Weekly miners' express. (DuBuque, Iowa) 184?-1849, 1848-02-23

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been commissioned as an oracle or Tie
party on any Subject whateye r. much
less on subject affecting the views and |
feelings Of a large and respectable chris
tian denomination, comprising so many
true and devoted friends to their country
as does the Roman Catholic Church.
May now, gentlemen, take the liber-
ty suggesting that your interrogatory|
might have been put into shape which
would more Immediately have touched
the case, unless misconceive its true
bearing, and enabled me at once TO have
given you full and satisfactory answer.
| take it for granted that you wish to be
informed whethe the democratic party
Of this State approve or endorse the re-
marks made by Delazon Smith, in his
speech before the democratic meeting
held atthe capital on the 9th Of January,
with reference 10 the Catholic clergy in
Mexico. Am | right, gentlemen? Does
this proposition cover the ground he'd IN
view by the meeting under whose autho-
lrity you act? If so, / Will anticipate an.
interrogatory of this kind; and in reply
feel fully authorized to state, on behalf
Of the party, that those remarks of said
Smith, so fal as they affect prejudicially
the Catholics as class. or the honor Of
their religion. or injure the feelings Of
any good Catholic, were not only unau-
.horized, unendorsed, and disapproved by
the great body Of democrats present on
that occasion, but arc unequiuocaz1y con-
demned ind repudiated by the Democracy
Of The State, as a party. s'' @
Having been applied to in my editorial
and political capacity,l trust | shall not
be deemed obtrusive if | venture to 20 a
step beyond the immediate subjec, Of your
interrogatory, for the purpose Of adding,
through you, few suggestions for the
consideration of the worthy class Of cili-
zens on whose behalf you have addressed
me. Considering that the circumstances
Of the case are such as to warrant me in
this course, | will briefly advert to one
or two leading considerations which pre-
sent themselves in connection with the
subject under consideration.
The fact cannot, nor need it, be dis.
gulscd, that certain class Of willy poIti
clans, ever ON the alert TO avail them.
selves of any circumstance by which they
can hope to profit politically, have seized
upon,. and will attempt to make an I'm.
warranted handIeof this subject, for the
purpose Of cxcrting a political influence
which ahey could not command by virtue
OF their principles. In anticipation OF
what they expected to accomplish by their
insidious biaEdishmeutsa and honied words
they scarcely suppressed boast when
tn yheard the objt ctlonable remarks ffo!
the said Smith concerning the Catholic
clergy in Mexico. Having been myscl
an eye witness and an ear witness to thei,
eXu!tation on that occasion, am we'll as
sured that they will spare no effort te
poison the minds Of the Catholics orlhi:
State against the Democracy. | am there
fore gratIfled at the timely investigation
Instituted by your appointment as a com
mltee, with the view of el;citing the
truth.
II may we'll be asked, with W hat ap
pearance Of truth or reason can it be al
legged that the democratic party are inim
lcai 10 the Catholics ofthis country, mere
ly because a speaker in a democratic
meeting too6 the unwarranted libe rv O
making an assault upon the Clergy Of tina
church in Mexico? With what force o
reason can the views expressed by tina
individual be imputed to the Democracy
when II is known that those views wer.
repudlased on the spot by two Of our prill
cipal speakers, (Gen. Dodge and Coone
Benton,) who hare been Aonored will
marks OF confidence by their party, an,
who. as now assure you, did truly spr;.I
the democratic sentiment on this subicc,
might cite you TO innumerabIc ex
presslons from the political opponents o
the democracy, through their accredlte.
party organs, Of the bltcrest hostility .-
not to the Catholic clergy of Mexico, it i
true--but towards the Catholics ard ihei
clergy in this free country. Let on
!, such instance, however, suffice as lui
r sa mple Of the whole. a FEDERAL pane
published in Rochester,, New York, mis-
named the "American," in commentin
upon the recent Now England Dinner i
New York City, to which Bishop Hu2he
s was invited, speaks Of that worthy pre-
: late III these terms: "A contensner Of til
Protestant Bible an ensissary of Rome
! a hireling priest, calling himself Bisho
"a acorshipPer Of images-an c1rarder Q
G5soIHtlon- amaSs singing Pdpist" The
sheet then asks: "low long is His fare
! to bcap!ayed? How long are ne to disp1n
our sympathy for Roman CatAofcism?'
Ihs characteristic scott at s'Roma
, Cathollcism''--this virulent spirit Of big
t otry, Of de'ision and proscviptio for {
: pinion's sake, is net The mere u7uuthor
: aed expression Of an indiriduaz member c
any party; ii is from an accredited orga
, Of the whig party of the Slate Of Ne,
!, York. The same sentiment has bee
, echoed time and again, in slightly varie
= language, by The federal press OF our ow
State, and throughout the Union; an
yet; little heed isaprarent|y paid by tn
a Catholics to expressions Of this choracte
6 coming from that source . ......srs + !,
While the Democrncv nc y n, rtv ha,,