The pilot and transcript. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1840-1841, 1840-11-20
TO BISHOP ENGLAND,
INoUIstToR GENERAL OF THE U. STATES.
In the Miscellany of the Path Oct. you say:


ready in many places existing 1. That Catho-
lies owe civil or political allegiance to the Pope
2. That the Pope claims such allegiance. 3.
Then he insinuates, in application, that Mr.. ' an
Buren, anxious to get the Catholic vote, hattered
the Pope, that he might profit by his influence
over his American subjects. 4. lie charges MIR.
Van Buren, with having interfered in misun-
derstanding between two priests of Phil'a. thus
blending Church and State to get political CAPT
tai by enlisting the good feelings of the Catholics
of this country ;. He then declares that Bish-
op England's conduct should awaken the fears of
the Protestants when they shall have taken this
view,-thereby insinuating that, in this case, the
sInquisitor General" is but the instrument OF the
Pope, directing his American subjects how to
vote"
have quoted this paragraph entire for the Pur-
pose Of setting the public right as to what did
saw, and further, of confirming upon you by your
own admission, that you in fact the Inquisitor
General and are precluded from hereafter denying
it, as am well convinced you will be disposed to
do before this controversy is ended You are the
admitted Editor of the Miscellany. You have been
charged by me with being the 'EInquisitor Gener-
al p in article written expressly for the purpose
of dsproving the truth ofmy statements you quote
the words "InqltiSitor General;;' thus referring
directly to the charge without contradicting it,
and by doing so admit its truth. From the man.
ner in which you have conducted this controver-
sy, do not believe you would have made this
admission, if you had been aware of its import
ance. OF this, however, shall hereafter treat,
and what have said is only by way OF explana-
ton, and to justify in designating you by that
term. You have adopted it, and do not intend
to permit you to lay it aside.
Having said much, proceed to examine
the conclusion of your article of the oath Oct.
which is given below, at length,
The purpose of this article was to benefit Mr..
Van Buren,, and to assail Mr. Clay and Mr.
Adams, and the Wing party. The attempt to
impeach my veracity by charging that 1 had
misstated Mr.. Van Buren's agency in the CORES
pondence with the Pope, is part of your tao
tics. made no pretension to any knowledge of
the correspondence, or of MIR. Van Buren's
tives, beyond what appeared upon its face, as
extracted from Niles Register, into width it
was copied, and credited to the Evening Star.
/ am for the first time informed by you, that the
correspondence commenced under the previous
administration, and make my Acknowledgements
to you for the additional facts contained in your
article before me. They furnish much matter
for serious reflection, and prove that Mr.. Var
Buren, has done much more than had supposed
to conciliate Catholic votes; and prove further,
that your efforts to unite Church and State in
tins country commenced further back than had
supposed. They show, too, that you have a
profound knowledge Of human nature, and un-
derstood well the character Of General Jackson.
You knew the old mans weak point, and you
put your finger upon it. You knew that he was
prepared to condemn whatever Mr.. Clay and
Mr. Adams had done, and that the surest way
to obtain his Acknowledgment of the spiritual
jurisdiction of the Pope, was to say to him that
Mr. Clay and MIR. Adams opposed its exercise
and to insinuate that, by taking different
course, be would conciliate the Roman Catholic
interest; and therefore, you not only wrote tt
General jackson that MIR. Adams had directed
letter to be written from the State department
by Mr. Clay, in which the cause of the &c tw
priests is countenanced by the Government il
such manner as appeared to interfere with tn
freedom OF agency Of the spiritual head of tn
Roman Catholic Church." but you also insinu
ated that such an interference was the commence
ment Of an union of Church and State, ant
charged that it was an g unconstitutional med
ding with the affairs of (your) ecclesiastical
body, productive of serious mischief" Not con
tent with writing this letter. you next day ealleC
upon General Jackson, and played your part 81
well as to obtain from him expression of hi,
fun coincidence trith the Uiews oppressed b,
yo,t," and his order thatyou should be furnished
with copies of any documents in the department
that would aid you in assailing Mr. Adams and
Mr.. Clay. These, it seems, you published, to
gether with the opinions of Mr.. fancy ant
Judge CASTOR, of North Carolina, intended t
strengthen your denunciation of Mr.. Clay an
Mr.. Adams, whom you charged with all GUN
CONSTITUTIONAL MEDDLING WIFE
THE AFFAIRS" of the Church of Rome.
donot profess to go beyond your own statemen
for the facts. II shows that application wa
made by Harold and Ryan, two priests, to Nh
Clay, then Secretary of State, "ALLEDGINC
THAT ROME WAS INTERFERING WITH
THE POLITICS OF THE U. STATES" b,
changing the station Of two Dominican friar
from Philadelphia to Cincinnati, and that Mr.
Clay, as Secretary of State, charged with tn,
foreign correspondence of this Government, a
the request Of these two, who, we suppose, were
American citizens, addressed the Pope of Rom.
upon the subject. do not go into the merits o
that controversy at all. 1t is the principle as
serted with which have to treat, and the dan
serous consequences to flow from it, as well a.
The artful manner by which you have endeavor
ed to establish it. What is the principle you
have asserted, and to establish which you have
called IN to your aid the Chief Justice, and
Judge CASTOR 1t is indeed important, and one
tor which, if established, you would deserve
well OF your master, the Pope. 1t is that princi-
pie under which the Pope has exerted his power
In all his conflicts with the civil Jurisdiction of