The Portsmouth inquirer. [volume] (Portsmouth, O. [Ohio]) 1849-1855, 1852-08-20
The Tribune e. Clipper and MIR, Pierce
and the Religious Tests.

We-take the following from The Tribune
& Clipper Of Thursday. gu5l
Did anybody ever hear of Genetal Pierce
riding ivrty miles in the month Of DECEMBER
with the snow beating FAST and furious upon
him 10 persuade bis heinocraric brethren, Il
vote In layor OF repeating the religious test
which disgraces the constitution OF New
Hampshire? /? No effort seems too great fol
|him-no labor to seyere--when his sseTyices
are demanded by the interests Of slavery
but three times since 1928 be has folded hi;
arms and quietly seen the me mbers bfa par
ticuar religious faith shut out from the en-
joynient OF rights which the yeriest black
guard in the State may call his own,
We scarcely know how 10 treat sufha par
agraph as the above. II was with pain iha
we saw it ir the columns Of our cotempora
ry, We desire to respect all men. and espe'
cialg those with whom we are called, tc
mingei in the daily affairs Of life. We fee
a deep and abiding solicitudc, too, for the ad
vancement Of our people in virtue and in.
telligence, and for the welfare of our com
mon country. But what respect can be
entertained for him who deliberately pens
and publishes what he knows to be false p
What hope is there Of the advancement ol
the masses, when those whose business i, is
TO enlighlen their minds and inculcate upon
them lessons OF virtue, exert themselves to
the utmost to- lead them into error, and
shamelessly abandon even The semblance oil
regurd for truth ind honor? There is no hyp.
ocritical ctnt about this--we mean what We
say. And we ask our contemporary how he
can answer 10 his conscience for such shame
less Misrepresentation?
We would be sincerely glad 10 think that
the editor of the Tribune & Clipper jclicUs1
what1he has written. But how is that pos
sible. He certainly must know that the
,calumny he has repeated has been contra
dicted and disproved almost numbetlcs'
times. That it has been contradicted by
letters from the immediate vicinity of Gen
Pierce's residence, and from the very towr
in which he lives. Letters written by lay
men and elergymen-by Catholics and Pro
tesiants,--tiat it has been contradicted BY
half The press Of New England. And finally
that il has been formally and fully with
drawn by The Washington Republic, the ed
itors saying that they had examined the jour
nails of the constitutional convention of N
Hampshire and found nothing 10 justify il
But there is some stronger evidence than al
this--evidcnce clear, direct, unimpeachabl
and overwhelming. That evidence we pre-
sent below, and call upon the editor OF th
Tribune & Clipper either 10 acknowledge hi
error or renounce all claim 10 the respect o
those who love ruth and canlof
We first quote from the New Hampshire
Patriot Of June 23d 1852. a q,
For the information Of people abroad i
should be stated that our present constitu
ton was formed in 1892, and has not since
been altered. The method of amending j
is--frst, vote of the people to ,all con
vention for that purpose second, The adop
tion Of amendments by such convention
and third, the ratification of such proposed
amendments by two thirds vote OF the peo
lple. Since Gen. Pierce arrived at the see o
manhood, the question Of calling cunsen
tion has been submittedGo the people 50 vel
or eight times. On each Ond all ofthese oc
casions, the whole democratic press adyoea
ted the calling a convention, avowediy an,
mainly for the purpose of abolishing the re
[ligious tests ); and the opposition press, wit
scarcrly an exception, opposedi it, On ever
one Of these occasions, Gen. Pierce favore
Eby speech, pen and vote, the calling ela cor
vention, ayowed bydnd mainly for the pul
IEpose Of abolishing these odious tests. Br
/ il was defeated every time, until 1850. Th
was owing to three canses-~first, the oppC
sition Of The federal press and leaders !; Sc,
ond, the vote was always taken at the clos
OF the town meetings when a majority
the voters had generally retired and thift
the matter was looked upon as Of no pract
cal importance--a mere abstract question
which did not, practically, affect The rigl
Of any one; for it is a fact that these pr(
visions Of the constitution have been dea
letter for more than thirty years. But
| 1850, the people were induced TO call a cor
vention. In advocating the measure at th,
time, we and all the democratic papers ur,
ed it particularly for the purpose Of reno,
j ing from our constitution those tests whic
hadso long been a stigma and nproach
our state; and the people voted to cali
convention BY very large majority.
4 The Convention met in November, 1851
TWAS the ablest and most dignifed body e.
er assembledin The state, containing near
oil Of the most eminent and influential me
of both parties. General Pierce was elec
ed President By a vote OF 257 10 8. Th
i subject Of the religious test and proper
qualification was taken up at an early da
On the fourth day OF the session, Nov. |
lhe "Biil Of Rights" being under consider
tion in Committee Of the Whole, Jud,
j Woodbury. moved to strike out the wo
I 'Protestant, in the 9Th section, where il pr
vides that the Legislature may authori
Y towns, parishes, &c., TO make provision (
the support "of public Protestant teache
, OF piety, religion and morality" As the
were other amendments to be proposed
|, ,,Fthis article, Judge Woodbury. withdrew
motion and The article was passed over,
a subsequent slage ofihe proceedings. as a
. pears by thc'record, Gen. Pierce proposed
1 Judge Woodbury. TO renew the above motto
(which be did; and the word Protestant "
stricken out On'the 18th, the committee
whom these subjects hadheen referred ma