Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-10-04


They have assisted TO pay the taxes, and 10
fight our battles and shall the sacred covenant
which was thus made with these people be vio-
lated by the power of secret and insidious
combination that oyerrides the Constitution?
Shall the faith Of our fathers, as plighted in
this great instrument, be thus disregarded?
Rightminded men Of all parties must respond
mol No such immortality and political wrong
should be permitted TO tarnish the fame OF
America. From the long past days of the Rev
| olutlon there is q "reminiscences that speaks IN
eloquent tones against this proposed error.
From the shades Of Mount Vernon, from the
grave Of Lafayette, from the heights where
Montgomery fell, from the once bloody fields
where Pulaski and De Kalb gave up their
| lives, there comes up solemn remonstrance
against this proposed wrong.
would not say this, nor the weakest senti
ment Of it, for the mere matter Of office to this
class of citizens. The value OF Office to them
is of small Importance; but 1t is the deep dis
honor that such aviolent measure would infict
upon our country, that induces me thus to
speak 1t would not be the loss Of civil place
! that would most afflict our adopted citizens,
| but it would be the humiliation of being desig
mated as a class, of whom it should be said,
| they are not to be trusted with civil place.
| This is the idea that would most wound their
| pride and excite their Indignation There are
amongst them those who, in the want of a full
appreciation Of our institutions and customs,
so deport themselves as to give reason for COM
plant. But these facts afford no sufficient
| ground for violating the institutions of the
! country. 1t is simply cowardly TO acknowledge
danger from such a source, and the avowal of
it is poor compliment to the strength Of our
| governments us D ~ .luls vssE ttSf8 g#ss
repeat, that am opposed to all oath-bound
societies or associations to accomplish political
ends, and to all obligations which embarrass
| the free exercise Of the elective franchise; or
that may be calculated TO prejudice the sanctity
of the jury box. / deprecate as most mis-
| chievous those political tenets which, in their
Liberal and intolerant spirit, would go behind
the swaddling clothes of the infant, and pry
into the consciences of men to fix the test for
civil Office wv 49, 4.
Has it ever occurred to those who have
thoaghtlessly espoused this new doctrine, that
the practical application of il must be met at
the very threshold by insurmountable difficult
ties. Is this attempt to excite one class of pro-
Tossing Christians against another mere expe-
dent Of willy politicians to accomplish their
own selfish ends, or is it intended as great
radical change in the institutions Of our conn
try? If the latter be the real idea, it will be
perceived that the first step must be unity OF
Church and State. How else can these new
dogmas be reduced to practice? Their advo-
Gates must get possession of the civil govern
ment--must change the fundamental laws OF
the land, and then bring the power Of the gov
eminent to bear on matters of religious belief
and church organization; and when one de-
nomination of protesting Christians shall have
been punished into purity, according to the
notions Of this new power, then another, the
most needing correction, would be taken up,
and so on until all religious denominations
would be made to accord to fixed standard
by the force Of law. In my opinion by the time
this Sdnhedrim should have passed all denomi-
nations in review, the Christian spirit Of the
nation would be Frustrated and the infidel
spirit be predominating
Who will have the boldness to undertake a
work Of this magnitude? No one, venture
to say Of all the men, who in an evil hour have
embraced this heresy, can be found who will
assume so great responsibility. Such an at
tempt, should it be made, would be well calcu-
lated to awaken dread Of the scenes of the
seventeenth century, as enacted in Europe.
We should not be deaf to the voice of history
upon this subject, nor should we Target that our
ancestors, from whatever country they may have
come, and wherever lending on this continent,
whether at Plymouth Rock or jamestown, we're
refugees from religious persecution escaping
from the bloody scenes which mark the darkest
pages in modern history. Nor should we for
| get that when William Penn, Roger Williams
and Lord Baltimore, aQuaker, Baptist, and a
Catholic, agreed upon terms Of perfect reli-
| gious tolerance, That II was second era OF
good will to man on earth. IL was the
| greatest triumph Of Christianity SINCE the days
4 r ~ Il 4 al 1f 4
| greatest good TO mankind. It's benign infu-
| ences have been world wide, and it has
strengthened the cause Of civil liberty and
Christianity in all countries. Has il occurred
to those who would eclipse this great charac-
teristic Of American institutions, that the dire
ful influence Of retrogade action on this sub
| iect could not be confined to the limits Of our
country? That as its advocates they could
net be justified for temporary inconvenience
or selfish end, in entailing so great an evil on
the cause of Christianity and civil liberty in
other countries. eai tna
Want Of room has compelled us to omit
several paragraphs, characterized by the same
sound and close reasoning upon the same
topic.oaThe Governor concludes as follows;
"I have said none Of these things from pre-
iudice, for I am myself Pennsylvania by
birth, AID Protestant by religions belief as
! we're my parents before me, but have simply
declared principles which i believe are consist.
| ent with The best interests, the dearest rights
and highest hopes Of the people Of my native
State. Nor do intend to speak unkindly of
! individual citizens, who for any reason may
have connected themselves with the associa-
tons to which have been referring. can
readily perceive how, clothed with novelty and
secresy, the approaches Of such an Institution
would be insidions and seductive; and how a
citizen Of the best intentions might be drawn
within its meshes, But all such have plain
! duty to perform, and that is, to withdraw
from, the order--to renew their allegiance 70
the Constellation, and to assert the dignity Of
free and independent voters, and vote for
whomsoeyer they please for politial Office"
| Let the gallant Democracy Of the sterling
old Democratic State Of Pennsylvania, elect
their GoyERNoR and whole STATE TICKET on
Tuesday next, and every Democratic heart,
4 in every State in this whole Union viii unite