The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1854-12-27
TFrOm The Dubuque MInerJ Regislsr.l
Know Nethingism Letter from a
Methodist Clergyman.
wan. . cn.elvav., tI0v.,l oet. J, d.


Dubuque, yourself and several other gentle
I men OF various christian churches, request
ed the publication of my sermon delivered
on the 4th inst. long habit Of speaking
extemporaneously has made me careless OF
the preservation Of either sermons OF speech
es, which am called upon,to make from
time to time. Therefore, TO give you my Ian
guage or to transfer to paper my illusions to
civil and religious liberty, would be impossi-
Die. But With every possible desire to be
brief, | shall give my opinions to yourself in
regard TO the right of every man wershippipg
God according to the dictates of has OtOH con-
science, and just as freely express my fears
OF, and opposition to, every organization, Ell
ther secret or open, which looks to the
abridgement of this great principle, which is
essential to the very existence of republican
government, and the uncorrupted worship OF
the living God.
YoI, sir, are Catholic; am Metho-
\ dist. Your faith believe to be the result Of
a deliberate judgment, formed after care
! ful Investigation. Your convictions and de-
votions are conscientious. Just such are my
faith and my devotions, and the faith and de-
votion of every true christian everywhere
| suppose you could not forsake your relig-
ion and remain an honest man; am equally
clear that could not abandon my principles
and retain for a moment my self-respect, and
enjoy the approving smile of my Holy Ma
ker and Judge, who kindly regards the in6rm-
tiles of his creatures, and scrupulously alb
hors pretence or deceit. Then, my dear
friend, what are we to dos On the details of
our respective religious creeds we can never
agree. Shallyou, therefore, destroy me? or
shall !, with q superior charity and enlighten-
ed faith, seek your annihilation, because we
differ concerning matters which none but the
wise and eternal God can correctly deter
mine! Is it an injury to either of us that
the other, standing upon his responsibility to
the Supreme Judge of the universe, chooses
to consult him alone, and disregards the
opinions of men, merely relating to things
not of this world! 1t would insult your good
sense to tGmely answer these inquiries in the
negative, for you had anticipated them all.
There has been only one answer conclusive
to every reasonable worshipper of fGed. "Let
every man be fully persuaded in his own
mind" The constitution of the land, wisely
providing for the political agreement of a
multfarous religious sentiment, has guaran-
tied to every man right to worship God ac-
cording to the dictates of his own conscience.
And, for the first time in the history of mod
ern civilization, our national government has
not only permitted, but has encouraged, by
her liberal legislation, the growth of every
sincerely devoted body of christians, ire
spective Of their maine or formulas. 1t is
with regret that see an attempt made in va
rious portions of the country to create mid
night censorshps and star chambers, for the
avowed object of DISTINGUISHING the Catho-
lie population of the country, and waging a
warfare of all others tho most fearfuly vim
dictive-a warfare against religion. In the
whole history of the world there never has
been time when such secret organizations
as the Know Nothings were lett with so shall
low pretence for their combination as at
the present; never time when so little has
been threatened by an organized form Of
christianity as now.
In the first PLACE. there is not majority
in the United States in communion with any
church. There is very clear majority who
are not members Of any religious body, and
and this majority would resist to the death
the least squirting at an encroachment upon
their right of opinion. In the second place,
the government does not, directly or indi-
rectly, support by gifts or fees, any one de.
nom inatiUn Of christians, and of course can
have no preference in her choice among
them. Moreover, the numerical strength of
the communicates of the several denomina-
tions is very nearly the same, and kept in
awe BY mutual watch(uness. A mutual
! forbearance, continued since the organiza-
tion of our government, has created u chris
tian fraternity of feelings among conflicting
opinions unknown before in the history of
Christianity. ..
The population of the United States was
in 1850, 22,19l,9l8, and is now about &c.
100000. OF this number about l,60C 900
are Methodists Of every order, 100000 are
Catholics.
Who, then, that is not afflicted with su-
perstitious monomania, can offer reasona-
BILE prctence for formidable organization
of religious power in the United States! In
deed, sir, if there ever has been time when
infdelity and contempt for all religion had
an ascendency, that time is now
| But, should time ever come when relig-
ious intolerance threatens the existence Of
| free institutions, and resistance to ecclesias-
tical power becomes necessary, even then
Know Nothngism, or any other secret polit-
ical organization, ought not to receive the
countenance of any lover of free govern
ment. Secrecy and hypocracy are the fa-
vorite instruments Of kings and despots.-
No country can long leman free after its
great principles are abandoned, and the gov
ernment itself becomes the spols of the
tricky, skuIking politician. conceive the
Know Nothing organization is Of this charac-
ter, or why the organization at all in .coun-
try like ours, where every man has voice
in the legislation of the land! Where no
privileged order is established or counte-
nanced by law, cannot conceive of sim
gle thing affecting those gentlemen as citi-
zens which does not in the same sense affect
every other man in the country. If their
designs are just and patriotic, they are sure
ly sustained by reason; and think the same
reason which has convinced them will also
convince us of the same things, and there
can be no necessity for secrecy in the prose-
cution of honorable purposes. gt ,.ag., -a
But there are evils resulting from such
assoc iations which ought not to be overlook
ed. In republican government the basis
Of our security is public confidence. What
ever strikes at public confidence, strikes al
republicanism. When the Wing party beats
the Democratic party upon an issue made
public, the defeated party gives up the con
test as honorably settled. In turn he open
ly gains for his own party an equal triumph
and the opposition as quietly acquiesce il
their overflow. 1t was done openly
they saw how il was dome and were salts