The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1854-06-10
RELIGIOUS TESTS IN POLITICS.


RELIGIOUS TESTS IN POLITICS
The only element in the secret political organization
which reveng in its late umphs in the municipal cleo
tons of several cities that calculated to produce any
special regret alarm the avowal of religious lntoer-
ance as one of the articles of its creed With The warfare
of the nativeAmercan party upon the laws which admit
foreigners the rights Of citizenship the country has been
long familiar and had learned to regard its assaults the
means rssorted by fctous demagogues obtain po-
cal preferment The infusion into this organization which
had become contemplate Of the element of religious nol-
erance constitutes the only feature in which gives it
any additional importance This distinctive feature
openly avowcd in the speeches delivered in this city the
midst of the jubilee which followed their triumph the
evening of the election 1t mainly with the view of
exhibiting Enthusiastically the boasul avowas of this uo
that published the speeches in the last
number Of our paper.
The modification of naturalization laws is fair and
legitimate subject for political discussion and political is.
To such discussion properly object 1t is
only Objectionable when dcmagogues make naurali-
cation laws the pretext for wagng warfare of prejudice
and prescription against all who native born But
for the violent of such actonss the naturaz
ton laws might long have been modified to re-
form abuses that all admit to exist The very which
these anatcal reormers have protested advocate
/
been defeated by the mpruden Of its camorous
friends Reasonable men, who would have willingly
operated in correcting the actual abuses of the laws
not willing to be identified with organization whose OBJ
jecs were palpaby selfish, factous, and fanatcal.
In this respect there Is striking analogy if
tual affinity between nativeAmericansm and abolition
organizations has proved nsuperable obstacle their
4 lie a ractw know hy nta
the Sonth that there inclination in that
ton to the abolition of slavery when the crusade
commenced the North against the institution than
has been since Every intelligent southern knows
and admits that the Of the aboitonis have pro-
duced this change in the southern sentiment Southern
have declined to be reasoned with in
and respectful terms in regard slavery but the proud
spirit of Americans there everywhere else evolts any
attempt to interfere with their rights or their opinions by
violence coercion 1t the anatcism of aboltonists
that closed every the southern mind and caused
southern to regard their in,erences impernent
and aggressive In like the leaders of the native
American organization became one-dea fanatics and by
their ndiscreons and violence disguised the sound-tbnk
ing and honest of the country.
After having covered themselves with general contempt
the restless faconists have again made their appear
ISOLATION which have proved successful for the time being
in securing to them notoriety The new element of rei-
gou intolerance is evidently idea borrowed from abo-
ldonsm and leaves doubt that the revived native
American organization, under the name of "know-noh-
ngs is but oshoot and ally Of the abolition party
will be remembered that abolitionism originated in
scientious opposition the institution Of slavery moral
evil Designing political demagogues sought make
nj
poses Its fuatca leaders gone on step by step I'M
til abotonism has become nearly synonymous with
treason and nfdelity The spirit which denounces
proscribes the "God-forsaken sinner
repudates the constitution which recognises slavery
to be lawful as covenant with HE'LL may he distinct.
~ discovered in that feature Of the new organiza-
ton which denounces and proscrbes the members Of
particular religious denomination unworthy of the
rights and privileges of citizenship and openly repudiaes
the constitution which guarantees every the enjoy
ment Of his religious sentiments and declares that mo re-
gous test shall be required qualification to any Of
fcsorpubc under the United States aboopst
holds that the Of slave should be ineligible to Of
fee because his religious opinions do regard slavery as
sinful The "know nothing proscrbes the Roman Caho-
lie and thereby applies to him religious test" in direct
violation Of the constitution and Of that great principle Of
religious freedom which distinguishes our government
from all others II is not the question whether the Roman
Catholic Religions justly obnoxious TO the opposition which
1t encounters from the Protestant denominations
that we have nothing to debut it is question with
which every friend Of our institutions concerned whether
these differences OF religious sentiment should become
ments in political organizations II the Roman Catholic
may be prescribed for his belief in their may be
the Methodist the Baptist and every other denomination
The dea Of allowing political contests to be controlled
by religious tests is startling that have been
shed that did not deter intelligent citizens in the
hcat Of animated contest from giving II counenance
There no less Of natcism in the political crusade
particular religious sect than there Is Of that fell spirit
the abolition crusade against shareholders Tho former
not less dangerous to the wcl-beng Of society and the
pcrnmnence OF Union than Is the latter There Il
natural and almost necessary affinity between them which
viii result In coalition between their respective adhc
rents aud constitute them practically party We can
not better conclude these remarks than by quoting the fol-
lowing straightforward and patriotic article from the De
troit Free Press
A. mn f,ln