Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1853-03-05

lordship that you have written these words. Be- I
yond all contradiction, you are unacquainted with
the case and therefore, your mis- statement is the
result OF very great culpability. Under decided
ignorance of the fact, you charge the catholic
Church with intolerance; you awaken bitter ram
cor in hearts not yet cooled down from a late re-
lIgious burning frenzy which has had parallel
in Europe. and you call up all the Catholics ofthese
countries to "earn your future esteem" by con-
demnlng laws which have never existed, and BRAN
ding Tuscany for crushing the progress of civil
Olution. As hold in my hanl the indictment of tie
Tuscany Attorney General, l can command your
lordship's attention, while again beg leave TO in
sructyOu in The revival oil the law of 1885, and its
practical application to the cause before us.
The history OF europe records in letters Of fire,
the scenes of revolutionary violence which have
been enacted during the last SIX years in Swizer
land, Hungary, France, Naples and Northern Italy.
You are, am convinced, acquainted with these
facts, an4 you have no doubt been made familiar
with the name OF Lord PalmerSton, Lord John Rus
sci, Lold Mnto Lord Cowey, Sir Stratford Can
ming, Mr.. Ambercrom6lc. Mr.. Howard, and young
Sir Robert Peel. And, no doubt, you have heard
the names OF MaZzlni, Garbaldi, CIceroacchio Pa
ruzzi, the free corps of Berne, and the Red Repub
icans of at least five European Kingdoms; and l
dare say, you have seen that each and every one of
the revoutionSts have had the honor of correspon-
ding with her Maize TVS Ambassadors Of the various
Courts, being personally known TO them, receiving
presents from some of hem, and above all of be.
ing patronlzed by these official English noblemen
and gentlemen. ut the very time when these ncen-
diaries about 10 involve their respective coun-
tries in civil war, banshing their lawful sovereigns
and preparing for unlimited Spoliation and univer
sal treason. These are facts, my Lord, which NAV
be read in The records of every city, from Constan-
tinople TO Turin, and from Berlin to Naples; in
each OF which cities, beyond all doubt, the English
embassies were the public pnlpable places of re-
sort of the Revolutionists. In this crises, the
Tuscan government, finding herself threatened on
all sides in the end of the last century, and from
none more than the paid spies of the English gov
erninent revised, for the first time these last fifth
years, Article 60 of the law of 3Oth Nov ember,
1885, and attached new binding restrictions 10 tn If
ancient law i'll Articles /, 4, 9, ID, on March 4th
| lS49; and they gave increased power to their Of
iclaIs in Articles 81 and rs OF The Tuscan Police
Regulations. But the revival of this law IN 1919
had no reference TO the prohibiting of the tpoyu of
Cod: its sole object being. was the i'll 1855,
to protect the State from the posve elements OF
universal revolution.
| The law referred to Isl '"rhe Tuscan Convent
Gle Act" which prevents men under the appear
"nce OF religion, from meeting privately without
the sanction of the civil authority. And here
| again may beg to ask you if this law was not
most prudent, seeing the French king hunted from
| his throne; the Pope cOncealing himself in civil
ian dress, as he fed from the Vatican; the Empe-
ror oil Austria threatened with eminent danger, the
King oil Sardinia killed by treachery, and the king
| OF Naples all but expelled his dominions? 1t was
in this Crisis that well known band of fifty Eng
| liSh cvangelzers entered Florance, and, dividing
themselves into five sections of tea each proceed
ed to open several private conpentcies this small
city. They neither had nor so ught a license. lIav-
ing place of public Protestant worship III Flo
renee, 1t may be asked why have SO many private
unlicensed coventicleS? Again, | have examined
the statistic of the city ofRome, and | learn fifty
| Protestant families are the largest number epsr
knOtDn to have resided there during the winter,
fUenty the largest number III Florence in the same
season. Wherefore. the ten conventcles unli-
censcd! And this too, during a year when the
surrounding countries were shaken TO their foun-
tations. Rose Madiai resided in England sixteen
years, aud returning to Florence, b came and vas
Il Protestant during five years previous TO the trial
referred 10. She read the word of God 10 which
you allude during these five years, without hind
rance; and consequently yolr lordShip'S statement
IN reference 10 the Offence of reading the Bible
is shameful mis- .Statement-wholy without
foundation either i'll law or fact.
But will tell your lordship the offence of Sig
nora Madia and her dear husband. They per
Severingly held closed door conventiceS against
the warning OF the police repeated ten tmeS they
distributed Ut least eeUen thousand copies Of your
Bible containing as can prove, upwards of six
teen hundred variations from the original text, they
persuaded, inveigle, and brb the Italian chill
drrn to come to these gwen convemticleS to hear
their instructions. and to take these anti Catholic
sources OF instruction; they were associated with
several cOporteurS they are Called in sending
bibles through the country, they had indecent PIC
lures of the Blessed Virgin in y-Sheets to be dis
trbuteh by two players of barrel organs whom they
hired for the purpose; they had slips of paper on
which was written i'll large letters Italian wa
ier-Gods,' they had pictures of puIgatory with re-
presentations, souls looking through the bars, and
the priest in Sontunue L1rg9ininr with them tn
loose them for two 'scuu,' they had uttered most
indecent things on the 'ConieSSional' and they
ended all these readings Of the tcJrI Of Cod by an
attack on the Pope, charact=rizng him as the ma
OF Sln-the AntlchriSt. This case, perhaps the
most atroclous that can be imagined against the
feelings, the conviction, the conscience, and the
peace of the quiet and unonending neigh5ors, and
expressed by your lordship as reading the Bible
was Il, clded the sth of June last by Signor
| NlCCOln NeIVlnl. md he nF th.N oIn
law enforced. The judicial sentence therefore,
has been pronounced against individuals palpably
IN connection with wealthy English associates
men who could import eleven thousand Bibles
pay cotporteuTS, as Lord Clarendon did in SPAIN
employ barrell-organ playeS; print caricatures OF
the Catholicy; revile The laws of the country;
insult the Pope; defy the police; ridicuc our Holy
Eucharist; pay printers for n constant supply OF
all sorts of fy-sheetS, and entertain with great ex-
penSe the fifty holy men who would not cad the
Bible IN public church, but make the Word OF
Goo preteSt ior mallgnng the laws crenting civil
Stllc, and violating the public peace!
II the Duke of Tuscany, or any one ese-no
matter who he may be-imposed civil penalties
Tor the religious opinions which his subjects may
quietly and individually adopt, should be the first
20 RAISE my voice against him, and cry down as q
Sanguinary prosecutor. But he has enforced the
laws OF his state against cOpert Teroluti0nist pub
| lie calumnlators, band of foreign conspirators
and the unrestrained hired disulbers of the public
peace. And pray my lord on " hat authority do
you state that the prisons "of Italy are Crowded
with victims of perSecution?'" | call for your
authority, and firmly demand it. | know YOU are
an historian and Il scholar; respect your high ac-
quirements, but do demand, the authority on
which you utter this most false assertion | chal-
lenge your lordship TO produce it; and l hereby
undertake to say, that where the prisons are full,
they are filled with the followers of Mazzim end
Garibaldl and with the known cut threats of italy,
Leaving the laws Of Tuscany, my lord, for a
moment 10 be executed by the Italians, let me now
turn to examine our own laws on this identical
point. And as 1 have formed exalted idea of
the honesty and religious feeling of the English
people as nation, shall not allude to times gone