hearts that "this is a free country.' The children of all are crossed in blood, in the first generation, so that ethnology can't tell of what parentage they are-they all become brother and sister JonathansJonathans to sow and plant grain-Jonathans to raise and drive stock—Jonathans to organize townships and counties and states of free election-Jonathans to establish schools and colleges and rear orators, sages and statesmen for the Senate-Jonathans to take a true heart aim with the rifle at any foe who dares invade a common country-Jonathans to carry conquest of liberty to other lands, until the whole earth shall be filled with the glory of Americanism! As in the colonies, as in the revolution, as in the last war, so have foreigners and immigrants of every religion and tongue, contributed to build up the temple of American law and liberty, until its spire reaches to heaven, whilst its shadow rests on earth!! If there has been a turnpike road to be beaten out of the rocky metal, or a canal to be dug, foreigners and immigrants have been armed with the mattock and the spade; and, if a battle on sea or land had to be fought, foreigners and immigrants have been armed with the musket and the blade. So have foreigners and immigrants proved that their influence has not impaired the genius, or the grace, or gladness, or glory of American institutions. At no time have they warred upon our religion in the west, and they have been at peace among themselves. The Pope has lost more than he has gained of proselytes by the Catholics coming here. No proscription but one has ever disturbed the religious tolerance of the west, and that one was to drive out the religion of an imposter which struck at every social relation surrounding it. If Know-Nothings may tolerate Mormons, I can't see why they leave them to their religious liberty and select the very mother church of Protestantism itself for persecution and proscription. But the west, I repeat, made up of foreigners and immigrants of every religion and tongue, the west is as purely patriotic, as truly American, as genuinely Jonathan, as any people who can claim our nationality. Now, is not here proof in war and in peace that the apprehension of foreign influence, brought here by immigrants, is not only groundless but contradicted by the facts of our settlements and developments? Did a nation ever so grow as we have done under land ordinances and our laws of naturalization? They have not made aristocracies, but sovereigns and sovereignties of the people of the west. They have strengthened the stakes of our dominion and multiplied the sons and daughters of America so that now she can muster an army, and maintain it, too, outnumbering the strength of any invaders, and making "a host of freedom which is the host of God!"

Now, shall all this policy and its proud and happy fruits be cast aside

for a contracted and selfish scheme of intolerance and exclusion? Shall the unnumbered sections of our public lands be fenced in against immigrants? Shall hospitality be denied to foreign settlers? Shall no asylum be left open to the poor and the oppressed of Europe? Shall the clearing of our lands be stopped? Shall population be arrested? Shall progress be made to stand still? Are we surfeited with prosperity? Shall no more territory be acquired? Shall Bermuda be left a mare clausum of the Gulf of Mexico, and Jamaica, a key of South American conquest and acquisition, in the hands of England; Cuba, a depot of domination over the mouth of the Mississippi, in the hands of Spain, just strong enough to keep it from us for some strong maritime power to seize, whenever they will conquor or force a purchase, Central America, in the gate-way of commerce between our Atlantic and Pacific possessions-lest foreigners be let in among us, and Catholics come to participate in our privileges? Verily, this is a strange way to help American institutions and to promote American progress. No, we have institutions which can embrace a world, all mankind with all their opinions, prejudices and passions, however diverse and clashing, provided we adhere to the law of Christian charity and of free toleration. But the moment we dispense with these laws, the pride, and progress, and glory, and good of American institutions will cease forever, and the memory of them will but goad the affections of their mourners. Selfishness, utter selfishness alone, can enjoy these American blessings, without desiring that all mankind shall participate in their glorious privileges. Nothing, nothing is so dangerous to them, nothing can destroy them so soon and so certainly, as secret societies, formed for political and religious ends combined, founded on proscription and intolerance, without necessity, against law, against the spirit of the Christian Reformation, against the whole scope of Protestantism, against the faith, hope, and charity of the Bible, against the peace and purity of the churches; against free government by leading to oligarchy and a union of church and state; against human progress, against national acquisitions, against American hospitality and comity, against American maxims of expatriation, and allegiance and protection, against American settlements and land ordinances, against Americanism in every sense and shape!

Lastly. What are the evils complained of, to make a pretext for these innovations against American policy, as heretofore practised with so much success and such exceeding triumph?

1st. The first cause, most prominent, is that the native and Protestant feeling has been exasperated by the course pursued by both political parties, in the last several Presidential campaigns; they have cajoled and "honeyfuggled with both Catholics and foreigners by birth, naturalized and unnaturalized, ad nauseam.

