Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1830-04-01
ADDRESS,
Thou shall lore Mxneighbor as thysey:

fHo" "seSH soee "5J'etS"OoI eS "ySty.
MARK XII, 81.
Upon entering upon a regular and systematic
sndication of every tenet of the Catholic Church,
beg leave to tell you the motives which do and
shall influence my conduct-the particular rea-
sons which, at present, even impel me to the un-
dertaking. My ruling motive, which will ne
YER lose sight of, is my love and zeal for the SIM
pie truth, and nothing but the simple truth. My
particular reasons are, to expose the infamous
falsehoods which are daily and maliciously circu-
lated against the Catholic Religion, of which
am here the responsible Minister.
When the good name and reputation of dear
friend are assaulted by the vile and malignant
tongues of calumny and detraction, ought we not
to rise up, In all the generous indignation of
wounded feelings, to repel the assault and vindi-
cate his characters 1t is the demand of reason,
charity, and feeling.
Every sensible, impartial, and unprecedented
man, who loves truth, and consequently detests
falsehood-who loves religion, and abominates
noisy cant---who loves his neighbor as he loves
himself-who would wish that others should do
to him as he does to others-in a word, every man
who acknowledges the existence of such thing
as Justice-will pronounce that every human be-
ing is entitled to such thing as selt-defence.-
What was the complaint Of America against the
mother country? That she was condemned un-
heard-that her remOnstrances were not only not
attended to,'but treated with contempt. What
was the final issue? Recourse to arms. Ameri-
ca armed herself in selfdefence, against the in
Justice, oppression, and tyranny of England: and
when she had once drawn the sword of Justice,
she never put it back into the scabbard until her
enemies lay PROSTATE at her feet. She fought for
her civil and religious liberty, to oppose the
49, ,l.4..
and to rid herself of the exactions and persecu-
tons Of National Church Establishment.
Is there one present who will not say that such
we're the causes which produced the glorious Re-
,olution of 20. which achieved American indie
pendence, and secured to her, under Divine Pro-
whence, the invaluable blessings of civil and re-
ligious liberty? Should there be one, that one
will be contradicted, not by me simply, but by
the truth of American history.
We often hear this expression: &" Thank Hea-
sven we are in the land of Freedom, where eve
"ry man enjoys his civil rights, and may, if he
.splease, worship his Creator according to the
- dictate of his conscience" This Language
sounds well; in theory, it is admirable: and were
il only acted upon consistently, in practice, il
would be productive of the most salutary effects.
Nv the laws, by the Constitution of the United
States, every individual has a legal right to pro
fess what denomination of Christianity he may
please to term his opinions, without being sub
iected to persecution. But how different is thu
practice of the descendants of those ilustrious in
dividuals who split their best blood for civil ant
religious liberty! At the Revolution, they were
united in resisting oppression. At that time, i
was not said that the Catholic Church "wa
mortality opposed to civil as well as religious Ii
berty. - Protesfmat.) At that time, when thu
Head Of the Catholic Church in America, Arch
bishop CARROLL, exerted all his mighty inHuenc,
in the holy cause of American Independence
that time, when his near and dear relative, VIII
is vet amongst US, staked all his fortunes, whicl
were as great as all the rest of the signers Of tn
Declaration of Independence" put together
his life, and his sacred honor. in support of Free
dom's cause-at that time. it was never said tina
the Catholic Church s. tcas mortally opposed (
cira as ,ceH as religious liberty" At that time
when Irish Catholics-sOme of them the bosom
friends Of WAsHINeToN-marshal themseve
under the fac of the Union, and bled and die
for America-at that time, when the Catholl
Government Of France opened to you her trea
sures aud sent forth her ''legions"-at that time