Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1855-06-05

- ,,,llc ,n.asUres Tor the general good, where or
!, h,c. ,bet the necessity fcI conc afneni, y s"hr
~; ,o,,. nnrposes aud ends be good, taDi am
rn, on.s,ionlur either?) Why withhold hem IRON
lie nublic eve; whence the necessity Tor signs,
,i,ois or secrecy in matters in which all are in
,.r.s;ed and by which all to be aft. cted2 Occn-
nying the position do as public servant, WHIST
right, Their, fore, have l. such to withhold from
you or any other citizen Of the State, any knowl-
edge Of an agency ! may have had in regard to
any political matter in which you and al have
common interes'?
This, then, as understand my position and re-
spousbites to the public, constitutes one difficulty |
in the way of my becoming member OF this new
party |
Again, as | understand it, land if | am wrong |
am not to blame, as | speak from the best hight |
can gei) in becoming member agree 10 De gov
erned and controlled by the majority. Now am
free to admit that in matters of partnership and
government majorities must and ought to rule
But under our form of Government there are such
things as nalienable rights, suchas right to THINK
speak and vote as you please. should not be WILL
ing to surrender those rights even to majority.
am willing that the majority shall rule, and am
ready to submit to the action OF the majority out
then | am not willing to bind myself to aid IN the
accomplishment of the will of majority when my
reason, nv Judgment and conscience all disapprove
or condemn it.
Ills base abandonment of reason
To resign our right Of thought
Maiorities may be right majorities ought to be
right and generally are right but they may be wrong
and sometimes are wrong, and shall reason, judy
ment and conscience be made subservent to them
| would at all times endeavor to conform my op;n-
ions and actions to that Of majority of my friends,
but if at any time should fail to be able to do this
/ must ever reserve to myself the proud privilege
of thinking and acting for myself
Another and more serious difficulty lies in my
pathway to fellowship, and is to be found IN the
religious test it imposes candidates Tor cices OF
honor or trust There is, doubtless much misap-
prehension and some Misrepresentation on this suo-
| lect.
1t is sometimes charged that the new party
would SO far prescribe Catholics as to deny them
theprivileges of worshippng God according to their
own conscience or forms of their Church. This Is,
doubtless untrue for such proposition IS toe mon
strous to find advocates in this enlightened age 1t
might have done for tho dark ages of religious su-
perstition and intolerance.
| Whilst it does not profess to interfere with the
Catholic in his rights of worship it does propose to
prescribe him politically. 1t does, as | understand,
provide that no member of the order shall cast his
vote for Catholic.
| I Now | can bind myself by 70 such obligation
1 am no Catholic, my mind and judgment can new
| er embrace what seems to me SO great an aosurdty
as part of their creed.
/ never, that l know Of voted for Catholic.
do not know that l shall ever vote tor one, but
will enter into no crusade against any reiiglous de-
nomination; i will prescribe no denomination
The Constitution makes no prescription. shall
not go outside of or beyond the Constitution.
The Constitution declares there shall be no re-
ligious test. Such a discrimination IS at war with
the spirit and genius of our Institutions. The best
interests Of the State and the church, according to
the teachings of all history, require that they be
kept separate and distinct. How long can this be
done when you make mans religious faith test
of Office; how long before you will find it in some
insidious form creeping into your halls of Legisa-
toni l can never consent, by any agency OF mine,
to be instrumental in mngling politics and religion
| together; they are not harmonious elements and
can never mingle with each other The day that
the church shall descend from its high position to
mingle in the conflicts of party politics, that day
will see her brightness obscured, her powers de-
molished, her usefulness impaired aud her glory
departed.
When you have succeeded Gf you ever shalD in
this political prescription, think you it will stor
there? When was the spirit ofproscription or per-
secution (either religious POLITICAL satisfied by
SUGGEST Never. The more you give the more Il
demands How long after the attainment of such {
triumph if it be atanable at alp would it be beior.
some other church would come under this ban o
political prescription? 1t will not do to atter our
selves that there is so much harmony and identity
of feeling and interest between the various branch
es of the Protestant Church as to secure to then
immunity from such catastrophe. Thus to sup
pose is to falsy the truth of history and to dlsre
gard the teachings of the past even IN our owl
country, to say nothing of the warnings that CONT
TO u. from other days and other countries. Wha
conflicts have been marked by more bitterness anC
rancor, even in this country, than those of reis
: ious character? l might cite you to wars IN ou
own day, which for bitterness, malIgnity and vtu
peration, would compare most successfully will
the widest escapes of the hustings. A common
, purpose with common victim, may for season
secure harmony and unity OF action; but when the
battle is fought the victory won old ieuds will b
revived, ancient preudices and animos.les will re
5 cur again, another victim will be demanded anC
then another scene of relgious-political prosorip
: ton will begin. He that soweth the wind mus
reap the whirlwind."
Our boast is that this is land of religious free
, dom and federation. What sort of freedom Is thai
which osracises large class of your citizens, both
native and foreign for mere religious opinion sake
This requirement that no Catholic shall hold Office
is the clearest political ostracism that can exist
And by it thousands and tens of thousands OF GU
2 own native born American citizens are excluded
from any participation in the honors and offices o
the country.
r There are but few Catholics in our own State
but l could cite you to many, even in this sr-al
number, who are native born; and 1t you will stel
across the line into your sister State, you will tint
between 5000 and 10000 Catholics all born ant
5 reared on the soil of Kentucky-reared and educa
ted under the teachings of the venerated Sage @
| Ashland-the great body of them possessing the
8 same political faith that he possessed. VIII yo
say that these shall be excluded from honor AM
} Office, because of their religion? How much lar
ther can prescription go? Will you deny the Cath
Ollie participation in the offices and honors OF tina
country the blood of whose fathers was she'd t.
: make it land of religious freedom? VIII yo
impose taxes and burthens them, for the supper
} and maintenance of those offices, and yet say t
! them they shall not participate IN theml Tn
proposition lnoustrous. 1t changes the Old orde
of things The time was, when the only test o
qualification for Office was, IS he hoaest9s he ca
: paJleF" Old things are passing away. This is N
, longer the test. The test now is not whether b
is honest and capable, but is he q Catholic or not
/ Does he or does he not belong to Sam? If Cath
olcism be wrong as religious faith, and tirtn.
believe it is, leave it to be combatted by rea' on
argument and truth. Invoke not the strong arm 0
political prescription to arrest it; such policy WI
only multiply and increase their numbers
have thus my dear sir, given you frankly ant
as briefly | could the opinions / entertain OF tn
leading tenets of this party. l do not expect
nor do desire, that they shall influence the opln
ions or actions OF one human being 1t is sufcien
for me that they are honestly entertained and can
didy avowed, and furnish satisfac ory rule for tn
government OF my own conduct
| 7 LII 49, Aiotcr