Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-06-12
THE RELIGIOUS TEST IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.

~ 4
THE RELIGIOUS TEST IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
The opening of the Presidential Campaign by the
Democracy of Philadelphia, on Monday night re-
minds us, in one respect Of the opening of that of
1874 in the same city, when our political adverse
res, in their ardor to start with as much capital as
possible, in utter disregard of facts ascrbed the en-
actment Of the Tariff of 1912 to Polk, Dali
las q Coz sf ts st ra &
AT the Democratic Ratification Meeting held in
Philadelphia on Monday night last, over which the
Hon. GEORGE M. DALLAS presided, he opened the
meeting with an address in which we find the fol-
lowing paragraphs:
g have heard it intimated to-day, for the first time
that FRANKLIN PIERCE had heretofore while the Cpnsti
tuition OF New Hampshire in process Of amendment
IN defending and retaining the proscrptye feature
1t contained against Roman Catholics. Now, gentle
men, TINS Is weak invention of already frightened
enemy IT deserves to be nailed the counter
spurious and base and hope, by simple statement to
crush It at once and forever. t@it lfn
1T is true that the Constitution of New Hampshire
was dsgraced by ntolerant and intoleraby 0dious
provision, commonly called The Catholic Test" which
rendered Catholics ineligible to the Legislature and the
once OF Governor But is equally true that the most
exerons were repeatedly made by the Demo-
cracy pereyerngy led on by two of her brightest stars
Levi WOODBURY. and FRANKLIN PIERCE, to expunge nm
exception to common right utterly inconsistent with
the creed and character Of sound republcans. Twice
did these just and generous champions Of civil and re
gous liberty succeed in obtaining from Convention, call
ed at their instance and for that very purpose the
ton OF this test and twice as the Constitution per-
mitted change Of its provisions unless sanctioned by
tpoy Of the votes Of the people they defeated
BY the opposition Of combined Wings and Aboonists at
| the polls =
We regret that we have to correct an error Of
fact coming from an authority SO eminent as Mr.
DALLAS, who, in defending the candidate Of his
party from political aspersionf the charge referred
to be such, for we do not know what position Mr..
PIERCE occupied on that question-has been greatly
misled in casting upon the Wing party Of New
Hampshire the responsibility Of an odious decision,
made by the popular voice of that State, in which
it is notorious that the Wings have always been in
minority
The facts in the case are widely different from
what is stated by Mr.. DALLAS. The very day Gin
March, 1851 when the people Of New Hampshire
rejected the amendment to their Constitution which
proposed to abolish the property qualification and
the religious test, an election was held for Cover
nor, at which the Wing candidate received only
eighteen thousand votes out Of poll of ffty-seven
thousand. The vote was as follows N
For Mr.. Sawyer, Wing 18,434
For Mr. Dinsmoor DEM. 27l23
For Mr. Atwood, Free-Soil Dem. 2,086
57,643
Mr.. ATWOOD was the regularly nominated Demo
cratic candidate until within few days of the cleo
tion when owing to his free-soil predictions, he
was thrust aside, and Mr. DINsMooR substituted in
his place. 1t is not probable, therefore, that Mr..
A. received the support of many Wings; indeed, it
is rendered certain that he did not receive their sup
port from the fact that on this occasion Mr.. Saw
yer's vote was nearly the same in amount as the
Wing candidate for Governor had received at the
several annual elections Immediately preceding that
of 1851.
Now, in contrast with the above vote, we insert
from our own columns of the 31st March, 1851, the
returns Of the vote on the several constitutions
amendments submitted to the people. These return
were originally copied from the New Hampshire
Patriot, and professed to give the complete vote o
the State, with the exception of one town: