The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1852-04-21
The Letter OF Mr.. Burke.

$1,000
:. Tracy, rejecting somewhat severely upon
he official conduct of Messrs. Spur and Burke,
If Jackson county, and gave notice that we
would publish any rejo'nder that the parties i'm
,licated might feel called upon to make. We
nave received the following letter from Mr.
Burke, in reply, and give it to the public, trust.
ing that the parties controversial, and the pub.
lie, " no feel an interest in the subject, will be
entirely satisfied, without carrying the matter
any further, through the columns Of public
Journal.
The subject in controversy we know nothin.
about; but as it seems to partake somewhat of a
personal nature, and appears to elici. more or
less personal feeling, we trust, for the good un-
derstanding of all, that the subject may be drop
ped.
GARRY Owen, Jackson CO., Iowa,
April 18th, 1852
MEssRs. EDIroRs-l read in tn. Express, of
April 9TH, a communication from Rev. T. F.
Tracy, purporing to be in reply to an article
of mine in the 8 Western Democrat. Of
March lOlh, on the SUBJECT OF Schools The
Editor II tn" Democrat, with his usual lib~raIity
said that his columns were open 10 such as tell
aggri:ved by thu. charges set forth in sa d ar icI
But MIR. Tracy did not reply through the De
moctat, for he could not deny the charges pre-
terred against him-he replied through the Ex-
press, because the readers of the Express knew
nothing Of the charges, nor OF the point at issue
He says, "ths suhjec' would have been noticed
before. had | not been necessarily absent at To-
wa City" believe MIR. Tracy had three fold
object in p sp ming the noticing of the subject,
besides the one have Just mentioned 1st He
wished TO keep on terms W tn Judge Spur, I'M
til he found that his SC. DOL could get no funds
I'd object. He is bad writer, and worse spell.
er, and should ct some confidential person to
do it for him. Sd object, was to spring tran
on me;-hIs reply was to come out few DAYS
before the election, without giving me time to
refu.e his fabr cations. He has been ann 1unc
ing from the pull pit the names of candidates for
petty Offices, and telling his hearers that 6 it is
sinful to omit going to the election to vote for
good men," He has become what some would
call, public crer. When he found was run
ming his candidates rather hard, he d. fled the
garb OF Priesthood for while, assumed the garb
OF the politician, walked up to the polls, and
cast his vote agans' me Well, with himself.
and friends, and TOOLS the other candidates and
their friends, and the COLLISION Of very religious
folks in the Township, one OF the nominees beat
me 3 votes, and the other seven;-a small mai,
riiy, considering the materials my opponents
were made Of It's to be presumed, however,
that as Tracy done what he could against me in
public, he done little privately, too He starts
out by calling me a "pretended officer" |
would not be a pretended officer, had employ
ed Tracys brother to teach school, and said,
"ia,her Tracy, shall do as you say :" fl am
"pretended officer, and that he under stands
the law, he says he does, why do not his
friends and him oust me. He denies that ssstrite
and tumult exists in the ID district" AS an evil
dence that it does, and that he has caused it, we
have lost one years school fund
He speaks OF my "vicious and illegal course =
| do not know of any thing more s.vicrous and
illegal, than to persuade from his purpose
man who has taken his oath to perform a legal
| act, and make him violate the law of God and
man But Mr.. Tracy seems to tbi k lightly of
an OATH and says that lay "great stress upon
it. Well, so do: perhaps his conscience is
more plant than that of hers; but, be that as it
may, Judg &c Spurs letter is just what it ought
to be; 1t proves HIM to be an honest and incor.
| rupllble officer, and emlnently worthy of the po-
silion to which the people OF this county have
elevated him. The gentleman who can nayi-
gate the plow around the globe, and handle the
intoxicating glass, is a scholar aud gentle man,
and is so consldere BY all who know hlm, except
Tracy Mr.. Tracy says that he inculca,es The
dpctrine OF srendering unto Caesar the things
that are Cesar s, and unto God the things that
are U ds. He sometimes urges the ne cess.
ty of rendering unto Tracy the things that are
rracys, which to be considered as his fees.
Also, "he that ressteth the power, resistetlI the
ordnance of God, and they that resist, purchase
to themselves damndton | tea, Mr. Tracy
does not understand This latter passage correct
ly. But since we havc listened so lony to Ma
thew and Paul, let us hear what Mark saws a.
bout the compensation and salaries OF the Apos.
Ties. "And he called The twelve, and began To
SEMI them two and two, and gave them pow err
over unclean spirits. And he commanded them
that they should take nothing Tor the Journey,
but a aft only-no scrip, no bread, no money
IN their purse. But to be shod with sandals
and that they should not put on two coats .
This would not suit MIR. Tracy's style Of liy,ag.
But never heard him, or any other. preach
from that passage, we occasionally hear, "Whose
s:ns you retain, they are retained; whose sins
you forgive, they are forgiven aud "Whoso
ever will not hear the Church, let him be as the
heather and The publican
The folowingafe the charges preferred against
Mr.. Tracy:-He announced from the pulpit. on
the first Sunday after his arrival, s.tlat he had
rented the school-house, aud employed teach
er, and that the people must BIZ satisfied; that
the Priest knew the teacher, and tina was suifi :.
he said il before the congrer alton; and he paid
two months schonl house rent for said bon,e.
yet, am told, he refuses t. pay any more
This denial OF his, IS an absolute and ., stive
ftl ehJod. Cd lie used the new Code for the
Bible, and quoted some passages from the school
law; among others, the one VIII CHI holds the
District Secretary amenable to the District for a
failure to make certain rrpor's, and The amount
OF fine Tor any and every description Of NAL
action, &c &c. After which, he wound up by
trying to lken himselfto Bishop Hughes 3rd
charge. He sad that "whoevrr would employ
an lnfidel, or Protestant teacher, would be ex
cludsd f,"m the Church and Sacramento for six
months.
In his reply, he tries to xplain it away in this
manner I'll, IN common with my brother Ca
holic Priests throughout The world, fearless'y
assert that never will admit to the sacralneni
an obstinate sinner, or those who refuse to obey
l-gal authority.
Who is the legal authority here. Is Tracy
the legal authority? M, Who is the obstinate
sinner? To be sure, any one who employs an
nidcl, or Protestant teacher, is an "obstlna.e
sinner, IN Tracy's opinion. never advocated
the employment OF either; but | asserted that
no religious test, as qualification for teacher,
need be required; and assert further that who
ever would employ Mr.. Tracy's brother, or any
other lnconlptEHL person, u Ndcn scnOpl, or
whoever would appropropriate the school fund
to any other purpose than that for which it is
intended, is an "obstinate sinner 4,h. Tracy
always advocated a mongrel free school, making
it half free, half pay, the year Misunderstanding
thereby such could not pay half the time for
one year, and who would not 60 to beg the
Priests ''ticket of admission | advocated
free sch"ol, as far as the county fund would al.
l,w, and thereby give free education to all per-
sons I'd under q years, as the law con-
templates But, according to my plan, there
would not be enough scholars to attend during
the working and hurried season tn keep Tracy's
lends in employment; hence his opposition to
to free, AMI his anxiety for mong-el schools, and
such as suld not swallow "ticket of admis
sion" were deprived of scho oil in consequence
t e-eof. 9Th. Mr.. Tracy said, from The pulpit,
that he would not give 629 cents for all the
Burkes and Spurs that would tha,ch house
OF half mile in length. in a certain place he
would not mention-qute hot corner, sup
pose. 9th He said he would give myself and
others 62I cents to buy ropes t" hang ourselves,