Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-06-05

! III DHltG tile ana it-ui"
army. And thIs the whole nature ut our govern
mont is changed from republic into all ollSarchv
managed and controlled in secret by caba and III
trigue. 1t avails nothing, to say that the councils
may be attended by all members OF the party
However true this may lie in theory, in practice only
Il few attend devise the schemes, and issue thu
edcts. When the thing is novel; curiosity more than
principle, leads members TO nttend-as It grows "ld
it becomes stale. Tho will have neither the
time nor indeed, the inclination to come: and
thus BY degrees tho motive active power dwniies Ia
mere quorum; and it is easy 10 see mar ms
will be composed only OF those whose selhs1 eids
and political advancement offer stimulus suilcch' !"
overcome the apathy that affects the masses na "-
garchy can be worse than this! The ogarc!y no: ofhc
Medci of Florence or the Senate Of Venice liberal en-
lightenc and learned but of county court and cross.
road managers and ,tsprans for office, great and
SMALL men ;yfu are generally ignorant anu incapa-
BILE, and of;-nes unworthy. Neither Is II any a!Eu-
ment that parties heretofore have been ruled By the
caucus system. admit that the old party caucus and
your association but Identical! II IL coice-
ded all hands that the system is bad one, borrow
ed from bad source-le pol!;irs.oi New lorhi and
the argument, therefore, amounts only 10 fhls that
You are irving to maintain the problem that two
wrongs make right adopt the Jcslits rule Of do
ing evil that good may come. L have heard some
OF your orators justify this opposition of secret society
against caucus by the elegant maxim, cha, it Is law
iul to fight the devil with fire." This may he ul right
| and proper provided you should burn his Satanic
! majesty only but while Won IRE heaping GOALS OH
him, Won should be sure that you run no risk OF scat
| tering brands to consume and drsolatc your own
homes, your affairs and your household gods. have
snid these associations are demDralzinr 10 the peo-
| pie. say for many rcasons. Let one or tw" snt-
fee: They begct habit of intrigue in political mat
| ters. The very change from the open public meet
ing TO the midnight and secret conventicle is the
semcs of the plan of the nrigucr. They nurc the
people n>ncerity andhypocrisy in their dealings one
with another Il is plot and cOuntGrpot athe time OF
| politica canvass indeed we may say al the time Of
plp Indy
| some Office. What instance of insiucerify more
rarng can you have than this, that you cit 1T night III
secret council your neighbour try him, perhaps, on
charges affecting his character; cuudenn him unh,ar
am, resolve do all You 10 deprive him uf the
support OF his sIlowcitizens; and in tho morning you
| greet him friend, perhaps pnr'ake OF his cup I!
Is not this Jonh meeting Abncr i'll the gate? These
associations beSct suspicious among the people. a
man fears To express himself openly public affairs
when he knows not but some spy IL near, whose ill.,
tecst duty it may be 10 report his words to some
secrc. meeting. This feeling does not stop i'll the pub
lc walk. Ii pcrvades the sacred hreside Mt hume.
Secrets nre committed TO fathers, about which they
dare not commune with their SONS: and SONS
cuctpr measures they must not even hint to their ia
| ,iers: and thus brought upon some Of the
horrors of the Reign of Terror when fathers and sons,
DAUGHTERS and mothers, husbands md wives misiers
and servants throughout tho length and breadth nj
France were but one grand Gordon ofmutual cspiDn.
age ain this situation, men are Obliged to ny from
their very spocies. The seeds OF destruction
/
| If wholesome kindred is infected, Their tables and
beds are surrounded by snsrrs. All the means given
bv Providence 70 make life sau and comfortable urc
nerver.ed into instruments OF terror and torment
This SPECIES uf subscrvrncy that makes the very
want that waits behind your chair the Hrbte: OF your
fate and fortune, has such tendency 10 degrade and
abass mankind, and to deprive them Of that assured
| and liberal state OF mind, which aonO can make Us
what VIC ought to he, that VOW to God would
sooner bring myself 10 put man 10 Immediate death
for opinions dslkcd, and 80 to get rid of tho nGn
and his opinions AZ once thnn To fret him with fever.
sh being tainted with the Jail dstemper OF q com,a-
gious servituie. to keep him above ground an ami
mated mas fputrofacon, corrupted himself and cor
rupng all nboal him. Edmund Burke. These
associations detract from seif-respect They degrade
the individual in his own eyeS speak from expe-
rience OF the effects in my own case II II CALLING II
every sensitive mind, every honorable man, TO feel
that lie walks anon. thcm, an ohec. OF suspicion to
his fullow-ci know that he Is connecting in
secret plans and schemes oil political warfare against
them which he dare not avow, anu which, III some I'M
suspected moment will explode like mines b. meath
enemy Ii is cquuly calling to feel that he has
rifed his independence, and bound himself by an oath
| 10 obcy the dcta;ion OF ohcrs-t0 vote Tor mon he
disikes-to support measures his judgment d'sap:
proves. cnu,iidly confess that tins more than
| can bear. have ever openly nvowcd myself n
member of the Order and now wash my hands OF II
| forever.
