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18 THE KNOW NOTHING ALMANAC 3
kles of party. When we see nearly 75,000
men boldly stand forth and exclaim, in the
face of the old parties, “IT am an American,”
as in Virginia, we may well hope for a
speedy overthrow of foreignism. And these
75,000 Americans were called together, ata
day’s notice, as it were, and almost without
an effort. We have only to, stand. our
ground to present an unyielding front to
the foe; and in order to do this, we have
only to emulate the noble example of our
glorious ancestors, who, for seven long
years, stood up against the adverse foe,
and battled like heroes for the precious
treasure which we have now in charge.
They never despaired when defeat attended
their patriotic efforts. Our cause js identi-
cal with theirs, and our second Declaration
of Independence from all foreign influence,
must be followed by many a hard-fought
battle,
Disinterested patriotism will insure us*
victory. Whatever course the trembling,
time-serving, political partyites may take,
let the patriotic American look to no goal
but the preservation of the Constitution—
the rights of the States under that Constitu-
tion, the perpetuity of the Union, and, as
auxiliary to these, the protection of the
Bible, our free-school system, our enlight-
ened views, our American customs, cur
American industry, our native labor, and
the faith of our forefathers. The American
cause isin the hands of the people, and their
virtue, their patriotism, their honesty, are
proof against the artful wiles, the strategy
and trickery of selfish demagogues.
The cause is far too powerful to be coun-
teracted by all the impediments which can
be piled up in the line of its triumphant
march, or to be baffled by all the artifices
which demagogues can employ to detach its
adherents or abate its energy. Its vigor is
unconquerable-—its ultimate ascendency in-
evitable. But, to insure success, the Ame-
rican cause must remain in the hands of the
American people, from whbm it sprung.
The struggle now is between them and the
designing demagogues and paltry politicians
who seek its overthrow; but we have an
abiding faith that there are yet disinter-
ested, patriotic, conservative men enough
in the United States to look beyond the piti-
ful race after office, to the good of their
country, and to its salvation. Let such men
array themselves under the banner of Ame-
ricanism, and battle fur their country and
its Constitution—that Constitution which
was framed by our noble sires for the pre-
servation of the Union. If all true patriots
will frown down the efforts of the disunion-
ists, the attempts of the traitor sectionalists,
to sever the cords of affection that bind
together the entire brotherhood of States—
demagogism will be rendered powerless, and
a nationality based upon pure Americanism
Will be the glorious reward of a people faith-
ful to themselves and their posterity,
—___~<e»>—____.
“COWARDS AND so
Witn the remembrance of this insulting
epithet, applied to the American people by
the Irish Roman Catholic organ, the Boston
Pilot, should be associated the two follow-
ing historical incidents of the Mexican war:
*“ AN AMERICAN SOLDIER.—Most providen-
tially, at that moment, Taylor arrived with
Davis's (Hon. Jefferson Davis] Mississippi
Riflemen and May’s Dragoons. The former
barely stopped an instant for the men to fill
their canteens, then hastened to the field,
Boiling with rage, Davis called on the Indi-
ana volunteers to ‘form behind that wall,’
pointing to his men, and advance against
their enemy. Their colonel, Bowles, the
tears streaming down his face, finding all
his appeals fruitless, seized a musket and
joined the Mississippians as a private,
Time could not be lost; Ampudia was close
NS OF COWARDS.”
upon them; Davis formed and advanced
with steady tread against a body more than
five times his strength. A rain of balls
poured upon the Mississippians, but no man
pulled a trigger till sure of his mark, Then
those deadly rifles blazed, and stunned the
Mexican advance. A ravine separated them
from the enemy; Davis gave the word, and
with a cheer, down they rushed upon the
other side; then forming hastily, with one
awful volley they shattered the Mexican
head, and drove them back to cover.”
‘A BATTALION oF Iris Dusertens Car-
TURED.—Notwithstanding the parley, one
Mexican battery continued its fire upon our
troops. This was the eighteen and twenty-
four-pounder battery of the Battalion of
San Patricio, composed of Trishmen, deser-
ters from our ranks, and conunanded by an
Irishman, named Riley.”