The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1854-07-12
JUSTICE TO WHOM JUSTICE IS DUE {

The editor of the Observer intimates i,
MS Saturday issue, that, in speaking of th
et,f effects an this country, Of Priesay des
pottsm among foreigners, h did not mean to
be understood as applying his remarks to g Ca
hoitc Dtrtass;' bat To reprobate a system and
not its ministers, a cfass and not its iudiridu.
ais We are quite willing, yea, anxious TO do
the editor OF the " Observer" entire Justice
and wohld not knowingly either msquote, or
miscoastrue MS language but we cannot for
our lite discover, how he can attack a system &
not reflect Injuroasly upon Its advocaes-a class
ana not include It's individual members. This
seems to involve distinction without a differ
ehce However, we are quite willing to give
the editor the bene fit of his disclaimer in this
particular.
The editor seems astonished, that we should
have presumed to defend, what we regarded an
attack upon the Clergy, of large and respe ct.
able religious denomination in the country,
while at the same time We have attacked three
thousand Clergymen belonging to other demo
minations, "out Of which (he says) have
freedom" Upon this subject our position is
easily defined. We dislike exceedingly to med
die W tn the subject of religious denominations
and have uniformly in the course of our brief
career, strictly abstained from it, unless forced
out by the interference of the Clergy in poll
tcs' or unauthorized and invidious news paper
attacks Upon particular sects Indeed we esteem
1t wise discrimination in secular journalists to
adopt this rule and our apology for having as
sailed the course of the three thousand CLERGY.
article, is, that the former banded together to
defeat, not in their character as citizens of the
but in their capacity as Ministers
OF God, pretending to speak directly by His
authority, wholesome and necessary act of
Legislation, while the latter volunteered what
we considered harsh denunciaiion of
particular religious sect in the country, which
as sect, has perhaps as carefully abstained
fr m interference in politics, as any sect in the
country. This was not task which we CO.
Veted, but one which we regarded as forced
lPon US by the obligations Of duty to self, coun
ry and God
As to the need of praise bestowed upon the
Clergy, for the " cieH and rrlieious freedom"
We ENJOY, there may exist very honest and in
eiligent difference of opinion Our neighbor
nay regard this class of individuals as verv
asac'ous statesmen and better adapted by ma
ure, education and profession to make laws
nd administer the government, than any other
lass in the country. If 50, we differ With him
md shall continue to do so, until We can dis. {
overamore tolerant spiri: exercised by those of
iffrrent denominations towards each other. I
Our neighbnr ned borrow no trouble about
ur becoming Catholic,or identifying ourself as ,
defender OF that faith. Our feeble services we ,
resume are neither required or desired and if :
hey were, could moi be had We utterly es-
new all CONNIE mt in ths journal upon religious .
octrines; but we shall not soon lose, we trust.
ither the privilege or independence to con-
emn the gross impropreties of such of the
;iergy, as unwarrantably interfere in the ad-
Of the government, le, them be =
'atholic, nr Protestant
We are referred to the sentiments of Mr. r
rownson, as an evidence of the intolerance of ,
athoiics We have never affirmed or denied
lat Catholics are intoerant. We believe that
embers of all denominations are so; and if
e editor OF the 6 Observer will refer back a "
W weeks in the Express, he will find the same
ttract from Mr. Brownson's lecture which he p
i9t $ qnpted by US and condemned in unequi. tt
,cal terms
~ - a