New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-07-02


had daughter educated a Catholic; 2.
he ordered his troops, while in Mexico TO
paw the customary and there universal
mark of respect to Religious procession
passing them in the streets.
l. He has had his daughter educated
Catholic. Suppose bis daughter had her
self educated in that faith-what then!
What sort of thumb-screws and letters
would Mr.. Fuller have had Gen. Scott ap-
ply to his daughter in order to detain her
by force from a Catholic seminary and pre-
vent her imbibing Catholic opinions! All
that seems to be known of the matter Is
that Miss Scott-we know not at what
age-chose to be educated as a Catholic,
and has since continued in that faith. In
matter so purely personal and so immense
ly important as Religion, we hold the faith
er who would cOnstrain aud coerce his
child's free choice-that child being old
enough to make choice-would be as ty-
rannical an inquisitor as Spain ever knew.
In assailing Gen. Scots conduct in a matter
whereof so little is clearly known, Mr.. Full
Ter shows us what sort of federation he ia
vors-and it is one from which we pray to
be evermore delivered.
Then as to Gen. Scott's Difference to
Catholic ceremonies in Mexico consider
the facts: Gen. Scott was at the head of
an invading, conquering army IN the very
heart of the Mexican Republic. He had
been thus far victorious-wonderfully So
against all opposing forces; and one great
cause of this was the indifference of the
Mexican millions. Had these been thor
oughly reused to hostility, they would have
annihilated our whole army before the news
could have reached New Orleans that they
were beleaguered and in danger. Now the
vast population of Central Mexico are not
remarkably patriotic but they are lin their
own way intensely religious. A recent
writer on the lower class (LeperOs) of Next
co-those who have nothing, do little or
nothing, sleep in the open air and pick up
miserable living any how-says You
may curse the President, execrate the
Government, and decry the Republic, and
they listen with complete Indifference;
but lisp one word against our Lady of
Guadalupe their patron saint and look
'out for the knife !"
Santa Anna and his supporters knew this
right well, and had vainly attempted to
rouse the 'greasers' to hurl themselves on
our lines by representing the Americans as
Infidels, Heretics, &c, who had invaded
Mexico on purpose to overturn the Catho-
lie Faith and establish Professionalism in its
stead. Could they have made the multi
tude really beliere this, Gen. Scott could
never have cut his way to the City of
Mexico-or, at least, not without the
slaughter of thousands of his own men and
tens of thousands of their enemies. Had
the Mexicans felt that their religion was
in danger, we do not believe any thirty
thousand men, even with Gen. Scott as
their commander, could have taken their
capital, or held it if taken. Nay, in such
war as that, many of Gen. Scott's own
troops, being Catholics, would have JOY
fully been led out to military execution
rather than have fought for the overthrow
of their Church.
Under such circumstances, Gen. Scott
captured and entered the City of Mexico
a conqueror but the leader of some twenty
or thirty thousand brave men, in the midst
of humbled, distrustful, passively hostile
millions. A single spark might have
changed that awed and passive hostility
into active, reckless, death dealing war
fare. Ard on no point was this transform
alton so probable as on that very one of
Religion.
A solemn Religious procession passed
through the streets occupied by Gen. Scots
soldiers--a procession which every body
in Mexico was accustomed to treat and see
treated with profound reverence. Any re-
fusal of that respect by our Army would
have shocked the Mexicans as impious, in
fidel, blasphemous. 1t would have thrilled
with horror the entire population of Gen.
trail Mexico, and been represented by hos
tile emissaries as a proof that the Amer
leans had made war on Mexico in order to
overthrow her affairs and make shipwreok
of her faith. 1t would have reused the
spirit which impelled the slaughter of the
Eronoh trnnns In AIndril al. ara;..aa.aI IL