Caddy Buddy books

CHAPTER XI
THE KNOW NOTHING PARTY AND ITS OVERTHROW
The political history of Massachusetts from 1846 to 1865
is, in general, the history of the share of the Commonwealth
in the great National contest with Slavery; the beginning
and growth of the Free Soil or Republican Party and the putting
down of the Rebellion. The rise and dominion for three years,
and the final overthrow of the Know Nothing Party is an episode
which should not be wholly omitted, although it is an episode
which might be omitted without injury to the sense.
There have been, ever since the Irish immigration which begun
somewhere about 1840 down to to-day, a great many worthy people
who have been afraid of the Pope and the influence of Catholicism
in this country, and have been exceedingly jealous of the
influence of foreigners, especially of those of the Roman
Catholic Church. Self-seeking political adventurers and demagogues
have not been slow to take advantage of this feeling for their
own purposes. They have, for some reason, always preferred
to make their political movement in secret societies.


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