Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1831-05-13

blundcrur fer declaring thcul.
Let see what 1t Is, you thus honestly declare. |!
Our designs you tell us, "arc these we v'l
obtain the controu of tie mlmds Of ;he young
through the means Of Sunday School Education
We will "bccome las you yourself express 1t IN
aa9ther part "a the same report! 'dlctators o the
c"nscences Uf millions OF Immoral beings; ana 10
,en or twenty years thes" young people whom we
have thus moulded wax n tile hahow oil our
aands* will govern every pubic election III our
country. We will teach them 10 Choose. 'as IRE
sidents, Secretaries OF Government, Senat ors and
and other representative in Congress, Governors
# States State Legislators; Justlccs OF the Peace
and City Magistrates (your o"n words AGAIN. those
aud those only who orthodox IN their faith:
Tins wi teach them 20 DO III oppo sition, (again
your own wordSl 10 any known advocate Of De-
ism, SOciuianlsn, or any species OF avowed hostll-
ity to the truth of Christianity" Qhat is, TO what
you may consider sol -Or, III PLAIN English, nc
Del {; Universalis', Unailin. or any other person.
unSound in the fuh shall, in twenty years from
now, be alderman, Justice of the Peace, RepreSen-
,ative, Congressman, Secretary or Pres ldent. The
first question: every election, shall be, not: is
he hone-t Is he capable: but, Is he Presbyte
ran, Baptist, Methodist, Il Congregationais, or
az Epscopaan. If not lie wont suit
Now Sir, many have cried on against such designs
unconstitutional But dissent from them.
T;iey unconstitutional. a man has perfect
right, in this free country, say, il he pleases; Il shall
never give my vote Tor Unitarian, Unversalist
or any otherrrlgonst except sound Prcsbyterlan"
the same right he has to say he will never vote for
any man over I'VE 1901 SIX inches nlgG III is as con-
sttutiondt for TO set up flor himselt) the
standard the other we think, too, 1t is about
rational. If it trde that there honest and
capable five foot six inches height. or if
it were true that there no honest and capable
except in The five f,vored sects thon the stan
dard, spiritual or temporal, would ali be very we'll
But 1t so happens thai there many honest and
pabc men, who outgrow both standards who are
taller than five feet SIX, and who neither
Presbyterians, Bapsts Me,hodists, Congrega-
u0DalIsts nor Eplscopalans TO set up either
standurd then to deprive of honest and capable
men; exceedingly Tl:Schievous consequence, for
sIch men are scarce enough already
Bat this is not all. This winnowing of legislators
and magistrates according to their spiritual callbre,
will produce heartburnings and iealousies immune
rabc. Thus iivoring Of The elect at the polls; this
pha'isalcal stand aside, for am holer than hou!"
IN temporal matters; this Judging of morality by
ca;ecllsms of talent by religious pr fss.on and OF
worth by the length of crceds; this religious test en-
stamped by Sundy School dctators on the youthful
mind; all this is dreadfuliy immoral 1t is setting
up faith as every thing and setting down works as
nothing 1t is reversing 'f The poets maxim, as
; to read:
! For virtuOus deeds let sracelsss Seeytcs fight
HIS can't betorong ,ohose creed in the right.
II offering magnificent premium for hypocrisy. "No
k'toDn advocate of Desm Socnanism" your own
preston The 'sknogn will stand the chance
yourselves so that all the dishonest ogues the heterodox
party-men ofno princpeyou will admit; but all
and self-respectng-those (a Metamoa would say
cannot Ie.those who seon say what they do believe
all such Deists Socians and other heretcs ysu
q
the Pea:e You would have objected the election OF
Thomas jefferson John Adams or John Quincy All
ans, City alderman! for the former Dess and
the latter Socinian.
And who replace such Those who rent pews
and occupy them, III of the five favored churches!
Did you, Sir ifegislato were chosen &C
oordng to their orthodoxy what excellent chance
aud youT colleagues would stand foot within Cabinet
or even to ascend the Presidential chair If did you
are the most supplemented and disinerested Where
would Presbyterian Politicians find Secretary State SO
unquesifonaby orthodox Of their ministers or
President sound the faith the pastor third Pres
byterian church III Philadelphia?
we will not obrude your and attention uneasona-
bly,, and hei eore delay till another letter. we have fur
| ther to say on this important subject
! The EDIroRs THE DAILY SENTINEL.
SfR-At the conclusion of our list letter we
asked you, whether, when the orthodox standard in
politics should be fairly established, it was not a
very reasonable Thing to suppose, that you and your
brother cergymen would be lected in preference 10
lay candidates. Your reply, perhaps, IS that the
laws permit 1t not. But, Sir this is no obstacle in
the way of your promotion. Those who made laws
can repeal them And Ii a man be good ruler in
proportion as he is sound in the faith, then the law
that forods the election Of cergymen TO office is no.
toriously bad and ought 10 be instantly repealed
We are bound % suppose the pastor who leads more
sound IN The faith than the flock which s ed and to
exclude him, while we admit them to Office is to saw
we Will Leave the better and take the worse Resides
III twenty years you know, all political power is 10
he in the hands of those who have been trained in
Sunday Schools and do you think they will suffer
this sort OF lnVldlous accommodation araDs, those
whom for years they have reverenced as s:dicta1orz
10 their consciousness" No, sir. We ourselves were
not trained Ill Sunday Schools nor were our CON
sciences ever dictated to; bnt we have objected
to the legal disabilities to which the clergy are sub
Jected, as unjust and unconstitutional You may be
sure the Sunday School scholars of twenty vear,
hence viii feel his much strongly thar we do
and, without a'rogang he gift of prophecy, you
may predict, that they will SO alter the law as to-
permit you and your brother clergymens elevation
to the Cabinet, Or the Presidential chair, or any
other secular office.
-, And then, after these laws were repealed, who so
likely as you and they to obtain the votes of Chris
tan Politicians" Afer you had dictated to the
conscienccs of.a large majority of the electors Of
this Republic 10 Sunday Schools, and carefully in.
structed them ,as you did your congregation on the
fourth of July, 1897 to be 'conscienousy religious
at the PoHS," what more natural mode of evincinp
this political religion than by enlrustng the secular
Rower to those who already possess the spiritual
They would reflect that clergyneD receive liberal
education have sufficient leasure to study have much
practice IN public speaking are (like ourselves, as
the editor OF the Standard would say the guardians
OF public morals" and, in word, are the best
Christian rulers which "Chrstion frecnen, fos YOU
express it) can elect. YOU