The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1854-09-27
For the Evansville Journal.
Politicians VS.. Preac n ers.

1
| For the Evansville Journal.
Politicians VS.. Preachers.
MIR. ED TOR
Dear Sir: Having been noticing and read
| ing some little of the politics Of the dav, nv
attention has been arrested and particularly
directed TO the continued controversy that
has been going on between politicians and
preachers.
Never before, since the formation of this
government, have the partizans of any adj
minstration made such an unmitigated and
unprovoked attack upon the ergy, as have
the minions OF the present Administration
From Maine to Mexico, from New York to
New Orleans, from the Atlantic to the Pa
cific, and all over the length and breadth of
our widespread country, wherever there has
been an administration paper or orator, Cler-
gymen have been slandered, rated, vilfied
and abused in manner that finds no paral-
lei in the history Of this country.
| Now the inquiry will naturally arise in the
mind Of every candid mind, "why is this!-
What have the preachers done that make
politicians "cry so against them!" Does the
good of the country require that clergymen
should be so abusedr'
propose, Mr. Editor, to answer some Of
those questions by reviewing the contro-
versy:
Some months ago. while the merits of the
Nebraska Bill were being discussed in the
U. 5. Senate, petition signed by more than
5000 of the New England Clergy, " as pre-
scented to that honorable body. The petit
ton demonstrated against the passage of that
part Of the bill which repeats the Missouri
Compromise, in the name of Almighty God,
&c. And this petition was followed up by
another, signed by % clergymen who lived
in or about Chcago-Mr. Douglas own
neig orhood-which petition was similar to
the first. The unsealng of these petitions,
was like the opening of "Pandora's bor." no
sooner had they been read than all the friends
Of the administration in the Senate, from
Stephen A. Douglas down &c the blackguurd,
Petit, of Indiana, whose known IafdeL pro-.
clis tiles eminently fit him for such a work,
commenced furious attack upon the New
England Clergyman in particular, and all
other clergymen in general who had the in
dependence to expose the Nebraska swim
de-" But this was not all nor the worst
The clue having been given by the Senate,
all the "war dogs" of the administration
were at once unkenneed and let loose upon
the clergy, from the Washington Union down
to the Enquirer" and from John L. Robin
son down to the Lowest Whisky Nebraskaite
in the land
But pray, what was there about the clergy
mems petition which was so offensive to the
Senate! Oh, they signed their names "as
clergy men," Well, suppose they did. This
was nJthing but d matter of taste that con.
cerned nobody in particular but themse Ives
Now if they had asked for any exclusive leg
sation for the benefit of themselves, as a
class, then there would have been some rea-
son or pretext on the part of the Senate act.
ing as they did. But no; these men were ac-
tuated by no selfish motive. They saw
contest going on between freedom and slave
ry. The old land marks of freedom which
had been chalked out by our fothers-which
had stood and been acquesced in for more
than 33 years-and which said to slavery
"hitherto shalt thou come and no further"
were about to be botted out. An area of
territory large enough to make ten such
States rs Indiana, was about to be opened,
to give new field to the slave propaganda.
A great moral question was therefore involv-
ed. The clergymen certainly had just as
much right to petition any other class OF
men, against such proceedings.
"But they petitioned in the name of AL
mighty God" Oh, what crying sin! Well,
to speak seriously had they not a perfect
right to use the name of q cd if they wished |!
Ii honorable Senators are to dictate to the
people just what sort Of language they shall
use in their petitions then there will be no
more need FOR petitions at all. The Senate
OF the United States never ratifies a treaty
without using the name of God Most men
use the name of God in writing their wills
| am sure there can be nothing wrong about
this. Are the ears Of Senators too refined
to hear that name! Or do they share that
sort of feeling that prompted certain ancient
rulers, who commanded Peter and John on
certain occasion, "not to speak at all, nor to
teach in the name of Jesus!' See Acts,
chapt. Nv and verse Is.
;, Disguise it as they may, and twist it as
they will, any one who will take the trouble
to examine into this subject, may see at once
that the Douglosites il they had the power
! would deny the right of petition to clergy
, men altogether. This right which is now
free to all classes of freemen North and
South, was denied to certain class i'm the
North once, by the slave power aiued by
Northern dough-faces, and for twenty-five
years John Quincy Adams labored in Con-
gress to restore it, and he succeeded at last
1t is a right that should be "sacred to every
freeman and formidable TO tyrants only"
Messrs. Douglas g. Co. may rage on in
their madness, and build gallows to hang
preachers. on, but let them remember that
cergymen will throw themselves into the
gateway Of their unholy ambition like Nor.
decai, who lay in Haimans way-and they