Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-09-20
,,d armies Of France and America?-

,,,ous .,ll,ed armies Of France and Amerca?--
Why then do YOU ask me 10 aid you III excluding
,bs fellow country men OF these men from The pro.
,tiion aud support of this same 'star-spanSeo
h3naer", And DO you not know that III that nonic
ham! which assembled in our old STATE iionsc, on
,,s morning of the memorable lih OF July. lno'
an; thcrc signed and sealed that sacred lns'rn-
went which gave birth TO our nation, there were
,nanv iorsignersl In that body there was no
,,ssnc 10 exclude or prescribe any one, because
.. MS birthplace or religion but all all joined In
,,sI..iny their lives fortunes, and sacred hohorS,
Il support O. the liberties OF America.
cannot. therefore, without becoming recreanl
T. .hg principles and purposes OF our iorciathers,
,oin with you in prescribing men because Of their
birthplace, or IL dcpriving them Of any OF those
Invaluable rights that j, was The design OF those
,.,es :hev should ENJOY
Su; there is another equally powerful reason
why cannot ioin your associations Recent
events have shown that the party OF which 1t
,t,ms part, would be very dangerous one to
,n,rlst with power In ours, above all other
Countries. should the law, and the law only, reign
Supreme. No outrage, however great, whether
committed on d single individual or by body OF
them, can under any circumstances justify or eA-
,u>e a resort 10 mob violence on the part OF those
INJURED. 10 redress their grievances or avense
heir wrongs; and the party that resorts 10 such
means i> entirely unfit 10 have power III Rcpuo-
lran country and in NV humble judgement no
~. .ce.lovins, orderly citizen, can consistently
lone attached to it, cannot belong 10 par
., that would wrest man from the custody and
control of an officer of the law, manSle and bruise
b;m-bcat his head with paving stones, and
when in the apparent agonics OF death, hang
him in public marSet-house. Christianity
shudders and humanity weeps al The recent out
r,ses oryour party, and God grant that we may
have no more of the evidences oil its aScendancy.
Anilherc is another reason why cannot join
vonr association The whole energies OF the
nsr,y o, which it forms part, are almost exclu-
siveiv Gevo,cdo the prescription and dennnciailon
one sect OF Christians. With the Roman Ca
rholics as a religious sect, have no part or lot,
having been born and reared in the Protestant
,ailh: but know that the Constitution of my
country declares that .all have natural and
nie:tasible rightto worship their Creator accord
IN, 10 the dictates OF their own conscience and
| hope, that as long as Col gives me breath,
NAV hold in sacred remembrance this wise pro
vision. When saw from the roof of my dwell
in, on the night ri the S,h OF MAY, the bright
lame that en>hroudci ;.e lofty dome of ST. Au-
s,i>,inc thought otthc Constitution oimv cour
tv thought OF those departed Sages who de-
clare. that in this land there should be liberty Of
conscience Tor all men" hough, OF that an
Gent bell, whose tones first proclaimed The glad
tidiny> Of American Independence | turned
ami saw the redeemed spire and roof Of the sacred
Hall OF independence and the whole high vault OF
He ,ycn 5luShing in deep crimson al he scene
tuned aside and wep;-not for the eG!ice or its
contents for they were bit drusS but | wep, over
oar bleeding Constitutional the SO soon forgot
zen a2noniions and precepts of our tatfers--at
he introduction of religious intolerance and rcli-
sionS bigotry in our favored land-at the bright
aGi glaring evidence OF the existence in our midst
OF spirit of persecution for opinion sake, am
GLAD thrice glad, that did not hear The hend-like
>hou, that IS said to have been given al the fall OF
the cross Lat enorped the dome of ST. Angus
tine Tor il would give me pain Those who
could exult al the fall OF The emblem Of that re-
liyion given 10 us by Him ''who was meek and
lowy OF heart, must iu,cet that God will have
mercy rather than sacrifices, and knowledge oi
himself rather than burnt oiierings"-mnst forget
that we are commanded 10 love one another" and
To do unto others as we would they should do
unto us
That shout gave evidence of The existence
among us OF The same spirit that brought Michael
ServeuS and John Rogers 10 The Stake-;hat ba-
ui>I.ed Roger Sherman and Mrs. Hutchinson
from their homes-that murdered and manned
The unofendins Quakers. That burning and
lha; shout has implanted stain upon the charac-
terof our city and our people that will endure I'M
L, The remotest posterity. 1t can no longer BE-
said OF us in the language of poetIy-
Ave call itholy ground
The spot where first they rod
THEY'VE left unStaned what there they found,
Freedom 10 worship God"
Onc more reason why cannot join your asso-
cations is that | have from my youth upwards
ieonced, and am still attacheito political party
the Democratic partv)-a party that has lis orr
.ta in the institutions of our couatry-o party on
whose principles depend mainly the preservation
and erpeluaton OF those institutional party
tha; has occasionally as all others have, been dis
graced hy the action of those it has elevated 10
place AMI power, bat has always thus far pos
s"sscd energy and vitality sutcien. 10 enable i
~ throw off the putrid humors that have disturbed
IT, parry that has always sought % extend The
,isht OF Sufli,ce instead Of 10 diminish it-tha
woill allow man 10 participate in The affairs oi
Government because he roS q a0a endowed with
t-a,on and understanding, and not because he
W., norm in certain place, possessed certain
amount OF property, or protesscd certain reli-
sion--a parry that has never, TO my knowledge.
dl.raced itself BY reSoItngt 10 mob law ard mob
Il ne 10 avcns is wrongs ar redress lis inlu-
l.->-a party in which cditiccs devoted to the
wol>hip Of Go! and the purposes OF education
haze always found favor and protection. Be-
lyig =; to lnis political ,ariy so much superior
iog1ur> in all reepcc;s would be acting very
i,J..>hly did leave it for the purpose ofJoininS
yo,,r association. Yours with resnect
ANDREW MILLER.
High Stree; Ward, Nav 2hh, 1911.