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be innocent, and commands the thing to be done after the fashion
of Richard III, when ordering the murder of the infant princes
in the Tower, using language which he knew was well under-
stood by his tried and well trained assassins, but which could
afterwards be denied to mean what he did fully mean and intend
by it. To make this more certain, if possible, the Convention
could not wind up their pretended proclamation of religious free-
dom, which follows in the second division of this article, without
lugging in near its conclusion a repetition of this false charge
against the members of the proscribed church; as much as to
say, or for the purpose of saying in effect, lest some might sup-
pose this general proclamation of equality of "civil and religious
rights and privileges," and of "jealous resistance of all attempts
by any denomination, or church, to obtain an ascendency over
any other in the State," &c, and went too far and the objects of
proscription might escape under it, that all this was graciously
vouchsafed to all other Christian denominations but Catholics,
who were to be excluded !

From all which, this minority cannot but conclude that the
American Party of the Philadelphia Platform of June, 1855, is
but the regular and legitimate descendant of the Know-nothing
Party, and true to its descent, maintains and enforces in that
Platform the principle and purpose of proscription, both on ac-
count of religious faith and place of birth !

The last clause in this first part of the 8th Article of the Plat-
form applies in direct terms, the injunction to exclude from all
offices, executive, legislative, judicial or diplomatic, all citizens,
not of native birth! About this, contrary as it is to the spirit
and principles of the Constitution and the fundamental doctrines
of equality of political rights, privileges and immunities amongst
all citizens, there is no concealment—no equivocation; the pur-
pose is open, plain and clearly avowed. The general tone of
popular feeling previously excited in the country, with some
show of reason on account of the permission given to, and the
privilege used by unnaturalized foreigners in some quarters of
the Union of exercising the right of suffrage, resulting possibly
in some instances in giving ascendency to one or another of the
political parties of the day, was supposed to justify, if not to
render politic, this open avowal of the purpose to proscribe all
who could not be brought under the extended signification of the
term foreigner, that is, all persons not born in this country.

Let the true cause of this excitement in the public mind be
examined for a moment, the character of the alleged evil be
stated, and the sufficiency, applicability and consequences of the
remedy proposed by this American party presented to view.
There has been and is a boundless extent of highly fertile lands