Monongalia mirror. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1855, 1854-08-12

prelate spoke of religious liberty" al
"a clear and justly cherished privileg,
: of the American people," and claimed
for Catholics ",he palm of having beer
the first to preach and practice it in A
merica." But the whole tenor of thi.
article against General Cass shows tha
the address was only flight of oratory
it proves that the Archbishop of New
York has the crudest conceptions of re
ligious liberty, and that even his crude
conceptions are utterly distasteful tc
him. sue4 .s..r tIG
In proof of what | affirm | refer any
Impartial reader to the two letters o.
Archbishop Hughes on religious free
dom. Let the reader examine these
documents. Let him first observe the
sensiiiveuess and bitterness with which
General Cass was wantonly assailed
and insulted, for seeking to obtain for
our citizens the right TO worship God
without molestaiion in other lands
Why this What does this betray p
Let him next ponder on the word "drio-
ellmg,"s which the Archbishop applies
to this movement. Should a foreign
despot violate the rights of an Ameri-
can citizen as to his person or orproperty,
| am sure do Bishop Hughes only jus.
,ice in saying, that he would advocate
prompt redress of tho wrong by our
government. But is not the soul of more
worth than person or proper,yl Why
then, is ii driueiiing to in,erpose for the
rights of the sOull Why, but that, in
the Archbishop's system, those rights
have no existence.
f"Religious liberty" Il quote from
one of the chief organs Of the Roman
Catholic Church in England, the Ram
Ioler, )"in the sense Of a liberty possess
ed BY every man to choose his own re-
lipion, is one of the most wicked delu-
sions ever fi,is,ed uponth this age by the
father Of all deceit. The very name Of
liberty, except in the sense Of per-
mission to do certain acts, ought to be
banished from, the domain OF religion" !"
So u ,%s* o"iShall hold out hopes
to my erriugi Protestant brother, that
I wiilnot NEEDLE iwi,hghis creed, if he
will not meddle with mine! Shall j
tempt him to forget that he has no moro
right to his religious views than he has
to my purse, or my house, or my life
blood" '.
These are the views of that church of
whichtbe author Of these Letters is a
dipuitary: and cherishing these sen,i-
Itiments, he cannot but regard the asser-
lion Of religious freedom as dwelling.
But we are not left to inference in
the matter before us. We have the dis
tinct, unequivocal avowal of the Arch
bishop as to his views. Our Constitu-
ton, for example, secures no rights
more dear 10 every American heart than
those Of conscience; and it asserts those
rights as innate mud inalicnable for ey-
cry citizen, proclaiming the great TRUTH
that government has no right to inter-
fere with them. Archbishop Hughes
degrades all this into an arrangement
in regard to liberty of conscience 'ult,
ed to The policy Of Me country" VI
.o,rse had "nolicy" sue gested any
other arrangement. even the extinction
of religious freedom, it would have
been equally right and proper to adopt
lit. 1t is with him, mere matter oil
government arrangement and policy.
The ends Of civil government are
manifest. Ii is ordained to protect the
persons and estates Of the citizens. 1t
lis for a temporal purpose. Religion
has 10 do with another world, with spir-
ilual things. These two objects are en-
tirely distinct. Those who are entrust'
ed with the government arc not enlrust'
led with religion. They are seldom h'
Ito have such duty conlided to them
or, if fit, God has made every man ae-
couutable TO Him. and Him only, IN
matters of religion. All this is selt,eT'
dent to American citizens. But Arch,
bishop Hughes places tho authority "'
Civil Government over religion on the
sans footing with its supremacy owe,
Commerce ar trade, docs General
Cass mean to say that, because it" ire
ligious libery,) "suited US, oil other na' y.
,ions must adopt it, whether it suit;
them or notl As well might England
say that because it suited her finances
to adopt free trade, all other nation'
must do the same" That is TO say
Governments have the same right to i'm
pose restraints on religious worship
which they have to regulate ,aritt ant
establish the revenue.
will only add here, that these views
of spiritual freedom are not only main
,ained. but it is affirmed that this wa
the only liberty for which the early
Christians con,euded. They onlyplead
ed he says, "that they might not b'
compelled to do any act which the Law
of God and tho law of their conscienc
as had forbidden. At one time for in
stance sone glorious confessor OF tn
ci,.:,,;o, wanna ,,os cnlled nnon by thl