The Newhampshire gazetteer — Exeter, N.H., 1791-11-21 00:00:00, page 2

bishop and the earl or the 'fquire. It I
ought to be put between the bithop and
the curate, and then it will Hand thus : |
Ihe people of England can jee without
' pain, or grudging, a b sap of Durham,
or a bifap of Winchester, in pofcff.cn of
ten thousand pounds a year, ana a curate
on thirty or forty pound, a year,or less. No
Sir, they certainly do not f.ethofe
things without great pain or grudging.
It it a case that applies it'felf to every
man's sense of justice, and is one among
many that calls aloud for a con^it^oa.
Jnrrance,they cry of" the &rc'd ! the
church: 7 '^ was repeated as often' as in
Mr. Burke's book, and a? , loudly as
when the diffenters' bill was before the
Fnglifh parliament '; but the generality
of the French clergy were not to be de
cei ed by his cry, any longer. They
knew,that whatever the preter.ee niiglit
be, it was themfelvfs who were one Os
the principal objects ofit. It was the cry
of the high benefit clergy to prevent
any regulation of income taking place
between those of ten thousand pounds a
year, and the parish priest. They there
fore joined their case to those of every
other Oppressed class of men, and by
this union obtained radrefs.
The French constitution has abolish
ed tythes, that source of perpetual dif
centent between the tyihe holder and
the pariffiioner. When land is held
between two parties ; the one receiving
one tenth, and the o.her nine tenths of
the produce : and, consequently, on
principles of equity,.; if the estate can
be improved, and ro^de to produce
by that improvement double or treble
what it did before, or in any other ra
tio, the expense of such improvement
ought to be borne in like proportion be
tween the parties who are to (hare the
produce. But this is not the casein
tyrhes ; the farmer bears the whole e^
penfe,and the tythe holder takes a tenth
of the improvement, in addition to the
orignal tenth and by this means gets
the value of two tenths inftead. : of one.
This is another case that calls for a con-
ftiturion.
The French confutation hath abolish
ed or renounced Toleration, and Intolera
tion also, and hath eftablilhed Universal
R^ght of Conscience.
Toleration is not the opposite of Into
leration, but is the counterfeit of it.
Both are defporifms. Tne one assumes
to itfelf the right of withholding Liber-'
ty of Confeience, and the other of,
granting it. The one is the pope,arm- ,
ed with fire and faggot, arid the otner;
is the pope felling or granting ihdul-|
gencies, The former is church and|
state,& the latter is church and traffick.
Bit foleration may be viewed in a
much Stronger light. Man worships not 1
himfelf, but his M^ker; and the liberty
of conscience which he claims, is not
for the service of himfelf, but of his
God. In thia case, therefore, we mull
neceiTafily have the associated idea of
two beings ; the mortal who renders the
worship, and the Immortal Being who is
worlliipped. Toleration, therefore,
places itfelf, not between man and man,
nor between church arid church, nor
between one denomination of religion
and another ; but between God and
man ; between the being who Worffiips,
and the Being who is worfhipped; and
by the fame aft of assumed authority
by which it tolerates man to pay his
worfnip, it presumptuously and blasphe
mously fees itfelf up to tolerate the Al
mighty to receive it.
Were a Bill brought into any parlia
irierit entitled " An Aft to tolerate, or
grant liberty to the Almighty to re
ceive the worship of a Jew or Turk,"
Or, "to prohibit the Almighty from
Deceiving it:" All men would startle,
and call it blasphemy. There would
be an uproar. The prefomption of to
leration in religious matters would then
present itfelf unmasked ; but the pre
sumption is not- the less because the
name of "Man" only appears to those
laws, for the associated idea of the wor-
Shipper and the worshipped cannot be se
parated. Who, then, art thou, vain
duff and ™ allies ! by whatever name thou
art called, whether a King, a Bishop, a
Church or a State, a Parliament or any
thing else, that obtrudeft thine infigni
ficancy between the foul of man and its
Maker ? Mind thine own concerns. If
he believes not as thou believeft, it is
a proof thou believeft not as he believ
cth ; and there is no earthly power can
determine between you.
, With r^fped to what are called deno
minations of religion, if every one is
left to judge of i;s own religion,there is
no such thing as a religion that is wrong
—But if they are to judge of each o-,
thers religion, there is no such thing as
a religion, that is right ; & therefore, all
the world are right, or all the world are
wrong. But with refped to religion it
felf, without regard to names, and as
direding itfelf from the universal fami
ly of mankind to the Divine object of
all adoration, it is man bringing to bis
Maker the fruits of his heart ; and tho'
those fruits may differ from each other
likethe fruits of the earth, the grateful
tribute of every one is accepted.,
A feifhop of Durham, or a Biffiop of
Wiochefter, or the A>c\b ; .fhop who
heads the Dulces, will not refufe a tythe
ffieaf of wheat, because it is not a cock
of hay ; nora cock of hay, because it is
not a fheaf of wheat ; nor a pig because
it is neither the one nor the other ; but
these fame persons, under the figure of
an established church will not permit
their Maker to receive the varied tythes
of man's devotion.;,
One of the continual choruses of Mr.
