The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1844-06-01
Bishop Hughes' Second Lettsr-Worse and

We published yesterday in an extra, and give
to our readers IN this morning paper second let
| ter from the Right Rev. Bishop Hughes in which
he attempts rejoinder to our provokingly calm
and complete reply his first epstle on the Phila-
delpha riots, and their causes. This second letter
| finishes the most melancholy evidence of the
Bishops mbecility, and exhibits so clearly the
great want of sober judgment, of calm reflection,
of vigorous thought of necessary self control on
the part of this prelate, that really we begin to re-
gard much more charitably his sad conduct at Car
roll Hall, and mingle pity with our Indignation in
viewing the improper conduct OF man so poorly
qualihed to manage, preserve, or defend himself
What does the Bishop do? Does he attempt
any vindication of his conduct in organizing his
flock into political party? Not at all Instead
OF taking that calm and dignted position which
would have commanded respect and attention, even
from those most violently opposed to him, the BIZ
shop follows in the wake of the highly respectable
footsteps of Wikof, an attachk of Fanny Elsser,
and pours forth torrents OF abuse against James
Gordon Bennett-calls all sorts of hard names
descends to all sorts of low and vulgar
witcsms, and squrts all sorts of venom and
filth around him. Now, we are very well aware
that there was much in our reply to the first
letter, to provoke the Bishop. There was a
great deal to occasion smarting and uneaslness.-
But the Bishop ought to have kept his temper. He
should have kept cool, and preserved himself from
falling into such undignified position as that
which he now occupies, in common with the
person, destitute of character and reputation, to
whom we have just alluded.
The letter is miserable tumble of grautous as
serons violent abuse silly slanders-extracts
from the Bishops old speeches and artlcles-ego-
tistical Northumberland irrelevant remarks on
religion the press, public opinion, the omnpotence
OF TRUTH and what not-all mixed up together with
out any order, or arrangement, or principle OF con-
nection, except the very bad temper which charac
terizes the production from beginning to end
What has all this cid rigmarole about bribery and
black mail, and all such nonsense, to do with
the question of the Bishops share iu origi-
mating and fomenting that accused spirit of
religious anmosity, which produced such terrible
results in Philadelphia? How can the Bishop ex-
pec that all this vituperaton and abuse, and sple
netic attack will serve him! Alas the poor man
will soon be taught that such mode of defence is
ineffective as it is undignifed and unchrlstian
We only smile with plying contempt on such Vi
tuperation-such childish reiteralion of abusive
epithets; although, when we observe the manner
in which the Bishop mingles his piety with his
abusehis appeals to vulgar passion with his appeals
to the Most High contempt gives way to stronger
feeling of dsapprobation, and we cannot refrain
from asking, with what burst of holy Indignation
such conduct on the part of a consecrated dign-
tary of the church, would have been visited by the
great apostle of the Gentiles, who uttered that
memorable exclamation against the High Priest of
the Temple, -" God shall smite thee, thou whited
wall"
It is not at all necessary for US, in reply to this
puerile and weak epistle, to add one word to what
we have already said respecting the conduct of the
Bishop as potico-religious sgitator. The public
mind has long since formed just, decided, and
abiding opinion on that subject. All the petty
quibbllng-the play upon words and sentences the
special peading-al the twisting, and turning, and
wriggling of the Bishop, avail him nothing. The
public have had all the facts before them-they
have read the Carroll Hall speech-they have
watched the progress and effects of the spirit en-
gendered there-they have now had in addition to
all this, full exposition from the Bishops own
hand, of his spirit, temper, disposition and capacities
of selfgovernment-and the verdict which the pub
lie have pronounced, never, never be set aside
1t stands, and shall stand for ever, pregnant
to make religious prejudices and feeling, tributary
to any political purpose whatever. But whilst we
thus relieved from the necessity of saying any
thing more in exposure and condemnation of the
Bishops conduct in Carroll Hall, we could not feel
ourselves justified in suffering these letters to pass
without word or two of reproot, in reference to
the injurious results which they are calculated to
produce, by exciting anew those very elements of
civil discord, which the Bishop on that memorable
occasion, stirred up with such disastrous effect
Both these letters-and perhaps the second most
especially are calculated to do much mischief
amongst the Irish. Instead of pouring oil on the
troubled waters-instead OF coming forward as
a minister of the God OF Peace, this Bishop
Hughes even now rushes forth like the fool in the
Proverbs, scattering " frebrands, arrows and
DEATH" saying, Z" am not in sport ?"-he emits
some ten or twelve columns of violent, abusive, in
hammatory misunderstanding up the bad
passions of irritable race, and adding fresh fuel
to the flames which have been kindled amid an
excitable community
low differently have the associates of Bishop
Hughes, in the Catholic ministry in this city, de-
meaned themselves, as members ofthe priesthood,
and as American citizens We point, with pride
DR.. Pise, which has gained for them the respect
and esteem of men of all creeds. Their learning,
their talents, their gifts of eloquence and men,
tai superiority-all that they have, they have laid
upon the altar of Him they serve. Never have
their sacerdotal robes swept the filthy floor of
political hal,-never has the purity of their
Grated vestments been sullied in defng contact
with the world With all the zeal, and patience,
and diligence, and humility too, OF the early fathers
of the Christian church, these excellent men have,
from year to year, led their focks to the altar of
God ;-ony in the sanctuary have their voices been
raised, never amid the yells and shouts of an ex-
cited mob-never have the names of these gentle
men been seen in the public prints, appended to
long letters oflow, vulgar, filthy abuse-never have
their pens been so degradingy employed When
they have written, they have written like gentle