Foreigners and Catholics were not so much to blame for that as both parties. And take these election toys from them, and does any one suppose that they would not resort to some other humbug? Is not another hobby now arising to put down both of these pets of party? Is not the donkey of Know-Nothingism now kicking its heels at the lap-dogs of the "rich Irish brogue" and the "sweet German accent," for the fondlings and pettings of political parties?

2nd. Both parties have violated the election laws and laws of naturalization, in rushing green emigrants, just from on ship-board, up to the polls

to vote.

This, again, is the fault of both parties. And this is confined chiefly, if not entirely, to the cities. It don't reach to the ballot boxes of the country at large, and is not a drop in the ocean of our political influence. In New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Cincinnati, and New Orleans, the abuse, I

venture to say, don't number, in fact, 500 votes. It is nothing everywhere else, in a country of universal suffrage and of twenty millions of free people. And would perjury and fraud in elections be arrested by the attempt to exclude Catholics and foreigners by birth from office?-or, by extending the limitation of time for naturalization ?—or, by repealing the naturalization laws? Either of these remedies for the error would mnltiply the perjuries and the frauds and the foreign votes. Then there would be a pretext for obtaining by fraud and force what was denied under law. By making naturalization rather to follow immediately upon the oath of allegiance, and that to depend on the will and the good character of the applicant, fraud and perjury would rather be stripped of their pretexts. The foreigners would be at once exalted in their self-respect and dignity of deportment, right would enable them to exercise the elective franchise in peace, and the country would escape the demoralization resulting from a violation of the laws, and from the means employed to set at nought their force and effect.

3rd. Foreigners have abused the protection of the United States abroad. If they have, it was a violation of law. They cannot well do it, without the want of care and vigilance in our consular and diplomatic functionaries abroad. Citizens at home abuse our protection, and they are not always punished for their crimes.

4th. Catholics, it is urged, have been combined and obeyed the signs of their bishops and priests in elections, and have been influenced in their votes to a great extent by religious and exclusive considerations.

If they have, that is one of the best reasons why Protestants should not follow their example. It is evil, and the less there is of it the better for all. Let bigotry and proscription belong to any sect rather than to Protestants. When they follow alleged Catholic examples, which they arraign, as dangerous and mischievous, then they themselves become as Catholics, according to their own opinions, dangerous and mischievous.

5th. Catholics and Catholic governments, it is urged, have always excluded Protestants from religious and social privileges in their countries.

And how much have we gained upon them by following the opposite policy? By tolerance we have grown so great as now to make them feel the necessity to respect our title to comity and right to a separate enjoyment of the privileges of Protestants. Our government is interposing in that behalf, and I fear it will not be assisted any in its negotiations by the attempt here to proscribe Catholics and strangers by birth.

6th. It is complained that in some instances, in New York particularly, the Catholics have been arrogant, exclusive and anti-republican in their attempts to control the public schools, and to exclude from them the free and open study of the word of God.

How can this bigotry be subdued by bigotry, which retires itself in secrecy and proscribes all who don't proscribe Catholics? There is no homopathy in moral disease. Proscription and bigotry and secrecy must not be prescribed for the maladies of proscription, bigotry, and hiding of the word! The diseases would then be epidemics among Protestants, Catholics, and all. The open and lawful and liberal means for either prevention or correction of this evil are simple and efficacious if righteously applied.

7th. It is urged that Catholics recognize the supremacy of the Pope and submission to priestcraft, which might, under circumstances, be destructive of our free government.

Suppose that to be so, there are worse sects among us, whom Know-Nothings pretend not to assail. There are the Mormon polygamists; there are the necromancers of Spiritual Rappings; and there is a sect which aspires not only to destroy free government, but the great globe and all that it inhabit the millenial Millerites. And, it is about as likely that Millerites will

set the world on fire in one day, as that Popery will ever be able to break up or bow down this republic. The prophecies must all fail, and Christ's dominion upon earth must cease, and printing presses and telegraphs and steam must be lost to the arts, and revolutions must go backwards, and the sky must fall and catch Know-Nothings, before the times of Revelations are out, and the Pope catches “ Uncle Sam."

No, no, no-there is not a reason in all these complaints, which is not satisfied by our laws as they exist, and not an error, which may not be corrected by the proper application of the lawful authority at our command, without resorting to the extraordinary, extrajudicial, revolutionary, and antiAmerican plan of a secret society of intolerance and proscription.

