New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1844-11-13
The Election and the Catholics.

To Me Editor of The Tribune
Amidst the Incorporate and sometimes injudi-
cious language which defeat after noble con-
test brings to the lips of men, am glad 10 per-
ceive in the calm and rational observations of
your paper Of this morning, which though now
perhaps restricted viii become more general, when
reflection will take the place OF feeling and when
time shall have worn off the wire edge from dis
appointment. It appears that the great Wing
party, are to be, or perhaps have been already
defeated, and those who anticipated with high
hope different result, are now casting about to
ascertain the cause through which that result
has been brought about. | perceive that it is
variously charged upon the Abolitionists, the
Native Americans, and the Adopted Citizens
especially those protesting the Roman Catholic
faith. And it is to this last class that l would
call your attention III the few rYuinrks which
am about to make | am myself of opinion that
it is injudicious to bring out the religious or sec.
tartan character of any portion of our citizens,
during great political contest, in which they are
expected to act exclusively in their civil capaci-
ty. Having paid some attention to the subject
have not been able to discover that the Roman
Catholics at any time acted or protested the in.
tention of acting as Roman Catholics. Appeals
indeed have been made to them as such by bolh
parties, and in this think that both parties have
committed an error. But have not been able
to discover any evidence of their having acted
as Catholics more than Presbyterians or Metno-
Gists may be considered to have acted as such.
On the contrary | see in the reports of different
States, that the Catholics of the Union at large
are as divided and opposed TO each other as the
parties themselves to which they respectively be-
long. The great majority Of the Catholics IN
Maryland are Wings, and voted Ter Henry Clay.
The majority Of the Catholics Of Louisiana are
of the same political party. The reports from
Ohio furnished in The Tribune attest that the
Catholics and Adopted Citizens stood up man.
fully for the great statesman of Kentucky. A
large number of the Catholics of Pennsy lgania
have voted in the same way. And IN our own
State, even in our own City, the voters in the
Wing ranks protesting the same religious faith,
though small minority, still in point of num-
bers were considerable Many Of them indeed
arc known to have voted for Clay and Freling-
huysen when they thought they could not vote
for any other Of their party.
What, then, is the result, If these statements
be oorrect7 Simply, that the Catholics are as
divided, taking the whole extent Of the Union,
as any other class of citizens. If the Wings
blame them for not voting more generally their
Electoral Ticket in New. York and Pennsslva-
MIA, is il fair to forget that the success of the
Wing Party in Maryland, Ohio, and possibly
Louisiana, not to speak of Kentucky and In
diana, may be ascribed on the same rules to the
votes OF Catholics | fox one do not think that
it is just or right in US 10 forget this view when
we are passing judgment upon what you your
self haye-pardon me for saying improperly
designated the Catholic vote.
Perhaps, however, the tracing OF consequences
to their antecedents and causes would turn the
censure which We are ready 10 bestow upon the
Catholics into a theme of self rep.oach against
ourselves. There never was period when the
Catholics and Adopted Citizens were so perfectly
detached from the shackles of Party as they
were at the commencement of the Presidential
contest which may be considered now as termi.
mated; and ii the Election had taken place as
things were twelve months ago, my o IN decided
impression is that the majority of what is called
the Naturalized Vote, both IN New-York and
Pennsylvania, would have been found, perhaps
for the first time, on the side of the Wings. But
the unhappy events which occurred in Philadel-
phia, when the Executive authority for protect
ing the lives and properly of the citizens was in
the hands of Wing Magistrates, must have pro-
duced injurious impressions IN reference to that
Party. This may have been, and no doubt was,
unjust reasoning, but it is human nature. Hap.
pity for the honor of our City, nothing Of that
kind occurred in Ncw-Ycrk. But when the
Wing Party OF this City last Spring abandoned
their own regular nominations for Municipal
Officers, and went over en- rsasSe to new Party
having hostility to Foreigners inscribed upon It's
banr ers, those Foreigners were by the same rule
of nature ITSELF il not by just reasoning, alienated
from their attachments to the Wing Party, and
forced to throw themselves back into the open
arms of the antagonist Party. These are all
natural conse quences flowing from natural
crcses. TIE Wings should eithe, have made
NJ nominations OF their own, or they should have
been loyal to the candidates whom they pu. for
wsrd FIR the suffrage of the citizens. Here, l
TIL nk, was the great mistake of The wh9ls cam
palg On. Neither Is it for tn say how far the
ns,s Party were faithful to the conditions ex.
pressed or implied in that Spring coalition. But
il, Just, think, If &c search fer the causes CT
de- al, " reach those that are primary, and to