Burke's book is, " Church and State ;"
he does not mean some one particular
church, or some one particular Gate,
but any church and state ; and he uses
the term as a general figure, to hold
forth the political dodrine of always u
niting the church with the state in every
country, and he cenfares the National
assembly ior not having done this in
France. Let us bellow a few thoughts
on this fubje&.
Ail religions are in their nature mild
and benign, and united with principles
of morality. They could not have made
proselytes at firft, by profeffing anything
that was vicious, cruel, persecuting or
immoral. > Like every thing else, they
bad their beginning, and they proceed
ed by persuasion, exhortation, and ex
ampl&^HoW; then is it that they jofe
their native mildness, and become mo
rose and intolerant ?:/; ..
It proceeds from the connection which
Mr. Burke recommends. By engen
dering the church with the state, a fort
of mule animal, capable only of destroy
ing, and not of breeding up, is produc
ed, called " the church eftabliihed by
law." It is a stranger, even from its
birth, to any parent mother on which it
is begotten, and whom in time it kicks
out and dellroys.
The inquisition in Spain does not
proceed from the religion originally
profeffed, but from this mule animal,
engendered between the church and the
state. The burnings in Smithfield pro
ceeded from the fame hetero ge neous
production ; & it was the regeneration
of this Grange animal in England after
wards, that renewed rancour and irre
ligion among the inhabitants, and that
drove the people called Quakers and
Dissenters to America. Persecution is
not an original feature in any religion ;
but it is always the strongly-marked
feature of all law-religions, or religions
eftablifoed by law. Take away the law
eftablilhment, and every religion real
fumes its original benignity. In Ame
rica,a Catholic Priett is a good citizen,
a good character, and a good neighbour :
an Episcopalian Minister is of the fame
description. And this proceeds inde
pendent of the men, from there being
no law eftabiiGimenc in America.
TREASURY ACCOUNTS.
MR. Speaker laid before the House
a letter from the Secretary of the
Treasury, accompanying his Gatement
of accounts for the lift year.
STATE LAWS.
A message was received from thePre
fident, accompanied with copies of cer
tain a&s of the state Jegiflatures, trans
mitted to him during the recess, viz.
an ad of the state of Newhampffiire,
ceding to the United Spates a Light-
House, situate within their state ; an aft
of the legislature of Pennsylvania. rati
fying one of the proposed Amendments
to the Con ftitution of the United States ;
and an aft of the Legislature of North-
Carolina, granting to the United States
the use of the Jails within that state.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 26.
CONGRESS.
[To be Continued J
PRESIDENT'S speech.
The House then resolved i felf into a
committee of the whole, on the com
munications made yesterday by the
President, to both Houses.
Mr. Vining moved a resolution, that
an answer ffiould be prepared expressive
of the intention of the House to take in
consideration the several maters in the
President's speech ; of congratulation on
the prelent happy state of America ;
and of approbation of the arrangements
made by the President.
Mr Lawrance thought that the
House ought to be further informed of
"particulars, before they ventured to ex
press their approbation. The President
had promised them that information ;
and it would be improper to commit
themselves, before they received it. It
was best to confine themselves to an as
surance, that they would bestow on the
different fubjeds as early an attention
as possible. Such was the mode perfu
ed on a former occasion, when the
House cautiously avoided entering into
particulars.
Mr. Vining neither wished, on the
one hand, to pay undeserved compli
ments, nor, on the other, to commit the
House : But he thought the refoluticn
conveyed no such idea ; and that they
would not commit themselves, by adopt
ingit...,
Mr Sedgwick observed, that he was
not prepared for the morion. It ap
proved the conduA of the executive as
wife and prudent : He did not doubt
that it was to ; But the House had not
yet received those offical informations,
which were neceffary,.before they could
venture to express an opinion , He
wiftied the House ffiould proceed with
caution in this business ;— and that a
feled committee ffiould be appointed—
to prepare an address in answer to the
Prefident. r& .
Mr. Smith (S, C.) approved of the
mode followed at the commencement of
the left session, of confining themselves
to a few words, and assuring the Prefi
dont they would take the matters into
consideration. He thought it would be
imprudent, without examination, to ap
prove measures, that were to be the
object, of future consideration. Besides,
whi Ift so many members were abfebt,
it would be improper for those present,
to express a decided opinion upon
matters, which were afterwards to be
considered by a full House. He propo
sed that the answer ffiould be (imply ex
pressive of assurances, that the House
would bellow due attention on the vari
ous and important matters submitted to
their consideration..
