The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1852-1855, 1852-07-22
gIle 1l1eekln Gazette.
saturday evening, July n, 1925
CITY OF LANCASTER:

Saturday Evening, July ~, 1928
The RELIGIous TEsT.--We have no pa
tience with any one who attempts to make
party capital out OF mans religious Opin-
ions. We despise and detest all laws which
would circumscribe a mans rights on ac-
count of his. religious creed The constitu-
ton ofthe country gives every man a right
TO think as he pleases and worship as he
peases, and that constitution VIC chcerlully
obey. We had determined to let the matter
rest. We had not even intended to aliude
to the miserable ISLANDERS which are secretly
circulated against Gen. Scott. But articles
like the following, containing such senten-
ces as we italicize, call for the truth, and
how is it! The Eagle says:
"The Constitution OF New Hampshire re-
quires ofRepresentatvc Il freehold OF y 100,
and that che shall be OF the Protestant reli
gion." The Wings despairing of preGcring
any charges against Gen. Pierce either per-
sonally or politically, wish to hold him re-
sponsible for that ntolerant clause in the
constitution of his native State, which re-
quires all representativ IS to be of the pro.
testant religion. This clause became part
ofthe constitution in l792-thirteen years
before Gen. Pierce was born. It is, there
fore, reasonable to suppose that he had no
direct agency in the matter. AIler The Stdte
became Democratic many attempts rere m'dde TO
erpuags this objectionable Jea'ure. And thro'
the influence and personal eXertlOn Of the
late Judge Woodbury. and Cen Pierce an u
mendmeht TO that effect was proposed and
carried. But the constitution provides that
every amendment shall be submitted to the
people, and "belore the same shall 90 into
effect it shall be laid before the towns and
incorporated places, and approved by two
thirds of the qualified voters present" The
Wings and AbOliti0tiSts united and detedtec
tie dmendment Upon them and not Genera
Pierce the responsibility rests"
The Democrats have had an uncontrolled
power in the State for twenty years past;-
they could at any time have carried whatev
or question they saw proper; but two at
tempts were made to repeal this obnoxious
clause, and these quite recently Who vot
ed against repeal!
The frat time, the Catholic Test and
Property Qualification were blended togcth.
er, and together voted down. Asa general
thing, strong Democratic towns voted u
gainst repeal. But this, it will be said, wa
not fair test. So be it..
The second time, each proposition wa
submitted separately. This was done b.
the Legislature of 1851; and thus Cat the @
lection in March last) Me repeal Of he Pror
erB Qualification mas carried by nearly Mrt
10 one, ,ohiIe the relcal Of he Catholic Ila ,Oa
deteated, LacIiny $500 of Il majority. Th
vote stood-For Repeal, 1856; Against it
l2,O92--so the two-tlirds rule (if such exist,
had no effect Now at this trial, as at thC
former, the repeal was NOT "votcd down by
the Wings and Abolitionists," us tho EagL
untruly asserts,but,in in at least equal measure
by the self-styled "Democrucy." For, tho
we cannot tell how each individual voted,thl
official returns show that Cheshire, thu
strongest aud almost only steadfast Whil
county, voted 1892 for Repeal to 7l6 Il
gainst it; while Carroll and Belknap, strong
ly Loco-Foco, voted--Yeus, 5s2; Nays Q
1873, or nearly four 10 one. And few G
the strongest towns Of each party show tn
following result: