was by this means partially penetrated, and many accounts
of their acts and doings, principles and purposes, became the
themes of common conversation, and were published in vari-
ous newspapers and other public prints in almost every State
in the Union. These accounts were at first variant, and to
Borne extent contradictory, but all that have been seen by, or
brought to the knowledge of this minority, concur in ascrib-
ing to this party, the practices of observing secrecy as to their
movement and purposes,—of binding its members by forms
of oaths, to proscribe from all offices by their votes, or other-
wise, if possessed of political power, all persons not of native
birth, and all members of the Catholic religion, and of aiming
at and laboring to obtain far themselves political power and
place !

This minority have been furnished with the forms of the
oaths which it is alleged are administered to the members of
this party, to each one in succession as he attains, or is raised
to the first, second and third degrees in said order or society,
which have been printed, published and circulated in every
direction, and remain, so far as this minority is informed,
without any authoritative contradiction or denial, and to
prove the correctness of which by oral testimony they have
had suggested and named to them, an host of witnesses,
none of whom it was the pleasure of the majority (as has been
seen) to summon or examine ! Here are the forms of these
oaths and obligations :

OATH OR OBLIGATION OF THE FIRST DEGREE.

"In the presence of Almighty God, and these witnesses,
you do solemnly promise and swear, that you will never betray
any of the secrets of this society, nor communicate them
even to proper candidates, except within a lawful council of
the order; that you will never permit any of the secrets of
this society to be written, or in any other manner to be
made eligible, except for the purpose of official instruction ;
that you will not vote, nor give your influence for any man
for any office in the gift of the people, unless he be an
American born citizen, in favor of Americans ruling Amer-
ica, nor if he be a Roman Catholic; that you will in all po-
litical matters, so far as this order is concerned, comply with
the will of the majority, though it may conflict with your per-
sonal preferences, so long as it does not conflict with the
constitution of the United States of America, or that of the
State in which you reside; that you will not, under any
circumstances whatever, knowingly recommend an unwor-
thy person for initiation, nor suffer it to be done if in your

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