The pilot and transcript. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1840-1841, 1840-11-20

If the Pope, and the other high officers of
the Romish Church, may exercise the power
here claimed, of transferring priests from place
to place, against their consent, he may do it
against the consent of the churches, and it
recognizes spiritual control incompatible with
the civil rights-the rights of g conscience"
and of " opinion" and is inconsistent with
our free institutions. 1t asserts a power to
control American citizens, incompatible with
the obligations which they owe the State.
For it follows, that if they are compelled
to obey the Pope, and to go at his com
mand, against their own consent, they are LA
BILE to be withdrawn from the service of the
State by an authority paramount to its authori-
| ty, and against the consent of the State, as well
as of that of the citizens themselves. DO you
not see sir, that the exercise of such "spiritu-
al iurlsdictionn may be inconsistent with the
rights of the State and of the citizens, and that
the principle asserted vests power in the Pope,
over American citizens, greater than is vested by
our Constitution in either the State or Federal
| Governments'-and hence to establish it would
enable the Pope, whenever you shall have sue
ccedeS in converting a ajority of the people
of the United States to the Roman Catholic
faith, to oerte,ninate" 'sthe liberty of opinion
''the liberty Of conscience" and the erecYsted
elderly Of the press" in this country, as they
were exterminated in unhappy Poland If he
has the right against their will, and against the
will of the people 10 whom they have been
preaching to transfer priests from point to point
in the United States, he has the right to compel
them here, in Poland, to teach the Russian
catechism, or any other which may be construct
ed for that purpose; and after reading his denun-
citation of the liberty of opinion, the liberty of
conscience, and of the press, given forth in his
encyclical letter, no one can doubt his readiness
to adopt the same means to extinguish liberty,
and to consolidate the "Church and Staten in
this country, that were used in unhappy Poland.
But, sir, you have quoted the opinion Of Judge
Castor, as well as of the Chief Justice, to prove
that this act of Mr.. Adams and Mr. Clay was
unconstitutional. l am gratifed that you have
brought this matter so fully before the public
because know that great efforts will be made,
much as you are opposed to Gen. Harrison, to
urge Judge CASTOR upon him as a member of his
|
the opinion which he has given in this case as
we'll as the fact which am about to state, fur
nishes matter for serious reflection in connection
with such proposition. BY the 32d article Of
the constitution of North Corolina, it was pro-
vided:
''That no person, who shall deny the being of
God, or THE TRUTH OF THE PROTEST.
ANT RELIGION, or the divine authority Ell
Their of the Old or New Testament, or who shall
hold religious principles incompatible with the
freedom and safety Of the State, shall be capa-
bic OF holding any office or place of trust or
profit in the civil government within this State"
Judge CASTOR, being Roman Catholic, was
elected judge, and took an oath to support the
constitution of which this was a part Now,
sir, we do not believe that Judge CASTOR, be-
ing Catholic, admits the truth of the Protest
ant religion in the intended by the censti-
tuition; and it has been charged, that his taking
this oath goes far to show 'that the Roman Ca
tholic religion not only admits, but approves of
false swearing, when Papists gain advantage
thereby" And must confess, that as yet, have
seen no salts factory explanation of his taking this
OATH 1t is true that Judge Castor says that he be-
came satisfied that his religious principles did not
incapacitate him from taking the Office, and de-
MED that he obtained an indulgence from the
Archbishop of Baltimore; yet we believe that
no good Protestant could swear that he be-
lieves in the truth of the Roman Catholic
religion. must believe that there is something
: which we Protestants do not understand in the
Roman Catholic faith, which would enable such
man as Judge Castor, still adhering to thai
faith, to swear that he believes in the E'truth O
the Protestant religion;" and taking into consi
deration the claims which YOU advance for tht
Pope's ecclesiastical jurisdiction, and these il
Illustrations of the influence of your religious
creed upon the political opinions of Judge Gas
ton, and the demonstration which the late cleo
tons have furnished ofyour power to control for
eign Catholic voters, see just to apprehent
fatal results from the further extension of YOU
spiritual and political influence; for if such j
the effect of your creed upon the minds of sucl
, men as Judge Castor, educated in this land O
liberty, (by Jesuits, it is true,) what must it b
upon the mass of uneducated voters, imported
from Catholic countries, where the will of thu
priests is the law of the land, and the liberty 0
opinisn the liberty of conscience, and the liberty
of the press, are denounced and extirminated
will only add my surprise that, in 1885, $,
, great was tho Catholic influence in this city
that net a single political press dared to pub
! lish communication calling in question tn,
prepriety of Judge Gaston's conduct; for how
! ever well suited it may be to the atmosphere 0
Italy, his exposition of constitutional law doe
# not comport with my view of our republican in
stitutions.
"3. Mr.. Van Buren, did not interfere between
, the two clergymen in Philadelphia, and was no
Secretary OF State at the period of the misunder
standing, nor was he at all applied to by the sale
clergymen. The application was made by tn.
Rev. VIM V. Harold, and the Rev. John RYAN
on the I'd of July 1928, to the Honorable Henry
Clay, then Secretary Of State, under the admin
L .-l.e n u IL.