The last reuson shall trouble you with il, the rc-
gious aspect. as it is termed of TINS party II look
4
ter AID principles in this respect we find that the ar
ticl. on The subject THE it'll if taken literally Is ann
Their Of those trusms - which ell may assent we
al cherish religious tO,rrGi;nn. woaG raihor say
religious .ccdlm. In america, every man Eah 'Lc
right ci perfect freedom in religion. y" ono ''soic-
rat."-nobndy has tho right 10 toI'rd'e--"hich
souns 10 bo allowance 70 me To exercise my reiSi"h
from some power that controls the SUBJECT Livery
body, roo presume, will agree tina: mo sect or iN
ty which i, controlled by aoy foreign power, religious
/ or p,tca is mi-chcvous. Sow, nbjrc; 10 this iih
article, that it Is Sngcuu"Es. here Is among IL s'ch
party sect, there In MT. II there he not Inca
the article i empty nJiisc. |. there he such ser
or party, il should bs denounced hY name. in ORDER
that the people may know who il mined ct, aud be
enabled to judge CLEARLY and upon proof, whether it is
iustiy char".able with the nputntion against it, be
fore They commit themselves to the adoption of the
cun,lemnatory article. Ii is not right 10 hold on:
generality OF ths sort as principle TO induce Que 10
Join party, and then, alter hc has Committed him
self, Ia give the principle local l'abitaon ana
name" Many Il man might in this way be scduced
to give his adhesion 10 the party, and wake up to hr
knowledge that his Church WAS the one intenled
TO DO pat under the BAN This neither tar nor g-
nervous. But il is useless to comment farther on ms
branch of the article All the world knows now that
the sect or party meant, is the Catholic Church
in these United Sates. Mr.. FIournoy. in his letter,
has torn away the veil by which the meaning was
! hidden and the very thing denounced by the
article ITSELF gious intolerance stands forth reveal
ed in all its dread proportions. 1hs appirton. II Is
tr,c is announced Ly Mr.. F!oprnoy III mid aud len
der phrase. IL does moi design Ia interfere WIN ne
fG; md worship of Catholics. M! M! "lhtsr
mr.. among the natural rights of man. anl arc hedg-
ed about by law and By the Constitution Inc "'y
thing INTENDED IL TO deprive these Chtnulc-, naive
and nil, Of participation, by rOtc AZ Eer 1eH0"-cat-
GEMS at tic 0s III tho offices the hohor- NO cnJiu-
norts OF their common government Andials " not
ia,orrance!t is not religious persecution: Nna'
hollow pre:cX whit cant il this; worthy ony o. l.:
natus Loyola himself Who Is there so Shallow II
he ever read; heard the Constitution 1i M coHiii.
read that docs not see in this violation Of the pro-
v:sio that religions test shHli ever be retlFeu as
qualification for rlccl Who does not seem Ills
persecution of tho worst sorll
What i. proposed! To iix stigma upon tese men
to- degrade them into inferior casit 10 snd thcin
abroad in their native land, among their eloW'ciii
zers, (f such they can have among their trends III
the outcast has irend) among their rt!llr o""r-'
in. on lhr brow the oU! mark Of suspected traitors
to heir cOuIiry.
This dreadful appnrition, it is truc, does rot now
stalk forth with rack nad eibbef, chais ana
Dungeons fire aud fasgoi, aud all the grin nor
rnrs of Spanish aut"-jh-ie in It's tran. bu'
who ia ST. blind to the future effects oil 80 nomcii-
tous thing. es not to See looming up III ne oacS
ground oil the horrors Of religious warfare! lhlk
you the Catholics will remain quiet under sue stare
of ihings-that they will consent to wear lie ch'n
| you bind tenderly about them! Think you, 'hey
will not struggle to regain their lost estate! he'ncni-
Der, lis their religion You ut,ack-tls for thar "l'h
YOU osracisc them. In such cnse, what does histo-
~ tell you is the inevitable result! She tells you ot
| struggles, long aud b'oody-of controversies oi AL
others the most bitier-uf wars, OF all others tie
most disastrous. Ia these which she porrays
Catholic. aud Professionals are alike to blant-rell-
pious fury sezes both alike, and stcels the lenrt 10
every feeling of humanity. Remember, if Cahoiic
| Mary burned at the stake, LATINA aud Ridley :"
Scrvcus suffered the hands of Calvin, anda Cru
ham and Lsudcrdale, were joined together 40 tx
trpute PrcsbytcrinDsn by fire aud sword, the drown
ing of wonsu, and the frshtful torture OF the boat.
Is il not awful to contemplate the bare possibility OF
the recurrence of such scenes us these! In our
mother country, muuarchica' England where church
aud State are still conj"ncd, the true pGir
OF fondy hopes they nrc forever closed. iier
statesmen have LIoi;tI from her records the la:
u..,:... f r.l,ns tesls end cl,lillrI down the de-,