New-York daily tribune., 1849-04-23
Law and tletiglon.

IN Holland, which denies 70 the Catholic people
Of that country share Of the responsible otsces ol
state, in the same paper Will iis commentaries
oi Mexican pre.Gtcs resistance - al igfil
proposition to treat al re. sions alike ia Mexico.
On this the Freeman comments as f3lows
"a here reqaetts5, ~ D. make all possi5e slov
tnces fOr IN IrttlhS and having done 90 call the
attention Of readers - how utterly the reveres Of
Socissra DO deprsve ard 5ind the minds Of other
wise - acute Intellect The present s prscllely case
IN point Two countries are here spoken or In the
iormer lHol and laird Of The Old population have
sul remsnt Catholic the remaining i~oihTds hay-
Ing been rotes.an, or three centuries. si continue
- defrsud their felJwcOuutryunen Of their political
rights aud uet representation the ground thsi these
remain CathOIc-thst H. because they not change the
religion Of their fathers 10 Mexico. the whole ndigen
Gus population q Catholic. InOse CT any otaer religion
are 10 the foes Of their taa 0f their faith
Neither Turks Protesants have any birth 2hi nor
acquired privileges on Mexican soil. To admit such,
moreover would be suicidal - the COnSttu:on Of the
Mexican nation. TIE being the csIe the distinction
between the two 10 well founded and evident ary In
telligent and candid mind. But Socialists and Commun
ss make such complete legation Of morality and law,
ths' ,hey cannot Distinguish between the JUsTIcE that
rtquires the rich man 20 pay bis honest debis % hs
poor neish5or and the HALLCciNATIoN that would esd
the wealthy master Of house 70 let sn armed ruiiAn
into ti. premises midnight because be demands
trance on the plea Of FourieIsm. or OF the common
right cf all The enjoy ment Of wealth Does our
radical uegbbor understand "a nov -
R,ply.
The Freemans Journal IS evidently no. 50
well Informed with regard to Fouuersm, etc. as
upon the subject IN issue wherefore We shall en-
leayor to hold It 10 the after, hoping 70 enhgh,en
it with regard 70 the former when more at leisure.
The matter in hand is the rghtlu action Of Gov.
ernment in regard % Relig ous Faith, aud the d-
verse language held by the Freeman relative to
,ha inst demands Of the Catholics in Hollsni Tor
inal Political Rshis and the resistance offered
D., Catholics in Mexico 10 ike equality there
both heartily offered by the F.J.
We understand the journal to justify its CON
trhry positions on these grounds I. The CattOhc
minority IN Holland IS composed Of nnte' oi that
county, while the anti-C sthohc minority in MeX-
leo is entirely al Immigrant population. .. The
Mexcan Constitution forbids any such equality Of
Religious zhts as is demanded D. 10 its intro
duciion the F j. emphasizes the words pstron
se and support, ss it the Protestants ia Mexico
denanded something more OF the Government
than perfect tolerance To which we answer
J. We have too often and too earnestly con-
tended in favor OF the Equal Rights OF Catholics
here in the matter Of Education against this very
assumption reversed-viz that the Catholics are
newcomers here, while Protestantism Is the
original faith Of the great body Of our population
to admit or realize that it has any force. RIGHTS
Of Conscience are not affected by Geneaogy nor
Geography any more than by Maoniies. mans
right to worship God as he deems fitting IS com
mensuratc with the duty OF worshiping Him at all
3. How cam the Mexican Constitution iutoier-
ant Under what influences were It's provisions
affecting Religious Liberty framed Could not
the C.crgy Of Mexico maniiestly effect the Aboli-
ton of all disabilities because Of Faith al once if
they thought proper And who asserts that Pro
testent Holland, in view Of the dreadful experi-
ence Of her infsntilc struggles for Civil Liberty
aul Religious Right against proiessed Catholics
may not have a Constitution as intoerant a. that
Of Catholic Mexico Who says that the equal
admission of Catholics and Protestants to office
may not contrayeue the existing fundamental law
Of Holland
g. If the Protcslants Of Mexico Were to-day
asked what they would have the Government do
respecting Religious Faith, we are sure nnc-
tenths would answer, Let II aioae Abolish all
laws on the subject and leave every man to
worship God as be thinks right Su-h is the
general prayer Of minorties whether Catholic
or Protestant. If the proposition actually lis
cussed in Mexico was different from this, (which
we Doubt it cannot have been made so by the
Protestants whose natural position isprecisey
parallel 70 that OF the Catholics Of this State with
regard to their college, when they say-as they
do, very Justly W e ask nothing from the State
for our college bat if the State decides to give
money to support colleges, we insist that oprs
shall be treated like the others and so 1t should
and u.s. That. we presume is the same as " TO
pairouize and support all kinds OF religious wor-
ship alike is the demand Of the Protestants oi
Mexico.
And now we seek acsndid and thorough COM
parison Of views with the Freemans Journal on
the important subject underlying this discussion.
We will state our own view as clearly as We may,
and solicit like statement from the journal. We
hold, then
l. That Civil Government has no right to inter
NEEDLE at all with any citizens Religious CON
victions or Faith-these being not only out OF but
entirely above its sphere consequently, that al
disabilities or penalties inflicted by the State be
cause of alleged errors OF Faith can only be in
fcted through gross usurpation and tagraut
wrong.
p That the duty Of worshlping our Creator and
Preserver is OF universal obligation, so thst no hu
man power can ntermeddle with such privilege
much less obstruct it. without lreverence and
Heavendarag presumption. For surely We need
not argue that TO forbid any 10 worship God IN ac
cordance with their own convictions OF truth and
right is really forbidding them TO worship Him at
all.
g. That all restraints penalties, disabilities or IN
jures inflicted by civil government upon any Por
ton Of the people subject to It's sway because oi
the conscientious dissent OF that portion from the
creed Of the majority or governing power are No-
stions OF sound polty, natural Justices and DIVINE
Sovereignty, snd should be instantly abfogaIed
and desisted from.
Such are our views on the general question
presented We ask the Freemsns journal 70
quote them lonly the last three paragraphs and
respond Yea or Nay.
EDITORS NOT TO "a PRoscNRED.-FIrA HIN