Mr. Liermere approved of the ori
ginal motion, except, in two particu
lars. With refped to the administra
tion of the excise law, the house was as
yet in the dark, how the divisions were
made, whether into diftrids or furvevs ;
and how the officers were paid. Nor
had they as yet received any informati
on about the particulars of the weftern
exoedition. It would be improper to
decide, before they received fufficient
information. If these two points were
glanced over, he approved of the gene
ral tenure of the refclution,
Mr. Gerry moved to strike out all the
latter part of the resolution.
Mr. Clark did not rife to find fault
with what the President had done ; he
foppofed he had in every thing aded
wifely ; but he wished to be acquainted
with particulars before an approbation
of- his condud was expressed. He ho
ped the motion for striking out would
take place.
Mr. Thatcher thought la general con
gratulation on the prosperity of Ameri
ca, would be fufficient, without entering
into a detail,
The queGion being put on the moti
on for striking it out, it passed in the
affirmative.^
A memorial was then read from the
distillers of the town and viciny of Bol
ton, praying sundry amendments in the
excise law.
A memorial was also read, from the
Sheriff of the county of Suffolk, re
fpeding the mode of keeping prisoners,
confined for debt, under the laws of the
United States, n r
On motion of Mr.,Lawrence, order
dered, That the Clerk of the House
should cause each member to be furn
ifhed, during the session ; with three
newspapers, such ^ the members should
The committee appointed to wait on
the President of the United States, to
know when and where he would receive
the address of the House of Representa
tives in an answer to his speech, report
ed that they had waited on the President
and received for an answer that to-mor
row at twelve o'clock at his own house
he V ould receive fa>d address.
ELECTION COMMITTEE.
Mr. Vining replied, that he had in
view a contested election from Georgia ;
that it would be necessary to bring a
number of 'witneffes before the House ;
and that the length of time would aldne
be fufficient to render the decision un
fair. It would be a great expense
to the nation, to have the whole House
employed in a business which could be
determined by a few members; the
names of all the members might be
put into a box, and the appointed num
ber drawn by chance. He thought it
was not unconstitutional to delegate the
power in question to a committee of
their own body. Perhaps, however,
some modification might be adopted,
that the House ffiould ratify the report
of such committee,or correct and amend
it, as the case may require. ;.
Mr. White felt himfelf as little dis
posed to give up the privileges ts
the House as the gentleman from Ne^
Hampshire ; But thought, that, without
infringing the rights of any maa, the,
House may limit the time and manner
of determining contested eledions..
They may make regulations to have the
evidence taken in the, state where the
case occurs, so as to have the whole or
paper before the House, without,
waste of time. He wished that ferae
measures might be taken tb determine
eledions speedily and effedually.. If
this were not done, it was to no pur
pose, that the constitution had been
formed ; as it would be in the power
of the returning officers of the
Mr. Vining-at the opening of the ses
sion, for the appointment of a commit
tee, to report a proper mode of deter
mining cases of confefted elections of
members of the House.
g The house has not a right to dele
gate that power,any more than the pow
er of legislation. It would be dange
rous, he observed, to ereft any other
tribunal, than that pointed out by the
constitution. The people had already
legislated for them, and made their
House the proper tribunal. Whenever,
and from whatever cause a difpure of a
particular nature may occur, the House
may then point out a particular mode.
It is said, he continued, that if we now
eflabliffi the mode before the case oc
curs, we will remove all appearance of
unfairnefs in the mode; but we do not
know that there will be apy cortefted
eledion in this, or the next Congress ;
and if there should, it will be then time
enough to determine. He concluded by
declaring his opposition to the appoint
ment of a committee.
The house proceeded .o rhe conside
ration of a motion laid on the table by
Mr. Livermore opposed the morion,
as unnecessary, since the constitution
had already pointed out the mode;—
Whenever such a case might occur, it
would then be time enough to deter
mine, according as particular circum
stances might require. Every member
of the house has a right to determine
in such cases: The meanest of their
constituents have a right to determine :
And they cannot be deprived of that
right. .
Whereupon refolved,That the Speaker
attended by the membees of the House,
do present said address to the President
of the United States: And that Mr.
Madison, Mr. Lawrence and Mr. Smith,
wait on the President to know when and
where he will receive said address.
TH URSDAY, OCT. 27.
Mr. Madison, from 'the committee
appointed for that purpefe, reported an
address in answer co the President's
speech; which was read a firft and se
cond time ; and on motion of Mr. Vin
ing, the House resolved itfelf into a
committee of the whole, Mr. Muhlen
berg in rite chair, to take into consider
ation the address ; after feme time
spent, the committee rose and reported
theaddrefswi'hout an amendment, which
was accepted and agreed to by the
House, r,
refpeaivel, choose and to be delivered
at their lodgings.