Monongalia mirror. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1855, 1854-07-29
LETTER OF ARCHBISHOP HUGHES,
IN REPLY TO GENERAL CASS' SPEECH
ON RELIGIOUS TOLERATION.

] honor has been conferred on me by tn
importance assigned to my name in thu
great speech which General Cass la
thought proper to pronounce in the Sen
ate Of the United States. The prori
dence of God has directed that Genera
Cass should serve not only his countr,
but his race in one order of life, ant
that it should be my humble privilege
to serve both in another. trust thai
my purity of motives is not inferior tc
his. But whilst he has s,eered his pros
porous bark on yielding tides aud WIN
iavoring winds as one Of the approved
aud cherished great men Of his country,
it has been my lot, though citizen OF
the same country, to have been occupied
in propcIling the little skifi' entrusted
to my charge, III direction generally,
adverse To the current. whether OF wind
or tide. General Cass is Senu'or-l
am, before the law, only private ciii'
zuu. am also an cccIesias'ic Of the
hoiy Catholic Church. even All unwor-
Ithy prelatc. The duties aud spec"la.
lions of our distinct departments npper'
Itaiu losuch divergent relations. although
intended 10 prVm"ie ultimately the
sumo grca: hcne!icial end, we have IN
view, that any controversy in regaH! to
,tilrln must necessarily appear To the
American pcnrIe aud :" the civilized
world as an extraordinary event, espc.
cially undur the constitutional chatter
Of our own beloved county. which has
So wisely for lis circumstances eIimiua-
led ,cIici,ns questions from the deli3er-
olious Of Congress.
Th4; NY name. or any views Of mine
in an Incidental letter should have at
,ractcd sJcA serions attention on the
par: nf General Cas-, or any other SEN
al"r. Is to me rather humiliation than
pride. Tie circumstances brings me,
asa citizen, into an apparent collision
with Senator. am not disposed to
waive either my rights as citizen, Or
sacrifice my principles as a patriot and
man, simply because the tide of A.
merican public opinion may be turned
agniust me. Neither am | prepared,
on the other hand, to say one word in
maintaining my position. which, consd-
e,iug my age aud rank in the church,
might give apparent sanction to that
growing irreverence which is becoming
81 prevalent in this age, whether as it
relates TO civil. ecclesiastical, social, do.
nestle or senatorial pre.eminence.
To my utter establishment, General
Cass thinks that his name was first
brought into my letter without any
cause or occasion having been present.
ed on his part, l shall perhaps best
discharge my duty in reference TO this
by giving u brief statement Of the cir.
cnmstauces which, thought, warranted
4 me in using tho name Of General Cass
The circumstances were these: A mai
and his wife. named Madiai, had been
arrested in Florence. They had been
tried according To the laws f,heir couu-
try uud condemned to the penalty which
the said laws had provided against per
suns offending as they had done. The
report Of their crime. as it reached the
newspapers Of England aud America,
was lha, they had been imprisoned
merely for owning and reading theft
Bible. 1t was natural and oven honor.
able that all men whether Catholics NJ
Protes,ants should feel and manifest
their abhorrcnce for the disproportion
between the aIledged crime and the
positive penalty. a meeting of sympa'
thy was convened aud held in this city.
Tho undersigned with a view to learn
the real facts Of the case attended that
meeting. The speakers on the occasion
vi,upcra,ed tho Pope of Rome, the
monks of Italy. the iriurs, the Jesuits,
and the Catholics everywhere. The
only person or party that was treated
with decent share Of moderation was
the Grand Duke Of Tuscany. Towards
tho middle of the proceedings. the fol-
lowing resolution complimentary to
| General Cass, as a bright purlicnlar
star shining out from the dark heaven:
Of human nature, which the orators had
been describing, was proposed and car
ried hy exclamation:
"Rrs9lrc,l j. That this meeting firmly
bp!iesrs Nat IT is tne duty Of the Govern.
mrr; Of the Uaied Stan, TO protect all
ouc ri,ilHnS il. their reila'ous rights, whilst
residing VI sniaununs IN inieign LANDS: ap
proves IN lhr !Di Isl rmEGer OF the noble
attempt 81 DISTINGUISHED Senator from
Michigan. iGrn. tas>.) IL ell the attention
Of til. GoverNnru AMI ne public 10 this
i.npu,.1a suaiec': mi snerains the conf.
deut hrpt Iha, lit, G wcfnaient will speedI-
l. stnIFr Ia 10 rs cii'2pn', by the express
o,i,ua,inns oi;,trna': dlGl rsatiss, tho right
10 worship God acaor,.n5 u the dictates OF
tho, Cnn.cruce. IN every !rreisn llnd."-
N. !, Times, Jan, s. 1873,
/ Ia view nf The iamphoaing which al
Caltu.isS, from the Pope downwards
had received al the lips of tho orators
i, did strike me Us somewhat strange
that the above resolution should have
been introduced. The question that u
rose in my mind was, "i4nw came ii
,Ihprr 7" TIN, circumstance, however,