48

note of yesterday, I respectfully suggest that you take means to procure
copies of the following papers, entitled as follows, viz: " The Constitu-
tion of the National Council of the United States of North America,"
and the accompanying "Constitution for the government of subordinate
Councils,". " The Constitution of the North Carolina State Council,
adopted January 18th, 1855; an address adopted in the State Council
of Massachusetts, June 29th, 1855; resolves of the State Council of
South Carolina, adopted at a meeting held at Charleston, August 14th,
1855—copies of which papers, I regret, I have not at hand to lay
before you. I have no doubt, however, the committee will be able, if
they desire it, to procure them.

I would further respectfully suggest that you summon before you the
delegates from this State, to the Convention, said to have been hold at
the City of Cincinnati, about the close of the year 1854, and also the
delegates from this State to the National Council held at the city of
Philadelphia in the month of June last.

This last body, whoso proceedings are said to have been conducted in
secret, issued what purports to be a platform of principles, to which I
would respectfully refer you. I do so, because in the 8th section of
said publication, the policy of the Roman Catholic Church in our country
is denounced as aggressive, and an organized political resistance to those
of the Catholic faith plainly indicated and encouraged; thus introducing
"religious issues into the field of political agitation." .

The 14th section of this platform declares " that all the principles of
the order shall be henceforth every where openly avowed, and that each
member shall be at liberty to make known the existence of the order,
and the fact that he himself is a member; and it recommends that there
be no concealment of the place of meeting of subordinate Councils."

Here we have the most conclusive proof that to the date of the
publication of this platform, every thing connected with the "order"
was a matter of secrecy, its members bound to conceal its existence, and
their connection with it; and from the specific statement above quoted
of what its members are now " at liberty" to reveal, the conclusion is
inevitable that there is still left, that which they are not allowed to
disclose to the uninitiated.

I further suggest that you summon before you such persons of respec-
tability as are now known to have been connected with the order, and
also others who are now members of the same, and that you seek to have
produced before you the secret work or ritual of any secret political or-
der, as may be in the possession of any State or subordinate Council in
this State, or of any agent or officer of the same.

Should your inquiries result, as I trust they may, in satisfying the
public mind that there are no such secret political combinations, or that
no oaths, obligations, or pledges are administered in such councils, to
the prejudice of any class of American citizens, and that there does not
exist any design or purpose in such societies to " trouble, molest or
discountenance," or to exclude from preferment, or office, any citizen
in consequence of the religion he professes, or the place of his nativity,
no one will be more pleased than myself, and none more ready to ac-
knowledge that injustice has boon done to a large class of our people.