Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1854-07-20


/ the honor and interests of their country may
/ be promoted and perpetuated. 1t is their
sincere prejudIces against the Democracy, or
their long habits of obedience to party discip-
line which keeps them where they are but
( we confidently trust that the time has now
/ come, when they will break the trammels
/ which have heretofore bound them, and join
! the Democratic party III a cordial support of
the laws and the Constitution
! Previous to the last presidential election,
the organs orators and leaders. of the party,
then calling itself Whig, had exhausted their
list of party doctrines. Every issue had
been settled against them. But they are sell
dom at loss for some temporary eubterfuge,
and on that occasion they betook themselves
to most disreputable expedient They ex-
erted all their power and infuncee to excite
the anger, hatred and jealousy of the Catho-
lies and naturalzcd voters against the demo-
cratic party and it's candidates Immediately
upon Cen Pierce's nomination, they denoun-
ced him as bigotcd Protestant who if elec-
ted, would use his power to prevent Catholics
from having their just rights. a restriction
in tne, Consultation of New Hampshire against
this sect % people, charged on him as
high political onence Certificates from Catho-
lies in his own neigh 5orho0d. declaring that
he was hostile to them flooded the country
eud the sanctitv of the Post Office was viola
r,IiTt,r the purpose of circulating these docu
ments clonr with the religious papers read by
narsons of that faith On the other hand
Gen. Scott was he'd up as man for whom
Catholics. above ali othei's, ought to vote. Ii
he was not a member of thai church himself
it was urged that his family were, and his
daughter had. with his consent gone INTO
convent. Never before was so bold ana shane
less an effort made TO rouse religious preiu,tl-
ces for political purposes. Sensible men of
all parties, sects, ami classes, were deeply Of
Tended at this uublushing system of endeavor-
ing to carry an election by sectarian appeals.
Still more humiliating than this ifpossible,
was the fattery bestowed upon their adopted
fellow citizens From the aged and distin-
guished soldier who their candidate for
President, down TO the most obscure and in
efficient ofthcir speakers and writer's, al pro-
fessed a becoming zeal for the rights OF for
eigEers. According to their statements made
then, all persons Of foreign birth had been or
were about to be greatl, misused by the De-
mocracy-and they were urged. exhorted and
warned TO tr,lst nobody but their true friends,
the Wings Even the dialect spoken by for
eiCners was referred TO as being superior to
the yeruacular language wlich the native
born citizen used. The rich IRISH brogue"
was music to their ears. and the g sweet &C.
man accent was ,le Gub,ect Of extravagant
eulogy."
Thess facts, fellow citizens, are fresh in
vour recollection But would you bell we it.
that the same politicians who were preaching
this seotarian crusade against the Democracy,
less than two years ago, and who did al that
in them lay, to excite the jealousy of adopted
citizens against native born Americans, have
recently espoused the doctrine of prescription
against all citizens not native born of what
ever religious faith and are said 10 be III cicse
alliance with secret and oath bound associa-
ton which proposes to punish men for con-
science sake. Ia PLi.ade.pbla ;he newly cleo
tel Mayor has bol. declared this doctrine
Of prescription That this Is o mere political
Ianceiiyre on the part Of the Whig leaders
may be confidently affirmed. That it is
Leirt}ess attempt to make a political use Of re-
i.,ious prciuiices, in which they themselves
do not Participate, no one can doubt. Ascer-
tanned facts past and present, make 1t per-
fectly apparent, that these same politicians, if
they could secure votes by 1t, would again
fatter the Catholics and be the champions of
the rights OF our adop;ed citizens.
It may be asked how shall the Democracy
meet the issue thus presented? We answer,
lust Us they have met all the other false and
popular rights, by the power OF truth, by the
force of reason and argument appealing to
the conscience of the paople. This mingling
of religious and political elements cannot be
approved or endorsed by free and liberal
people in this age and i'll this country. They
who think So must be creduloUs and short
sighted indeed In 1922, the Democracy ask
ed no more than equal justice for Protest
ants and now when the Wings have chang
ed their ground, we will demand but common
and constitutional rights for adopted citizens of
whatever religious belief they may happen to
be This has ever been the creed of the De-
mocratic party, as it has ever been the policy OF
this government They have courted no sect
or class ssof people as such. They recognise
no peculiar rights in any sect or class but
have only sought to maintain the just rights
of all and to bestow distinction and honor as
the reward of individual merit. The consti-
tuition and the law-the great principles OF
equality which the people of this country, ma
tive born and those of former birth, fought
and bled for-freedom of conscience, which
no American christian would take from his
fellow man-iustice to all and special favors to
none-this is the platform of the Democracy.
From this high elevation, let US look down
calmly upon the impotent struggle OF those
who come in conflict with these principles
Ours is the cause of our country-of liberty
and of true religion, which can only flourish
in its purity where all are permitted to wor-
ship as they think right
We are fully persuaded that the people of
this State are true and will remain true TO
the principles of civil and religious liberty,
which were established by the revolution
Their whole history from the first settlement of