I belong to a secret society, but for no political purpose. I am a native Virginian intus et in cute, a Virginian; my ancestors on both sides for two hundred years were citizens of this country and this state-half English, half Scotch. I am a Protestant by birth, by baptism, by intellectual belief and by education and by adoption. I am an American, in every fibre and in every feeling an American; yet in every character, in every relation, in every sense, with all my head, and all my heart, and all my might, I protest against this secret organization of native Americans, and of Protestants to proscribe Roman Catholic and naturalized citizens !

Now, will they proscribe me?

That question weighs not a feather with

Your obedient servant,

HENRY A. WISE.

THE FIRST APPEARANCE OF KNOW-NOTHINGISM IN VIRGINIA.

It is unknown to the unitiated at what precise time Know-Nothingism made its entrance into Virginia; but, from the most reliable information we can gather, the first council was organized in the town of Charlottesville, some time in the month of July, 1854, and very soon after another in the city of Richmond. These councils, in pursuance to the Know-Nothing Ritual, were organized by the authority of the Grand Council of Thirteen of the city of New York. From this time until about the latter part of October, we have no newspaper account of operations. But during this interim of nearly three. months, it is our impression that the Grand Council of Thirteen was very industriously organizing councils in the various towns and cities of the state. After the state had become well checkered with councils, the Grand Council of Thirteen delegated one Rev. Mr. Evans to establish a state council in the city of Richmond. This state council was empowered by the parent body in New York to grant charters for the establishment of councils in every nook and corner of the state; and the consequence was, that in nearly every secluded grove, retired school-house, and concealed recess, could be found a band of men, veiled in secrecy and under the cover of darkness, administering Jesuitical oaths and teaching cabalistic signs to the thoughtless, indiscreet and unsuspecting noviciates. The citizens of this commonwealth should keep it fresh in their minds, that a portion of her citizens were once engaged in the work of palming upon them a political heresy, through the

instrumentality of a Northern emissary, coming under the specious guise and cloak of religion. New York was the hot bed of corruption from which a northern plague was to sweep the home and resting-place of Washington and Jefferson. The Richmond Enquirer noticed, in the following spirited manner, the organization of the state council by the Rev. Evans, of New York:

KNOW-NOTHING COUNCIL IN RICHMOND.-It is not generally known, we suspect, that a state council of the Know-Nothing order is to be held in this city to-day. In spite of the severe secrecy of their movements, this fact has transpired; and with it comes the additional intelligence that one Reverend Mr. Evans is present as representative of the "Grand National Council of Thirteen," of which Barker of New York is President. This emissary brings along a redundant supply of the venom of intolerance, wherewith to inoculate the brethren in this region and to corrupt the native generosity of the Virginia character. He imports, also, a copious supply of pass-words and other cabalistic signs, and is in every way equipped for the work of drill-sergeant and hierophant. Is it not a shame that such creatures should come here, and, under cover of darkness, deposit the poison of intolerance and proscription on the soil which Jefferson has consecrated to civil liberty and to freedom of conscience? The movements of the order are directed and controlled by a cabal in New York, and thus, should KnowNothingism triumph in this state, the government of Virginia will be the creature of the "Council of Thirteen." Esteeming themselves competent to the management of their own affairs, Virginians have been proverbially jealous of foreign influence; nor will they now submit to the usurpation of this conclave of New York Know-Nothings. The sentiment of state-sovereignty and the pride of personal independence are equally outraged by the attempt thus to subjugate us.

Our neighbor of the Dispatch, with commendable forethought, has warned persons attending the Fair against the depredations of the thieves who rifle. pockets in the confusion of the crowd. It is our business to admonish all good citizens of the presence of the Know-Nothings, who, adopting the cunning artifice of pick-pockets and burglars, have availed themselves of the confusion and excitement of this occasion, to mature their plot against the security of society.

THE STAUNTON DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION.

After the claims of the various candidates spoken of for Governor had been thoroughly discussed through the public journals, delegates were sent from various counties of the state to meet in Convention at the town of Staunton, November 30th, 1854, for the purpose of making a proper selection of candidates for the office of Governor, Lieut. Governor and Attorney General. This Convention was one of the largest and most talented that ever assembled in the state for a political purpose.

Its proceedings were very animated. Parties soon resolved themselves into two, one of them supporting Mr. WISE, the other Mr. LEAKE. Its session lasted three days, and Mr. Wise was not nominated until the morning of the third and last day. As its proceedings were marked by great