The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-01-08
timated at about 6o,ooo copies weekly; and

timated at about G0,o00 copies weekly; and
as each copy is. read by some ten persons
on an average, the aggregate of readers directly
influenced by these journals is 100000
souls. The class Of persons most affected by
the teachings of the Catholic press is the Irish
working population who have recently arrived
upon our shores, and have not had time to be-
come AmercAnzed by our institutions. AS for
foreign Catholics who have been here for
many years and Catholics who have been
born in the country they generally think
and act for themselves and are controlled only
to limited eYtent by the opinions of such
organs as Bro,rnson's Rerieo, the Boston
Pilot, and the Freeman's Journal But in re-
cent years the immi grafton Of the Irish Catholic
population to the United States has been very
great; and as these people are for the most
part very ignorant, the effect upon their minds
of the politico religious doctrines inculcated by
the Catholic press is equally potent and
equally dangerous to the peace Of the country.
The tendency is to keep them isolated from
American citizens, like 40 many Jews, and to
cause them to hate our institutions and despise
our laws
What do these papers and periodicals teach?
In the first place, they teach implicit obedience
to ecclesiastical rulers, and hold up the au-
thority Of the Church ~ paramount to the
authority OF the State in all matters of cduca-
ton, ecclesiastical property. marriages, births,
burials, &c. &C. They are the champions of all
the monarchies and despotisms of Europe, Great
Britain excepted. They maintain that the
Austrian empire is the model of a Christian
government. for the imitation of all other ma
tions. They never cease assailing the repub-
licans of Europe, and they rejoice over every
failure of struggling liberty. The whole spirit of
their writings is anti-republican, and hostile to
democratic institutions. Who can deny, then,
that the Catholic press of the United States is
an element of disaffeetion and disloyalty ind
reetly tending to the subversion Of the republic.
The Catholic religion itselfis by no means an in
superable barrier to the adoption of republicans
principles on the contrary, many of its most
pious votaries, both of the clergy and laity, are
enthusiastic republicans. In Switzerland, too,
we find that the people of the Catholic
Cantons are just as good republicans az
those of the Protestant Cantons, if not
better. Certain it is, that in the conflict that
took place between them a few years ago,
the Catholic Cantons were on the right side
the democratic State rights side-in opposition
to federal usurpation and Capitalization of
power. Here too, Irish Catholics would make
excellent republicans if they were not inter-
fersd with by the pernicious ultra-montane
teachings of large majority Of the Catholic
journals, whose writer's seem to forget that
they are living in country whore oil denomi-
nations of Christians are placed on the same
level--where no State religion is recognized,
and the Catholic Church is only regarded as q
sect. One would think that they were breath
ing the atmosphere Of Italy instead of the free
air Of the model republic of the earth. In this
country the Catholic Church has the same
rights A. any other-no more nor no less.
There is no patent for privileged path to
Paradise or an exclusive key for the gate OF
heaven. All sects are placed by the constitu-
ton and the laws upon the same footing. and
the ministers and priests of each have right
to teach and preach their own doctrines with
out molestation from any quarter whatever.
But they have no right to avail themselves Of
the glorious freedom they enjoy to propagate
the political ideas of Italy or Austria. A por-
ton Of the Catholic bishops and clergy, and the
organs which represent them have done 50; and
we have no hesitation, therefore in denouncing
their course as dangerous to our institutions
How far the Catholic ultramontane press
and the sentiment it is creating among Ca
tholics may affect the future destinies of this
republic is problem which time alone can
solve. How far, on the other hand, the Ger
man socialist press may mould our insti-
tutions in an opposite direction is equally
hidden in the womb Of futurity. Certainly
the late Bedini riot in Cincinnati has been
stimulated by the German socialist press OF that
city. 1t is to be hoped that both will neutra-
lie each other, and that the good sense of the
American people and the moderation of the
American press will always prevent any
mischief from the effervescence, whenever the
acid of the Irish Catholic press and the alkali
Of the German come into collision. Let us
hope for the best, and that even those foreign
anti-American elements will ultimately be alb
sorb0d, and made homogeneous with the Ameri-
can people, by the process of assimilation which
is continually going forward in the great body
polite.
The MAINE LAW QUESTION AT ALBANY
This question seems likely to give birth 10
some curious complications between the poll
ticians and the temperance men at Albany. On
the one side, the spirit of fanaticism and the
exultation spriDging from anticipated victory
have dictated a law which leaves the Maine
law far behind in stringency. On the other,
we understand that Governor Seymours con-
sttutional scruples are increasing in strength
daily; and that. if any constitutional objection
can be advanced against the proposed mea-