The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-10-10
COMM UNICATIONS
REPLY TO ga MARYLANDER.n
BALrIMoRE, October 4, ls45.
To the Editor offhe Union.


To The Editor 9Th Union'
Having yesterday received, through the poteness
of friend, a copy Of the "Unionn of the 18th ut,
my attention was directed to an article which pur-
ports to have been written by "A Marylander,"
and whom you endorse edltorially as ian old DEM
ocrat Of BALTIMORE | had scarcely got through
few lines in that communication before met with
statements, views, and assertions, concerning the
Pope and the Catholic clergy, which deemed not
only totally uncaed for, but teeming with misrepre-
sentations and inaccuracies, and highly insulting to
class Of American citizens, who in point of devo-
ton to their country, and to the cause of civil and
religious liberty, will yield to none;-I mean the
Catholics. And this consideration, together with
the fact expressed by you IN your editorial remarks
that you do not endorse all the views of your cor
respondent, induces me to hope, from your we'll
known politeness and impartiaty, that you will adj
init into your valuable paper a reply; which sense
of that Justice to the Catholics Of the United
States seems imperiously to require.
II the ESQ called) "Marylander' be a democrat,
and on that account be entitled to address the public
through your coumns,--the Catholics, too, on the
same ground, have strong claims on the democracy
of the United States. They did not occupy the
back ground in the late presidential contest; and
have often thought that the present administration
lies under inconsiderable degree of obligation to
them, and that to their generous and almost unan-
imous effort in New York and Pennsylvania, is due
VI
deavored to insnuate itself into the affections of the
people under the name of naiirism, and burnt
churches in order to commend itself to big
otry. That the natives and the wings are but two
branches of the same party, has Just been concur
siveiy shown by the recent election in city, for
never before had the democrats mustered such
majority against any one of their opponents.
Your correspondent made quite mistake in sign
ing himself "a Maryander," more proper name
suggests itself to me, but which will not here mem
uon HIS hopes, his fears, his reasoning, his con-
lectures, are anything but that ola Marylnnder
The cloak he has put cannot hide his true spirit
which, at almost every line, develops itself being
composed OF pride, bigotry, and narrowness Of
mind. Maryland, need not say, was founded by
English Catholics, who, flying from persecution at
home, raised in America the standard of religious
and civil liberty, and were the first to proclaim in
the British colonies the freedom of conscience which
Protestant states were denying them in the Old
World. If your correspondent be really Mary
lander he must be descendant of those men who,
having come to Maryland to participate in the bless
ings OF equal liberty offered to them by Lord Balt
more had no sooner possessed their new privileges,
man they began TO prosecute the very authors Of
them, and crushed in its very birth the magnani-
nous and truly gigantic effort Of the first settlers of
the colony. Truly, in Maryland was the story of
the torpid snake, which bit the bosom that had
warmed it. literally verified
The writer commences his rambling remarks on
aMe course Of things" with an open profession of
faith IN fatalism, if afraid he would not soon
enough be recognised as warm friend of Calvin
and Knox. He tells us, gravely, that the humen
mind has not yet come to clear settlement of the
question whether "the destiny Of man individually
is not ordained by irreversibe decree of Omnipo-
tence." have no incmation here to take up this
assertion OF the writer, and shall not disturb his
privilege Of thinking, with Calvin, This authority,
that Tod works In man both the virtues of the good
and the basphemies Of the wicked. and to consider
men as machines and automata incapable alike of
censure for committing the evil they cannot avoid,
and OF praise for working the good they must needs
perform. shall only express my surprise that the
soI-dlsaM "Marylander" talks so much of liberty
throughout his article, when he positively douois
whether man has the simplest or most obvious de-
gree OF thai liberty, which is the free will by which
or evil. 49,
Let us now take up for consideration the follow
ing specimen of oratoral defamation and clap
trap:
,eess Of supported BY welldevised system up
held by the staes susceptible Of an extent and duration
which no kingdom that has existed has reached
Inc popes supply the example. Rome. which had long
bowed all nations by her temporal power in the
o. time 70 enslaye them by her spiritual power; NOR
fagan Rome surpassed by Christian Rome $50 caed0 in
Wealth and in crimes that dehased humanity for
he whole world grosned under spiritual bondage which
aesoying In man the liberty Of conscience destroyed also
his rights citizen of the general commonw ealh
ery In whatever degree had existed fell before this
spiritual power aided by the sword Of the state which
had the art to bring to its assistance THE hundred arey
aness Of the princes Of Germany while they declared all
the results Of the spiritual tyranny of Rome
also that the time for resisting it The press had
been invented, and Luther had appeared,n
1t would be difficult to pile up more Ignorance,
more injustice, or more bigotry, than is contained
IN this passage. In the first place. the power Of the
POPE Is purely spiritual one, which binds the
conscences of those only who believe and know
that he has been appointed the visible head Of the
church. Now, to view that power as tyranny, is a
most iiagfant absurdity and abuse of words. Cath
olics hold that Peter and his SUCCESSORS have re-
ceived privileges from Christ, and have been APP
pointed by him chief pastors of his church; and
indeed, where is the society that can exist without
visible head--or president, if YOU please, ia
admit, their the spiritual authority of such pas
tor-to acquiesce in his decision when questions
arise on The sense of scripture-to obey his voice
When 7ealots rise to preach new religion---is no
more slavery or bondage than there is slavery in
taking the advice of prudent learned. and disin-
terested man--than there Is slavery in interpreting
civil laws, not according to ones own fancy, but
according 70 the decision of the bench-than there
ID slavery IN using terms according to the meaning
consecrated by common usage, and laid down in
dictionaries. Nothing is more common or more
silly than these complaints of slavery and bondage.
The convict who is confined in the penitentiary
finds there is no liberty on earth. Agrarians and
the followers OF Fourier the loudest in com
planning of a want of liberty, which, according to
them, would be found only in equal division of
all property between the rich and the poor. The
Methodlsts south complain of the tyranny Of the
Methodists north the nep-styie Presbyterans com
plain Of the tyranny of those of the oldstyIe-and
so Of the rest Many complained of the tyranny of
". Paul, q Cor lO) That nnovators and secta-
rians should complain Of the tyranny of the popes,
is nothing strange. Truth is ever the great tyrant
of error.
The passage above quoted attributes the stability
OF the papa power to the fact of its being upheld
by the state. Let us see. We have the list of
poPes from 81. Peter down to Gregory XVI, the
present pontif, without any interruption; and "a
Maryander" gravely informs us that this long du-
ration of power is owing to the firm support it has
received from the state II was, indeed very
strange kind of support the popes received from a
Nero, Domitian, and Dioclesian, during three
centuries, that their heads fell often the block
and that their blood bathed the thronethe spiritual
throne-uPon which they sat as objects Of persecu-
ton, and sign which shall be conradicted. In
the course of ages, they have almost constantly
borne thevexation and.persecution of the state; and
~ hal Lz... H.. II.