The pilot and transcript. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1840-1841, 1841-01-22

crctsry of State of the United States, charging
them f',yith having interfcred-in the concerns o
the Church, in a way in which he neither coul'
or oughto Indeed, he has gone so far as to oh
tain and publish the Opinions of two eminen
Catholic lawyers, to prove that their interior
ence with the ecclesiastical 'turisdiction" of tn
Pope in this country was unconstitutional. d.
you not see that the exercise of this 'titaiSdte
ton" may become oppressive to you as Catho
lies, and that you and your clergy are dsepl.
interested i'm asserting and maintaining you
civil rights, free from any undue influence what
soevar? The Inqui sition has contested the au
thirty Of iudges, nebles, kings, emPerors, an'
even of the Pope himself 1t has set at deianc'
the power of the people, and its victims have
been protesting Catholics, even the most emf
neatly pious, for pure religion, even III the Ca
tholic faith, hath invited persecution and pro
yoked condemnation. | repeat, that I speak
not of the Catholic faith speak Of the abuses
that have been praetised in the name of the Ca
tholic religion, and in connection with the fact
that there is nothing in the Constitution OF the
General Government, which can prevent the
grating it upon the constitution of any indi.
vidual State, and that it is in the power oil
designing men, wherever they control The le-
gislalon of single state, to establish the Inqui-
sltion as part of its civil polity. You, the Ca
tholics Of the United States, as deeply inter
estcd as we, tie Protestants, in preventing this
and to discuss how far the purpose of Bishop
England, in uniting Church and State, foreshad-
ows this event, is measure which you should be
the last to condemn. 1t will not do for MIN to say
that the prejudiees, which exists i'll the minds Of
Protestants are unfoanded. 1t will not do for
him, in his character of Inquisitor General, to
prose .1be all investigation, and to dsnsunce all
who may question the integrity of his purpose.
We, the Protes+a people of the United States,
have opened our doors, and permitted him ts
come among us. He is suspected of ha- Souring
deep designs against peace and your liberties.
1t will not do for him, astranger, whom we have
made welcome, to denouncc Us, when we propose
to enquire into the truth fthese suspicious. That
he is suspected, he admits. Instead of argu-
ments to prove his innocence, he gives us inso.
lent denunciation, and thereby confirms our APP
prehenssns of his guilt and it is a striking fea-
ture of this controversy, that,as it was in Spain,
SO it is here; to resist the authority of the In
4uisitor General Immediately brings up the idea
Of the SCALP and the 'Sgibbst," The power, by
which he now acts, is denunciatioH. As yet he
cannot go beyond this, but he has an organised
corps throughout the United States, more effici-
ent IN proportion to its number than any other
political body in the country, and that influence
mas been brought to bear with all its energy, for
The purpose of crushing this press. 1t is intend
I'd that | shall be victimized and held up as
admonIshIng all other editors of the
Danger of daring at any time to question any
act of his, whatsoever 1t is now no longer de-
MED that aA association has been formed in Ea-
rope under the especial auspices of the Emperor
of Austria, and uAder the guidance of Prince
Metternich, for the spread of the Catholic reli-
gion in this country; and it has been directly
charged that the objects of this association is the
overthrow of our free institutions. When we
see the combinations which have been formed in
Europe, and the bearing which they have upon
public liberty-When we look back upon the
history of the Roman Church, and more espe-
cially on the history of the inquistion, and con-
slider the prosecutions of the Moors and of the
wealthy Jews of Spain, we are admonished of
the necessity Of constant vigilance l confess
that new views have been presented to my mind
The danger is startling, and the people of the
South especially have great cause for alarm
The Inquisition is an organized political body.
1t acts with deliberate purpose. Its approaches
are slow but constant. Backed BY the power of
the Holy Alliance, it is not surprising that they
should entertain purpose of obtaining politi-
cal control in this country. With large sur
plus population, whose condition would be great
ly improved thereby, they can pour in upon us
a tide of emigration, which, taking possession of
the northwestern States, will become appropri-
ate instruments in he hands of designing men
for converting government into despotism.
This, once established, the Roman Catholic re-
Ec-rcrs OF the hquisiton must follow in its train
Bishop England is already the Legate of his
Holiness, the Pope, clothed with full power to
build up a national church in Hayti. Ia his
letter in reply to MIR. Forsyth, he asserts the
power of the Pope to 'lssislate" on the subject
of slavery and the slave trade, and insists upon
the obligation of such '1egislation" upon Catho-
lie communities. The Pope has already required
the Jesuits to dispose of their slaves, and has,
upon one occasion at least, attempted to exer-
else civil jurisdiction in relation to private
property in the United States.
Who does not see in these things the elements
Of power, which may hereafter desolate our
land with the flames of civil war, for the pur-
pose ofoverturning our free institutions. And
it is for sounding the alarm in the sight of these
dangers-it is for proposing 10 discuss the truth
ofIthese pIopositions,t that have been denounc-
ed and prescribed by a committee constituted
of Protestants, politically opposed to Bishop