Arkansas intelligencer., 1848-01-22


God, and the sacred cause of Jastice and liberty,
1t has filled me with SORROW tiough can hardly
say with surprise, that amidst all the expressions
OF oPinion-upon the Meycan war, its causes its
progress, and Its. proper trminatIon-which have
come to my knowledge throughout our Repub
lie, not word has falen from any public man.
or the organ of any political party, upon what
appears to me to E, in the present position of
the matter, the pint Of deepest and most lastinu
iI terest involvd in it; | mean the freedom of
conscience oeour own citizens, who may visit
the Mexicar Sta tes or reside in them in the pro-
secuton 3 their lawful business
Perfet security of personal liberty, absolute
sacreNess OF private property, are things with
out Inch, secured BY treaty, for the benefit of
! tb~r own citizens when resident in foreign coun-
tes no civilized State would now make a treaty
WIN any other. Some nations, alive to their
true duties and chief glory, 90 farther. and de-
mand and obtain for their citizens, freedom of
religion, wherever they may abide Ii is COM
pafbe with the duty of the Government of this
natIon-s 1t consistent with the national honor
lis 1t right in itself-that American citizens
residing in friendly and foreign States, should be
compelled to renounce their religious faith before
they can be legally married, or even decenlIy in
terred-and be liable TO every form of insult and
oppression, even to Imprisonment and death itself,
upon every attempt TO practice the sacred rites of
their religion?
Amongst the most sacred guarantees of our
constitutions and laws, is perfect freedom of re-
Hglon so that, of all people upon earth, we
ought to be the last TO allow the infringement of
thS right In our own persons. The subjects and
citizens of all foreign nations enjoy, with US, alb
soute freedom of conscience; so that, of all peo-
pie, we may most reasonably demand of other
nations, the free exercise of the religion of all
classes of our citizens, when resident abroad.
\ no boIc
is invested with transcendent Importance for,
besides the necessity of permanent settlement
OF 1t, one way or the other, in the treaty which
VIII terminate the existing war with Mexico, there
will. in accordance with the recomme mendation of
the President of the United States, in his late an
nual Message 10 Congress--it is probable, within
a brief space-be negotiated between our Govern
ment and the Pope of Rome, as temporal Prince,
the first treaty ever made between those par
ties. # those treaties should be silent on the
subject of the religious rights of our citizens re-
sident in the territories of those powers respec-
lively, it will amount to formal and fragrant
on our part, of the religious rights
of our people in all Papal countries--that is, in
moro than half the nations Of our civilized
world.
This cannot, must not be done. The Ameri-
can people believe that the soul is as important
as the purse--that the conscience is as sacred as
when free American is forced to re-
nounce his religion, as it is when he is pIundered
of his wealth, or deprived of his liberty.
Let US, then, interpose, at once and energeli-
caHy, IN whatever ways thought best, and
amongst others, perhaps, by way Of petition to
the President, that he will not make, and tc the
Senate of the United States, that they will not
ratify, any treaty, either with the Pope OF Rome
or the Republic of Mexico, which does not secure
10 overy American citizen, lawfully abiding in
the domnions of either of them, the free and
peaceable enjoy ment, for themselves and their
families, of the rites and usages of the religion
they profess.
1t is not from public men, nor from political par
ties, that movement of this sort can be expect
ed to spring-nor that topic of this description
can be expected 10 be urged on TO its conclusion.
The men, of all parties, who love liberty; who
fear God who pity the sufferings of humanity,
and desire the lasting glory of their country
these are the men who must act in like
the present. There enough of them to Sc
cure the result here suggested-if God will give
hese words favor in their sight.
Yours very truly.
RO. J. BRECKENRIDGE.