New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-03-09

IN De enrolled ON the LIS, Of citizens Be willing 20
submit to- What Catholics are, therefore, in this
bspevolence but BY positive night, whether natural
and original or legal and acquired.
The obec, this lecture, then, Will be to show that
Catholics, such areby no means strangers and for
eispes in this land II not unusual To hear persons
OF the description have alluded TO. assume, IN con-
yertaron. that Catholics are new comers who enter
the field the eleventh hour have borne
the heats OF the day Not so. The Catholics have
heen here from the earliest dawn Of the morning.
They have shared in your suferines, taken part IN
your labors. contributed to the common glory and
prosperity OF your country ana sners, ana neither
ofyour history would have been where and whats
is without them.
Al the period Of the Revolution the Catholics Of
the British Colonies were, no doubt, few. Sill
they were evea then numerous enough 10 leave
their mark both on the battle. fed OF freedom and
on the Declaration Of Independence. AT thai pc
Rod, the Catholics In this country were prooa
bly, forty thousand, out of three millions. Al
present my own opinion is, that they are not less
than three millions and half of the whole Popu,
laiion. Emigration, no doubt, has contributed
much to this result But has not the whole
country been growing by supplies from this source,
fIcm the very beginning Even the Oldest and
stateliest family oak that Tow adeIns the helds OF
early colonial plantation, though it asspread It's
branches far In American ar, and struck It's roots
deep into American earth may be traced back to Its
feeble be beginnings Of growth from European plant
transferred hther by emigration. And as II has been
ticn has been going on since the commencement OF
the Colonies and Of the Republic But with or with
out this present emigration, the Catholics nave been
at all times sufficiently numerous to take part with
their Protestant fellow.citiZens In whatever was
deemed essential to the interest and honor OF the
country. Ii is true that as general rule, they are
&c ldom represented BY members OF their own creed
in the halls OF legislation or in the high places OF
public Office II you look for them In such places,
you wllfnd them, at most,
" Rari nantes In gurgite vasto"
But this is sug ut affair. There other depart
merits of the pubic service in which, perhaps, a
uer criterion presented as the test of patriotism.
From the day on which the national flag first
unurled In the name OF independence, when the
people OF these Colonies appealed to the sword, and
eft the of the struggle TO Heavens arbitration,
until the day on when that same flag was seen
nunphsntly waving over the capital Of Mexico, |
think shall be safe IN saying that there has not
been enc important campaign or engagement In
which Catholics have not biyouacked, fought, and
fallen BY tie side OF Proestsnis, 10 maintaining the
rights and honor OF their common country. On
all these occasions, from glance a. the roll Of the
missing gaze the uptHrned faces of the dead,
II would be easy to discover that however small the
constituency, the Catholic body never failed to fur
ntsh a con paratlvely numerous delegation TO the
battle field so that whether in defense OF the coun
try, in dischargns the duties OF civil social COM
mercisl professional life they have usrihed their
title, of right TO that perfect equality with their
Protestant follow citizens which The Constitution
has conferred Unfortunately on all
But may be sails, that even the Constitution IL
self Is spontaneo us concession, for which we are
inceb,ec TO the oeraliIy OF Protestantsm. II had
proofs OF the contrary, what deem due to the pro-
priety OF this occasion would prevent my making use
OF Them All credit and all gratitude to the loerality
OF the great men who framed that document, who
were almost If not altogether, exclusively Pioies-
taIts. But The matter was not one which they might
dispose OF according TO the Impulse OF then own
high and generous feellngs,-and II there had been
only one form Of ProtestaDtsm protested In ALI the
Colonies, fear much that, even with Washington
at their he adj the Constitution would not have 0een
what is. Almost every Colony had its own form OF
PrOte s;sDtism, and am sorry 10 have to say that
among them, even on religious N alters mutual char
ny not always superaoundant Antagonists
from without would have defeated all the purposes
OF The confederation OF States, II the Convention
had attempted TO favor any one OF those forms az
the expense OF the Others But be this as II may,
It Is IN the order of my subject to contend that,
with or without the Constitution. there was
10 civil orTehelous immunity won oy tue success OF
OF the Revolution, IN which Catholics were not NOR
aHy ard politically entitled. IN their own right! to
share equally with their Protestant feOw-citlzens-
Now the Catholic Church has no RECOGNIZES tbeoty
on the subject OF forms Of civil government. The
little Republic of San Marine has preserved It's ibde-
and It's republican forms for fourteen hun
cred Yeas, in the very heart OF the Papal states.
The Church, however, not an approver OF rev0ld-
tons, except when they are clearly Juslnaole Hav-
iIg experienced singular protection IN all the vicls
STUDIES and revolutions OF the social and political
world during eighteen centuries, she has the coa-
sciousness that she lives by an inherent vitality
within hereei, OF more IMAM human 0figin. his
has suficed her during the past,-it Is sufficient
for the present, and abe Is never troubled
with doubts or mselvDgs In regard TO her position
in the future, which Goo has In HIS own hands, and
can dispose Of as He will. The first impression
which tbs influence OF her doctrine in regard to the
principle OF revolution would produce, l think,
would be presumption in favor OF existing author
ity, Until TO the contrary should appear Yet
the principle OF passive obedience on the part OF
subjects OF absolute anu irresponsible auth orty
that of soveIeigns, never was, and certainly
er vii be, an approved principle OF hers. She seems
to have little confidence In theoretical systems
which thst great or enduring benefit 10 to
suit from those sudden and unexpected exctements,
even OF religious kiDd-those e1thusiasms IN favor
Of new scbemes-those Irregular starts and
leaps, and bounds OF popular ardoT-now in one
direction, row IN another, and not unfrequently in
different and even opposite directions at the same
timely which the pace OF society Is to DO prefer
aturally quickened In the path OF universal pro-
srtss. In short having witnessed so many expert
ents trieG on poor creduous hum aniiy by doc
tors who TUNED out have been only qlacxs ptna:
ceas are not by her highly valued She has had
such long and universal experience, and such Oppor
tuBities OF study her subject that she knows what
IL IL the heart OF man. the bad as we'll the good,
much better than he knows himself She is inclined
10 suspsct olstrust all those crudely conceived
political changes which disturb the peace of COM
munies and nations. without improving their
diiion. Oh, Row many OF these ab0nlve and disas-
t0us changes has she not witnessed throughout the
whole world during her life Of eighteen hundred
years
But revolution begun under such circumstances
% marked the commencement. the prosecution, and
comp elton Of the American strusgie for freedom IL
would be impossible fer her to condemn II twas adj
uitIed BY The wsest statesman of the English Sen.
ate that the authority OF the British Constitution
as on The SIDE OF the Coionlsts, and directly CD.
posed to the violent Of their In atu aied
Government, in regard to the principle for the
IN aintsnsnce Of which the Americans took up arms
The Caihohcs- clergy and laity-were
among the nTst and most ardent to Join their
cCunuynen In ce'ense Of common rights Charles
Carroll, Of CarolltoD, signed the Declaration Of
with ood and steady hand, riskins
Ils ~ mshse properly as ven as ms ife, In the
Carroll, then a priest and a Jesuit, after.
ward the venerstec first Archbishop of Baltimore,
as associated with Frshbiin. Chase, and Charles
suoll, a mission tn ciliate. pending the war,
the coed WILL at least the neutrality OF the Cana
dIsLs, wfo were Catholics John Barry, OF Pnila-
telphia, most cevout Catholic, native of Wex-
ford, IN Ireland, was appointed 70 command the
u LIE etnn the FIST NJ war O xned ~ Con.