The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1854-10-25
WILDs OF CHEcAuquE, Iowa,
Oct Z, 1854.

A. p. GREGoIRE, ESQ,
!. NV very dear trend E-f,re left ID lbuqu,
yourself and several other gentlemen # vario,
= Christian churches requested the publica ion
my sermon delivered IN the 4th inst A Ion
habit of speaking exit mpo ans ously has mad
me careless of the preservation of either sermon
-or speeches which | am lied upon to max
from time TO time. Therefore to give you m
language or to transter TO paper my illusions,
, civil and religious liberty would be impossible.
But with every possible desire to be brief,
shall give my opinians to yourself, in regar
to the right of every man worsh'pping God nc
cordng te the die a'es Of has onn conscience
and jus as freely express my fears OF and op
position to every organization either secret o
open which looks TO the abrdgment of thi
great principle which is essential to the yer
existence of Republican government and tn
interrupted worship of The living God.
Ycu Sir, are Catholic am Methodist
Your faith believe to be the result o. delib
crate judgment formed after careful invesssa
ton Your convictions and devotions are con
scientious. just such are my~onh ana my
devo,,ons, and the aiih and devotion Of every
true Chris,i.- -eyasywhtre l suppose you
.--.x not -i,rsake your religion and remain an
honest man am equally, clear that could
not abandon my principle and ret,in for mo-
n'ent my self-respect and enjoy the approving
smile, of my Holy Maker, and Judge, who
kindly regards the infirmties of his creatures.
and scrupulously abhors pretence or deceit
Then, my dear friend, what are we to do On
The details of our respective religious creeds
we can never agree. Shall you therefore des
troy me; or shall with o superior charity and
enlightened faith seek your annihiation, be.
causA We differ concerning matters :. hich nsre
bu' the wise and eternal God can correctly de-
terinine. 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 disregard the opinions Of
men, merely relating to things not of this
world. 1t would insult your good sense to
|tmeiy answer these inquiries in the negative
Z. you had anticipated them all There is
sly one answer which has been conclusive to
esrY reasonable worsh,pper of God. {" Let
lery man be fully persuaded in his own
mi. The Constitution of the land wisely
preding for the political agreement of mul-
uiaAus religious sentiment has guaranteed TO
ese3nan right, to worsaIp God according
70 the ictates of his own conscience. And
Tor 'he Try first time in the history of modern
osiiAa'n our national government has not
"h'y Pefitted but has encouraged by her lib
erai lrglssian the growth VI every sincerely
devoted sdy OF Christians, irrespective of
'hef nau'sr formulas. II is with regret, tina
See an atmpt made in varioas portions of the
country, threate midnight censorshps and
star chamos, for the avowed object Of DIS
tranch's'ng ,e Catholic population of the
country. aad'a ging a ariare of all Others the
n"s' fearful a vindictve, warfare against
reh!''n ln whole history of the world
there never ha,een a time when such secret
organizations ashe Know No,hings were left
with So shallesl pre,ence for their combine
slon as at the fssent; never time when SO
little has beenthreatened by any organized
form OF christia,y as now.
In the first pla there is not a maioritv of
the United Stat in communion with any
church There "a very clear majority who
are na' members oany religious body and this
majority would rest 10 the death the least
squirting at an enc achment upon their right
OF opinion. In the .cond place the Govern.
'nen' dos mt direct nor indirectly support by !
g'its or fees any on. denomination of Chris
t'ans and of course c, have no preference in
her choice among the. Moreover the numer
zeal strength of the camunicart of the several |
denominations is very early the same, and
kei- IN ave BY mutual stchfulness. mu'u-
al forbearance contlnuedince the organization
OF our government has Gated christian fra
tern''y OF feelings amonecontl cling opinions
unknown before in the hiory of christianity
| The population of the Uard States wis in
iooo % i9i,9lo and is nosabou, &c 1000,
of this number about l690A0 are Me holds
of every order, 100000 az Baplis' s.
Presby y'herans, Catholics.
Who then that is not affiiod with a super
stitious monomania can offer We asonable pre-.
tence for formidable orssnzsoa of re igious
power in the United States. Indeed Sir, if
there ever has been time wheinfiIelity and
contempt for all religion had aecendancy
that time is now
But shoald time ever come ven religious
intolerance threatens the exs.encef free ins,i.
tut IONS and resi- stance 10 ecclesiaical power
become necessary even then Knowyothnaism
or any other secret political organiaion ought
not TO receive the countenance Of a, lover Of
free government; secrecy and hypocy are the
favorite instruments of kings and de,ols no
country can long remain free, afiess great
principles are abandoned and the go,rnmeni
tseit become the spo!s of the tricky ,uiking
politician. Conceive the Know No,hrSorua
nization of this character or why the onn,za-
ton at all, in a country like ours whereverv
man has voice in the legislation oe ,hle nd
Where no privileged order is establish or
counsenanced by law, can't conceive a
single thing affecting those gentlemen as,i,i
zens which does not in the same sense Ac,l
every other man in the country. Ii their e. !
signs are just and patriotic they are surely IS.
taiaed by reason and think the same reasas
which have oonvinced them, Will al.o ca
vince Us OF the same things and there can +
| no necessity for secrecy in the prosecution d
/ honorable purposes
! But there are evils resulting from suci ass
iciations which ought not 10 be overlooked InI
Republican Government The basis of ou >. 1
carty IS pajlic co .fdsace Whatever st,xes
Pub!ic confidence strikes at Repub!icansm
! When the Wing party beats the Dem ofs,
/ pluy upon an issue m,ie public, the defeffsa
parry gives up the c,ntes, as honorablv sctled.
In hrn he openly gains FIR his own part, an
equsi triumph and the opposition as guilty
acqaisca IN Their overthrow. II was tore
openly; they saw how ii was n, and are
J, satisfied
Blu, the success Of secret political socates
;, public c,n.deace is undermined it gives ;way
u "a -eig, of terror commences; another scrc,
! organization Know Something's are organic d +;
and they ton may triumph and the dism,ver