The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1844-06-24
The Catholics In Philadelphia I'm Notion
Progress OF the Division OF Parties.

We publish in this days paper very important
address, issued by meeting OF Catholics hed IN
the Catholic Cathedral of Philadelphia, relative TO
the recent melancholy insurrecton, murders, and
conhagrations, in that city This movement wiz
be regarded with great interest not only IN TINS
country but abroad throughout the civilized wora'
inasmuch it may be considered another sep III
the line of conduct originated in Carroll han IN
this city, under the sanction OF Bishop Hughes OF
this diocese line of conduct when must new
taby divide the Christian community OF this Union
into two great antagonist partles-the Catholics
and the Professionals
The tone and spirit OF the address are temperate
and dignfed, and in this respect present very
gratifying contrast TO the violent and infiammatory
language of the opposing party But the authors OF
this address quite mistaken IN assuming that all
the offence was committed on the other side. As
we have again and again affirmed. the ground
of undenable facts, which now matter Of his
tory, it was the rash the errng and unjustihable
conduct of Bishop Hughes, in organizing dis
tinct and separate political element and that in the
most repulsive form, the members of his flock,
which applied the torch to the feelings Of bigotry
and prejudice against the Irish, which had been
before that fatal moment. smoulderng and dying
out in the ashes with which the good sense the
intelligence and the patriotism Of good citizens had
covered them. To this-the origin, the birth, the
first development of these fierce anlmosltes and
divisions, the pablo mind cannot be too often dl
reeted. 1t is only by keeping this ever IN view
that we can explain and understand the subsequent
melancholy progress of the bad passions and Sec
tartan jealousies and strife which thus excited
and let loose. We thus justified in saying that
the authors of this address somewhat away
H.
all on one side.
No one acquainted with history need be inform
ed how trivial matter of difference will suffice
to array two great classes OF any community IN
furious conflict word--the rendering Of text
the form OF some absurd or trifing ceremony,
have been often more than adequate to split into
fragments the church OF Christ quarrel about
pronoun was sufficient to divide the Greek
Church into two factions, which long maintained
against each other the bitterest hostility. And
thus, In the present case, we see to what dePora-
bic exremties of violence and blood, controversy
respecting the relative merits OF two transations Of
the Bible, which present merely verbal differences
has been carried.
1t had always been iondy hoped by the true
friends of our institutions, that this soil that
poisonous upas tree of religious bgotry, which had
wrought such evil in the old world, could never
have taken root But when, in an unguarded mo
ment, Bishop Hughes called his flock together, in
Carroll Hall, it was at once foreseen by all inte-
gent and rejecting minds that the foodgates Of
faction, violence, and popular passion had been
opened. The very next morning after that re-
markabe meeting in Carroll Hall, we predicted
that it would lead to the formation here of the
Protestant and Catholic factions, with all the mad
ness of the seventeenth century. And, alas our
prediction has been fulfilled to the letter We
have now in our midst complete organization o,
the Catholics and the Professionals, and the fearful
results which have already proclaimed to the world
the existence of these factions, may be only the
forerunners of still more appalling atrocities. No
one can tell what the end is to be. All attempts
at Cancellation seem utterly vain