Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1823-09-26

- would be said ia ndi, iJuals had 10 tn express
opinions which different frou, those held by the
great mass o the community hut iltbis principle had
been always acted on, Christianity sever could have
niaue the progress which fortunately IL had Joue.-
All the Missionaries they employ eel foreign parts
All the preachers they seut Hindosian contra
d'ced the correctness OF this position. Those per-
sons we've sent abroad 10 expose the o,lies and alb
surd,ies oil religious cree-s which were rcverenced
10y millions. They declared their dissent from those
supesiiiious docitipes; and were therefore, doing
the sauie ,hiug ms certain n,iv ,duals did in this
country who could believe all the tesets Of Chris
haniiy lie thought ia this the Legislature were
holding two very different measures Of ius,re. On
the one hand they sending out ne rsons , yari-
Gus quarters OF the globe, for the express purpose OF
calling on the natives To inquire investigate. and
10 ascertain the truth o The doctrines they prolessed
whhe, on the other, similar inquiry was treated
mere ns an offence of very great magnitude
ihe Honourable Genleman then went on 10 quite tho
opinions oil the several divimes whom he had meal
uoneu !" support Of the principle, that the utmost
"''uue should he gwen To discussion. 1e alluded
more particularly TO the writings or DR.. Lar,iner
who IN speaking Of The work of Mr.. Woolson said
ha' me proper p"nIshment for low, mean, and
scarf iious Way %! writing, elect, scorn Y dees-
,aon That learned divine added that the sirean of
resentment would always against the prosecutor
where opinions WIRE made the subeci of complain,
especially II the punishment happened TO he severe
In this way, continued Mr.. Hume, the writings of
Care ought 10 have been treated. lie believed tina,
ihey we've scnrrious in very high degree. He had
never read me of his publications. until he had pre-
senieu his Petition, and he had then perused "A few
nunihers OF the Republican, in order Judge lie
| mere found some cain argumeniatiye writing |:
ana some articles so exceedingly offensive that il
Sai lie had the smallest idea of the FEELINGS of
mankind, he would not have published any thing so
| revolving. He had, however, been most severely
ueh wiih and the consequence was, that the stream,
oi feeling had been changed resentmen had been
kndied against the prosecutor, and compassion had
been excited IN favour Of the prisoner but for those
prosecutions few people would have known the thou.
sandih part Of his writings. The Attorney and
| SoiicOr GENERAL the THING in
ihey had not proceeded against Garlic, because
they et thai sush course would he spread abroad
the very poison which they wished 10 eradicate Bu
the Soceiy ior'e Suppression Of Vice and the Bridge
street Association took the matter up, and became
par"es 10 inc charge of disseminating those pub,ica
uohs' lhey Wrought forward prosecution after pros
ecuiion, until The individuals who ere the objects of
punishment left the Of justice, after being SEN
fenced TO line and imprisonment with the characters
oi martyrs TO the cause which they espoused. So
mnch was Tins The iact THAI IL ffiv persons more
were in dungeons account OF these ouiuiu,s
twice thai number woul! he ready To come iot ware,
Tor The same purpose. Garlic, with all his efforts
never cord have sold Paine's works 10 the eS,eut
he had been enabled To do in CONSEQUENCE of ,hose
prosecutions. When Hone was prosecuted 70,
nus parodies, twenty thousand copies were sold,
winch never would have been the ease if ,,ey
had not heen brought into notoriety Il, local n.n
oteu'ngs In the same way the poem Of r" Wat
| iytt, "h,ch was written 10y Nj. Suulh.y
ng rSei Ln"reaf, IN early life, and whith he
| iMr Sou'hcv) wishing io suppress had applicd
Tor an Injunction 10 resran its publication, became
| IA consequence Of that sep most widely ,ssco,;na
| 'euIno 'es' tina" $4,000 copies of II having heen
sou alter The application. He (hlr. III could not
conceive why the Brdge-stree Association should
Interfere in the unconstitutional manner they had done
ih's nad iounh stock purse prosecute inriivi-
duais, and took upon them that du,y which really
belonged 10 the Magistrate. They had n prent ,ea
To answer inr IN taking such n course He regretted
10 see such respectable persons amongst lhcm-
lie was sorry that they Ind allowed themselves 10 bs
mI-led by interested indi, iduais secretaries and
others, who had only their own ptoli,s in view and
care" very ''i'ie about the objects which had been
eopte mpla'ed by the persons who subscribed the
funds The Hon. Gent then uuoied the cbarye or
Tie Bishop Of London TO his clergy las, wear il,
| winch that Right Reverend Prpaie stated ibnt he
was friend TO discussion, because he thought tina, il
c"'en iof'h me mental energies of those whose duty
was to meet any arguments urged against the Chris
tian religion. With recent an opinion before Them
why. he asked, should iey Act in a sni,i i, s ppt;rel
u'he'ent: The Honourabe Member ihen alluded
10 The opinion oil Mr.. Justice Blackstone who held
at II was contrary To sonnd policy and civil freedom
10 prosecute on account OF res opinions. Ii such
were the sentiments of the many pous wise ann
learned men whom he had quoted, how would Gen
i "emeh reconcile Them with the prosecutions now
g1hg ON vi what use were those prosecutions,
when individuals goried in their punishment as N,
act OF niaryfdom' He had not touched Gpon the
question OF atheism, for this simple reason-hecausr
ne had never seen any such man atheist and
ne doubted whether aoy person existed who denied
me being oil great Creator OF the universe lie did
not mean 10 defend any attncks on the Christian re,
g,on, or any OF the publications which had been com
| - NY ""s"' 10 nc pnt down but Iu! down
III inc way they deserved-by complete Neglect and
utter contempt. The Hon Member concluded ly
moving, That it is the opinion of this House that
Tree discussion has been attended with more bcneG,
ihan injury to the community, and it is unjust and ill.,
exped'ent TO expose any legal penalties on
account OF the expression OF opinions oil matters of
religion"
! I7O be concluded in our ner,I
NEW YORK., September 1l.-At a mum erous and
respectable meeting the repuhiicans Of Son,hanp-
ton, Suffolk county, the 81 inst of which " lIiam
Herrick, Esq. was chairman, and Josiah D,upinss.
hH linn d..