Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-09-17
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER


Republic OF Chile induces US to invite the earnest at
tention of the Administration to subject of great
Importance to our fellow-countrymen settled in
that distant extremity of our continent. We refer
to their social rights to educate their children
without the supervision, inspection, or interference
of clergy distastefu to Thorn; to worship their Crea
tor openly, as taught by their forefathes; to inter
their dead without the perils of a mob during the
act, or subsequent exhumation and insult to the re-
. mains of their loved lost. The urgency of their
wants has been made known to us personally, as
well by letters from the most responsible sources
and, the latter state facts succincty, we prefer
quoting from them to further comments of our own:
swith reference to Chile, wish you would do some
thing towards interesting Government in the Of
religious liberation in that country, which in this respect
seems reapsug into the bigotry Of the dark ages See
what Russia France and Austria have done in Turkey
towards obtaining liberation and protection for the chris
tian subjects Of the Porte and why should not Gov
eminent extend its shelterng the faith Of those
of people whose lot has been cast in land far less
liberal on that point than Turkey itselfs
Mr. CAss took ground the subject during the last
session Of Congress- the occasion of presenting petit
ton pertinent to the question from society of Baptsts
and other secs think and it would be well if this step
were followed up by steps the part the Execu
tive through its representatives abroad the effect Of
requiring from all foreign Governments that people
who may be settled among them shall be allowed to
have places of worship and schools for the education of
their children not subject to any supervision interyep
ton control the part of the clergy of the estab
lished church, be it Roman, Greek Anglican Moham
medan. You that the Protestant foreign resi-
dents at Valparaiso have for fifteen years past been al
lowed to assemble for worship in attached to pr
has privately intmated to them that they might
proceed to erect chapel adequate to the purpose
and better fitted to accommodate their increasing
bers; but that they do it in very quiet
tatous way meaning that neither befnor spre should
be attached to IT'D the public celebration of Divine
worship according to any other than the Roman Catholic
FORMS clearly prohibited by the constitution Now,
by virtue Of this intimation subscriptions set
foot by the American and English residents of Vaparai
for the purpose of building Protestant chapcs and
sufficient money has been obtained for erecting twothe
British Government having, with its usual generosity
and authorized by act Of Parliament granted in aid Of
Its subjects in Chile equal to that which they had
themselves contributed for the object in view
But things have changed in Chile since the move
rnent commenced by the foreigners there The
noerant class of the church have been gaining strength
daily since that PERIOD and their numbers much ncreas
ed by fresh arrivals from Europe with the cognzanoe if
not at the instance Of the Government, which, in the alb
of popular support, is supposed willing to seek
strength from alliance with that power Such being
the case is be feared that the private and informal
sinmdton upon which the foreigners acted in raising
subscriptions will prove unavang; and whenever they
proceed carry their audabe object into effect the
lous and intoerant class above referred to will invoke
the aid of the constitution prevent Them unless in
deed the American and English Governments step in
Russia France and Austria have done in Turkey, and
require that their people should be permitted worship
God according to their consciousness not by stealth
as it is at present. by the conniyance of the
thorites but in the broad light of day. and in temples
duly to the service of the Supreme Being
tsYou perhaps that the present able repre-
sentative of the United States at the court Of Chile
Gently made effort to negotiate Treaty with that
country which he inserted clauses providing for toe
ration and education without Roman Catholic supervision,
as far as Americans were concerned but the Govern
ment of 1.-THE then Presidency Gen BULSEs seized the first
opportunity of announcing to Congress that, although
steps had been taken towards making treaty with Mr.
PEYroN not likely any thing would be done unless
he withdrew certain clauses which he had proposed And
you may remember that in the session of Congress
bill was introduced by Mr. MANTT NOW President of
Chile giving the CHILEAN clergy certain supervision and
control over the religious and moral instruction of all the
educational establishments throughout the country whose
would have been TO Close the numerous
institutions Of that kind directed by foreigners Its i'll
consequences apparent and would have been so
preudcia those who had children to educate in the
Protestant faith that they made united and vigorous
effort to thwart the measure and, with the aid Of some
liberal and enlightened members Of the Senate and Cham
ter Of Deputies succeeded in having the bill laid upon
the table in the Senate after it had passed the lower
house 1t may, however, be revived any time, and
under present circumstances would be very likely TO pass
into law at once"
The preceding is from an enlightened and liberal
fellow-countryman, who has passed quarter of
century on the west coast of South America, of
which the larger portion was in Chile He might
have added that the foreign Protestants at Valpa-
raise are particularly favored, those at Santiago
the capital, not having even the connivance Of the
authorities to authorize their assembling for wor-
ship, and the Archbishop claiming spiritual juris-
diction oUcr eoea Tie Legation Of The United States
the Minister Of Foreign Affairs defending this,
among other letters in which such doctrine is avow
cd = and also that the foreign Protestants who may
die at the capital must either be buried within the
castle walls Of Santa Lucia, hill in the southeast
quarter of the city, be conveyed to the also con-
nived at cemetery at Valparaiso, eighty miles off,
the friends paying toll to each parish church passed
on the road
The quotation which follows is from letter writ
ten by distinguished and intelligent American still
at Santiago:
Pubic sermons recently in the open
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