Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1854-11-08

Z
Istantly "a denied by he members of tba
church. III our own country it should be
borne in mind that every alien who re.
ceiyes the benefits of1our naturalization
tlaws, does 80 upon condition of taking an
oath to support the constitution of tbs
United States, and to renounce forever all
4 allegiance TO any other prince. power OF
4 Ep6tentate. When Mr. Clayton, therefore
d speaks of man in our country who owes
allegiance 10 a foreign potentate, hesmusi
Ieither mean one who has never been nat
uralized- and IN that view his position is
unobjectionable- ~ or he means that Catho.
lies have emigrated to our land, and have
become citizens by taking the oath pre-
Iscribed. but yet that. in express violation
of their oath, they recognise an allegiance
to the Pope This position inVclxss
Sweeping charge of perjury against tbnS
of thousands Of naturalized citizens whose
lives have been Il standing monumentt9l
their honesty and devotion to truth. We
might well pause here and put the ques-
lion with earnestness. Can any rational
mind credit the suggestion that the thou
sands upon thousands of foreigners who
LAND yearly upon our shores, and in due
ttime swear to stand faithfully by our go
vernment, and who again and again have
poured out their blood in defence of our
national rights and honor-that all these
men pcIured themselves when they swore
that they forcyer rcpudiated and abjured
all allegiance is any other power? The
suggestion OF such Wholesale corruption is
too revolving to be countennnceG i0r mo
mcnt; and yet if Mr.. Clayton's reoarS
has any significance. he must have i2ten-
lcd TO convey that suggestion.
But brief reference TO the facts of his
tory as they are furnished in Great Bri-
tain will throw a food OF light on this sub
icct. Ii is historical truth, which sheds
Nd lus:re on the pages of British history,
! that for centuries under the bloody and
intoicrant penal code of that country, the
Catholics were disqualified from holding
Office. and subjected to the scverest pen
allics for observing their religious rites,
and prosecuted wlth unreleuting and cruel
! fprocitv .The only terms on which they
could compromise with this intoletant
prescription was to abjurc Popcry. They
w.rv willing TO abjure popery SO FAR as
his nporal or secular power was con
ccrncd bat the spirit Of British intoter
Hnce dc,uartled lhc abjurGtIon Of the spi-
ritu#! Supremacy OF the Pope. This was
! Il; vital point viii the Catholics, and
.hey chose for hundreds Of years 10 sub
nit % every species Of suffering and per-
:ccution, Let il be remembered that they
: %cre ready and Wiling 10 take an oath
abiurjng Ill allegiance to the temporal
power uf the Pope they did not concede
To him any such power, an! they stood
ali 'hc time protesting and asserting that
the charge that they owed him allegiance
.! Gs a temporal power was untennded.-
I y hen lha Catholics appealed 10 the ccie-
b,asyd. Pitt for relief against the crueIties
OF ;he penal laws, he replied that The Chief
difficulty was IN the Supposed belief Of the
| Catholics in the temporal power of the
/ Nnpe 1t is exactly the same supposed
belief OF the Catholics Of our country in
the temporal power OF the Pope which is
AZ the bottom OF the organization which
seeks TO rnsur;ect and transplant from
> England, the spirit Of intolerance and per-
sccution which disgraccd that government
for So many years. Mr.. Pittinstituted an
! investigation into the fact whether, accor-
ding 10 the Catholic creed, its members
were bound to acknowledge allegiance to
the Pope AS temporal potentate. He
| applied to the six leading Catholic univer-
stiles Of Europe for information, and to
this end he addressed to each one the fol-
lowing questions: .
"l. Has the Pope. or cardinals. or any
body of men, or any individual of the
Church of Rome, any civil authority, pow
er, jurisdiction, or pre.emrence whatso-
ever, within the realm Of England
"2. Can the Pope, or cardinals, or any
body OF men, or any individual Of the
Church Of Rome, absoIvc or dispense with
his Majesty's subjects, from their oath OF
allegiance, upon any pretext whatsoever?
&c 3. Is there any principle ir the tenets
Of the Catholic faith by which Catholics
are justified in not keeping faith with he
relics, or other persons differing from them
in religious opinions, in any transaction,
either Of public or a private nature %
These questions were sent for answers
to the Catholic universities Of Paris, oi
! Douay, Of Louvain, of Alcala, of Valls-
dolid, and of Salamanca. These several
universities were conducted by the most
learned men in Europe, and they all res
'ponded with frsnkness and promptness to
the questions. We have space only for
the answer of one, though we have them
all before us, and state that the answers
of all are strictly the same. To show
what they all answered. we select the re
sponse Of the University of Paris. as fol
lows:
A5strcct from the 4nsger Of the Sacrea
Faculty of Divinity Of Paris. TO the aboo.
Queries.
After An introduction, according 10 ths
usual forms of the universitySthey answer
the first query by declaring
Neither the Pope, nor the cardinals
nor any body Of men, nor any other per
son Of the Church of Rome hath apv ciyi