The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-08-04

ton adjourned til the slose Of the election. made
every ssump and rock II Nsv Hampshire eloquent
with THAR AppsAls ia -sor Of religious equality.
Bus inssead Of pursuing suoh stssigbtiorxard
courss--instead Of submitting the question 70 the
people and leaving II with the majority-they d.
brotey rssolvsd ae ~ rsligieSs tsst shosld not b.
abolished unless too. thirds Of the people decided
against IL. That was their ultmatum; that the
sum total Of their toleration that the length and
breadth of their republicanism. They were too
cowardiy to openly repudiate religious equality;
too sycophantic to directly deny the prayers OF the
people; and, like artful demagogues, as they are,
they, with the professions of republicanism their
lips. defeated axiom of liberty by adopting
another of its antagonistic principles; they pre-
served the religious test by denying the right Of a
majority OF the people to adopt their fundamental
law.
"Again: The abolition of the religious test was
not engrafted in the constitution It was cub
United to the people as an isolated question, not
a. part of the convention, and two thirds vote
required by Mr. Pierce and his friends to insure it's
adoption. Why was this? Itcould not have been
accidental. Mr.. Pierce was tactician enough to
know that principle engrafted in the body of a
constitution can be carried much easier than when
by making the abolition of the religious test dis
tnct from the body Of the constitution, the chance
Of its repeal was UNNECESSARILY lessened. Yet,
with this knowledge, he determined that the ques-
ton should be thus submitted, and that, with
that disadvantage. it should require a two thirds
vote TO repeal It, Here was the root of the evil 1t
was the convention not the people of New Hamp-
shire, that retained the religious test. II the
lege rdemain of Mr.. Pierce and his friends that
retained that relic Of tyranny. The great prin-
cpe of religious equality. like several eminent
statesmen in another convention, fell under the
two thirds rule. a. a@@
"Here we rest the question. We charge Mr.
Pierce with maneuvring, in the convention, to
retain the religious test. We charge him with de-
nying the right of the majority to adopt the funda-
mental law which should govern them, for the
purpose of retaining that arbitrary and unjust, as
well as anti-republican, feature in the New Hamp-
shire constitution. We charge that, in SO acting;
he virtually repudiated and set at naught two
great principles sanctioned by the blood ofhe Re-
volution." ..
But, replies the Union, it cannot be denied
'sthat General PIERCE Iabored TO erpunge the
religious test" How earnestly he labored in
this behalf may be seen from the above expla.
nation of the mode in which the New Hamp.
shire Democracy managed to prolong their dis
ability clause; and it may also be inferred
from the absence of all proof of any outdoor;
efforts favorably to influence the Democratic
vote. The only evidence we possess of the
zeal with which General PIERCE "labored to
expunge" the test is the speech delivered by
him in the conventions; and we now insert that
E,lIa - Sc,
tant, in order that there may be no mistake as
to the character of his labors, or the order
of his eloquence:
"Mr. Pierce, of Concord, said that he could coE-
cur heartily in all that the gentleman from Ports
mouth had uttered, except his last remark. 1t was
quite obvious that, 30 far from having taxed the
patience Of the committee, his speeches upon both
the great subjects embraced in the resolutions I'M
der consideration had been listened to with I'M
qualified qualification. Not because he threw the
weight of his high character and the power of his
arguments into the scale on the side Of right in
case where there was no hesitancy-where the judg-
ment Of members not definitely formed
where there was shade of doubt to the
result; but because it was desirable that the
grounds on which we proceed in matters of
such grave import should be stated, they had
been, with angular force of reasoning and beauty
of illustration. 1t also service well rem
dred, not lees in vindicaton Of the past than the
present. The motives of the fathers of the present
constitution and of the people in 1892 had been
placed in their true light. So much was due to
them. 1t was also due to this convention, and the
people whom they represent, and due 10 the repu-
taton of the State abroad, that it be well under
stood that both of the provsions--the religious test
and the property qualiicatons-had been dead
letter, at least as long as the chairman (Mr. Saw
yer) had participated to any extent in the councls
of the State. They had been practically imperative
from Mr.. 3 earliest recollection. The chairman
would remember that many years ago, at a time OF
high party excitement, it was suggested that men,
Der Of the House of Representatives occupied his seat
without the requisite property qualifications. But
two objections at once occurred to any action upon
the subject; the first that investigation and &C
ton, instead Of rejecting one member. might pro-
badly vacate twenty seats; the second was, that no
member could probably be found to move in
matter go utterly repugnant to public sentiment.
"The religious test in the constitution had unde-
niably been stigma upon the State, at home and
abroad. 1t had been repeatedly named to him,
and once at least in foreign land, as unworthy
the intelligent and liberal spirit of country
men. Although he had at times felt keeny the
doubt other gentlemen had done, to other parts Of
the constitution illustrating the true and free
spirit of fathers. and to these as, at least for
many years, blank The great question Of rcli-
gious federation practically settled and settled
in a manner never to be reversed while retain
our present form of government, more than thirty
years ago. The provisions now claiming the at
tention Of the committee could hardly be said TO in
volve an open question. They had been the subject
OF discussion in every lyceum, every academy, de-
batting club, every town; and there was perhaps
subject on which public opinion and public feeling
uniform and decisive. The substance, if
substance they ever bad, having long since passed
away, he rcjoiced that the proper occasion had at
length arrived to dispense with the form.'
1t is necessary to a fair understanding of this
specimen of General PIERcE's eloquence, to
say that it had reference to the question of
property qualification as well as to that of the
religious test. This was all he had to say upon
both subjects. This is the full extent of his
earnest labors "to expunge the religious test"
81 l.