The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1852-08-07
TIL f MINNES0TIAN.
The Test in New Hampshire.

an influential Democratic paper, issued at
Buffalo, and devoted to the interests Of
the Irish Catholics, writes from Washing
ton, under date Of June 25th, an able let
ter upon the New Hampshire Anti -Catho-
lie provision. As an index of the tenn
per of our foreign residents, we give it
entire:
"On the eve of every Presidential
election, politicians and party men become
extreme y enraptured with Catholics and
lrishmen-so much SO, indeed, that if the
fingers of the most incorrigible ''foreign-
err of that ilk, living in the neighbor-
hood Of the Five Points. should pain him
a little, all their sympathy, which bad
been bottled up for three years and six
m onths previous, becomes at once in
state Of fermentation, and bursts its brit
tie prison with a loud noise, similar in
sound to that expressed by the exclama-
ton, ''Who aciN you cote for p This is
the gist of their love for Irish citizens,
after all the blarney which they are able
TO conjure up and cast upon them on
those occasions. In the coming contest
we shall witness much OF such humbug,
and with some success too, on the part of
The practical wire-pullers. l am glad to
see, by your last number, that you have
denounced the practice of making our re-
llgious opinions party tests, when there
is not sufficient cause for it. In this !
agree with you precisely. But, sir, how
stands the case between the State of New
Hampshire and the Catholic population of
the United States? Precisely as does
England to Ireland on the subject of rei-
gion. New Hampshire has religious
test act on her statute book, excluding
you and me, and every other Catholic
from the exercise Of our rights as Ameri-
can citizens; and England, with all her
moral depravity and prosecuting propen-
sity, has none worse against us.
But you will ask, what has Franklin
Pierce to do with that-for it is to that
point am coming? answer: person.
ally, perhaps, not much, but socially and
politically as the representative Of per-
scouting and intolerant State, great deal
| frankly acquit Mr.. Pierce of all ccnsurc
on the ground of sanctioning, or sustain
ing the law complained Of, and give him
all credit for lberality on the subject in
question. But that is not the true issue.
1t is one between the State of New
Hampshire and four millions of Ameri-
can citizens whom sho degrad>, or at
tempts to degrade below all other classes
because of their religion. Why do | say
that the issue lies between that State and
the Catholic body of this country? Be-
cause that State, in January last, in her
sovereign capacity, in Convention, put
Mr.. Pierce forward as her representative
AMI choice for the Chief Magistracy OF
the Union, and in doing so, appealed all
tacis to those whom she degrades as un-
worthy OF holding Office within her limits,
even the most menial, to endorse by their
votes, such sovereign recommendation
The Baltimore Convention has responded
to her call, and it will be seen whether
the Catholic body of the country will
honor her also, and add, by their act, a
degree of reimbursement to this standing
insult of New Hampshire, for which |
am not prepared to give them credit.
"You have Known my political partiali-
ties long since, and that this difficulty
would not have occurred, had different
man been selected in the place o: Mr..
Pierce by the Baltimore Convention but
l have determined as citizen of these
United States, not TO sustain either by
my vote or influence, any man-whether
Wing or Democrat-put forward by that
State for public favors, SO long as she
holds that infamous penal code on her
statute books. The alternate between
non-action and positive opposition to Mr..
Pierce's claims for election, is not of our
choosing; but circumstances not anticipa-
ted SO soon by the sovereign lights of the
State, have forced it reluctantly upon us.
"If you think that there is difference
between the moral depravity of Lord
John Russel's attempt to degrade the
Catholics of Ireland by his late penal
code, and that of similar penal code en-
grated upon the Constitution of a sover-
eign State of this Union, do not. The
act is the same-the object acted upon is
identical, and the end in view in both ca
ses is the political and religious degrada-
ton of the Catholic.
CATHOLICUS."
A Curious HIsToRIcAL FAcT.-Du-
ring the troubles IN the reign of Charles
L., country girl came to London in
search OF place as servant maid, but not
succeeding, she hired herself to carry out
beer from a warehouse, and was one of
those called tub women. The brewer
observing a good-looking girl in this oc-