Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1851-12-23
N Rs sGREELEY,S REPLY TO ARCu-
-aes NIsISHOP MUGllEss@ asNT1

y
welfare Of our country and the progress o
,he Human Race. His ecclesiaslica! posi-
.Aon. s;s na'ional origin, his pcrs nal abiIi
lies and acl, have combinedi give him ,
Spiritual power among us greater than s.ha
of any other living man. His is the only
fiat which could taxi. iifiy thousand children
ouI Of our common schools and keel them
lou,wlh many thousands more, for aninde6
mite period 10 come. He has power 10 re-
kinde the resofTheologicalraHcof unione
our people, such as have hitherto ragged ii
some countries Of Europe, and leach par
To regard the residue as enemies 10 be van,
.quished and pul down BECAUSE Of ,teir idi
vers convictions resp cling God. Revelation,
and our Future ENislepcc.sy Knowing his
power 10 be great. we are. inost anxious IN
see il exerled on the side Of absolute relig.
iouss freedom ond universal education. Is
our solicilude unnalurall Aud especially
when we see Others propounding in the
name of Catholicty doctrines which seem
.ip,us calctilalrd 10 nhalhe abstract Theo-
yiugical differences into active personal and
national hatreds. aud practically deprive
millions OF the blessings Of elucali m, is i,
strange lbalwe should anxiolsly wish 10
hear his potential voice rails Il ON the side al
Peace. knowledge and Liberty! At length
he breaks, silence, aud his words, though
wiser and more guarded Than these we have
lately heard and depored, seem 10 indicalr
aI.least a decided leaning to the side which
APPEARS 10 us wrong and prrhic us. We
frankly express the regret we cannrt bat
feel ai that leaning; aud This The Bishhp
represents as evincing a disposition 10
ahrdge his liberty or interfere with The ex-
preston Of his opinions We certainly
did not so intend it.
EI That we differ with The Bishop on GER
iainpoinis Of Religious Faith, is quiIe rue;
bul va have no wish 10 abrdge his liberty
on that account. Whether in this ,untry
or in Europe, in Country ,radiiionaly
Catholic or ProIesIanl, without the least re
gard 10 existing Institutions or preiudices.
We hold his right to Civil and Religious
Freedom as precious as our own. Whelh-
er he chance for the time 10 be in New
York, in Paris, Rome. Calcutta or Pekin
we insist on his natural and moral right to
worship Col according TO his own convic-
lions of Right and Duty, or to refrain from
worshipping al all without Responsibility
therefor to any earthly tribunal. The Rights
Of Conscience are 10 US before institutions
they transcend the proper sphere of Civil
Government and Municipal Police.
Npw When The Archbishop charges our;
,ysie,nl d Republican Liberty with putting
'sti I'd hnd the Devil truth and falsehood.
shlihe Name leVel," he surely misconceives
,ia, system. Wha, we hold is that the be.
i,v and nature of God, His attributes and
His acquisitions, are themes above the sphere
aud supervision of the Stai,, and cannot
properly be mode the subject of inquisi,ion
and discipline by civil magistrates and lip
Alavrs. We do mol (asking the Archbish-
ops pardnn) deny 10 God The right 10 i'm
pose on Man any obligation whatever; but
We deny to man The right 10 determine for
others what obligations to acknowledge and
worship Him God has or has not imposed
Is no, the difference between out position
and that assigned US by the Archbishop q
very plain one !
II. The Archbishop, as we were quite
sure, is in favor of Civil and Religious Lib.
ery-wilh difference. He DIES tot think
the Sovereign Ponlif' "Iorced to throw his
States open for The T aching of every form
of ProtesianIism and Inflcity." Lei us
think of this:
There are at all times in the Roman
States, especially in their Metropolis, con-
siderable number Of feducaled, serious. mind
ed. enlightened ProlesIanIs, to whom their
Religion and its minislralions are very pre-.
cious. There is probably no time when
these are mol hundreds, while they some.
times amount 1--WE .hink) 10 thousands bu,
the number is ilnmateral, since The Rights
of Conscience are not dependcn, on nun.
bcrs. Among these are several eminen
Protestant Clergymen wko would gladly
minister 10 The spiritual needs of their fellow
believers, IL that were allowed; bat il is not
Let those ProlestanIs hire, or buy, or ever
build, a suitable ed6ce and proceed therein
even in a language wholly uninlelligble ,c
the Roman people, TO worship God ant
learn His will according TO their own con
vicliors of Truth and Duty, and the Pope.
police and soldiers would be down upon then
directly, TO break up their meeting, anC
probably convey its leading members 10 pris
on.-ls this Civil and Religious Liberly :
The Archbishop plainly deems i, consist
ent with tha. kind Of il whereof he is 81
friehd," and which he considers great dea
better thnn ours. The Two kinds cerlainl!
are in no danger Of being confounded.
Whenthe Archbishop speaks Of the Pope
being required 10 "encourdge opposition tc
Ghal Religion" The CaIholic,) he combat
something which Ue never propounded
We desire him neither TO "encourage" nj
discourage the religion Of men whose faith
differ from his own, but 10 let them alone
We cannot see what he righlfuly has to d
with them, AS PonliA, his legitimate rul
is over Catholics, not unbeievers. As lem
6poral Prince, his power is over the bodie
yof men, not their souls. In either capacity
his suppression Of Protestant worship b
force seems to US gross and baneful usur
patton
Ill. We do no. base the right Of all me
~ Religious Freedom on any such fra
foundation as The ,oleralion Of Catholics b
Protestanis, .2rowsan,s have often perst
culed. and IN, some countries still persecul
for Faiths sake. moi only Catholics but eac
ulher. Our position assumes that all Perst
eutioa is ,Dyoag, whether perperaled b
Catholics or ProIestanls; and that moi