The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-10-04
The New Hsmpshire Religious Test.

The New Hampshire Religious Test.
From the Nesv York Courier and Esquir9.
| A public servant 10 to be judged not only by
positive but by negative considerations; not only
by what he has done, but by what he has failed to
| do. Sins Of omission in fact the temptations
that most easily beset the practced politician. Po-
| litical causes always more or less complex in
their operation and uncertain in their effects and,
| to the public man who acts solely in reference to
personal consequences 1t 10 far easier and safer to
evade than to meet responsibility. The moral
courage to do right. under all circumstances, 10
the first quality Of the genuine statesman. He who
hides, shifts, palters, or hesiates, when pub.
lie duty calls, has business in public lfe.~ He
shows infaliibly that he ia governed by selfshness
and not by principle-by regard to his own rather
than to the public advantage. He is untrue, I'M
| faithful, untrust worthy.
FRANKLiN PIERcE has not done much of posi-
tivs character that merits either the appreciation
disapprobation Of his country. All candid men
agree in this. He has failed however to do at least
thing, for which he deserves the Reproduction Of
every American who respects the principles upon
which our Government Ia founded. No greater po-
ticsl anomaly exists in this country than the sixth
article OF the New Hampshire Bill of Rights, which
precLpdes Roman Catholics from all civil ofice-a
universal, unmitigated, and peremptory disqualif-
cation. 1t 10 a direct violation of that liberty OF
conscience which, though not in SO many words
guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States
lies at the foundation Of all rational freedom. There
can be no real liberty OF conscience where the law
| Visits religion with penalties or disabilities
| from which another 10 exempt To say that such
a prescription as that in the New Hampshire Con-
stitution anomaly in this country, 10 not suf-
icient; it s anomaly in all countries that make
| the least prstence to liberal government. England
| has known nothing Of the kind for twenty years.
France has not known ii in any shape for twenty
years; and even under her present tyrannical rule
| all religions equal before the law In Prussia
itself, Protestants and Roman Catholics participate
| alike in the public counsels and public Offices.
This unjust and odious civil distinction between
Professionals and Catholics ia reserved for State
| which claims to be one of the most Democratic OF
| this great American model Republic.
| This religious test ia thing of the past 1t
| sprang not 30 much from positive intolerance as
| from the belief that the Roman Catholic deemed
his allegiance to his country subordinate to that
which he owed to the Pope, and that public trusts
were therefore unsafe in his hands made part
| of the New Hampshire constitution, which was
| adopted in 1892, and which has never been amend
ed. A new constitution, free from this obnoxious
feature, was framed by Constitutional Convention
in $780, but it was rejected By the people in 1851
and again in 1852. For this defeat Franklin
Pierce, although professedly opposed to the rei.
years he has been the recognised leader of the New
Hampshire Democracy, aud has exerted an almost
unlimited influence over his party. His repute az
a public man, in fact, rests chiefly upon his sue
GEES a party manager; and 1t was this more than
| any thing else that commended him 10 the favor.
able regard Of the Baltimore Convention. 1t surely
was incumbent upon him then to exert this power
| full influence in some signal way on O question 80
deeply concerning the character of his native
State Did he do it? Not at all His efforts
were confined simply to a word or two in the con-
yention which were never reported and to a
| near the close of the day on which the popular
vote was taken. His native town, where he has
passed the greater part OF his life. and where the
recently held for his gorifcation, gave but fifteen
| votes for the amended constitution. The strongly
Democratic county in which he now lives gave a
vote OF more than two to one against it: The
heaviest majority in favor of the new constitution
| was given by the most decidedly Wing county in
the State, md the heaviest majorities against it
came generally from regions where Democracy"
has the greatest predominance. Had the amended
| constitution been sustained by the mass Of the
Democratic party, or even by the same proportion
of them as that Of the Wings who sustained it, the
an3 s result would
| been secured had Franklin Pierce, at either cleo
ton, given it the benefit of his earnest personal eff
| fort. He was president Of the convention that
framed, coidiy left it to its fate. We make in
quiry into bis motives for this abandonment, for
| they lie beyond the ken of all but himself. But it
was clearly act which admits of no excuse, and
too which mSss haze prominent place in
| Franklin Pierce would not, when he had the
opportunity, unbar the path of Roman Catholic
freemen to Office; with what face can he now ask
| them to aid in advancing him to Office? Is he, who
has 80 feeble sense Of the most sacred of personal
rights, fitted to be the executive custodian and
protector of the American Constitution? Is he who
has voluntarily suffered his native State to remain
distinguished by 80 dark repreach from every
| other part of the world where freedom has an
foothold whatever worthy to he into his temporary
keeping the splendid fame of this great nation3 is
| the representative of a Democracy that keeps in
be selected a proper representative, before the
| world, of American republicanism? Supposing
| that he himself were Roman Catholic and had
played similar part in a Roman Catholic State of
the Union, if there be such one, would not every
high souled right. minded Protestant Indignantly
oppose his elevation to such post as that of the
Presidency of the nation?