The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1855-04-04

who would snbvert every principle of
Egovernment-let loose the wild passions
of religions bigotry and intoleranse-
drench our country in blood, and entail
upon cur children eternal slavery, that
they might obtain place and power?
Take from our institutions the liber-
ty there guaranteed to religion and Gun
igration, and you rob the government of
the great secret of our prosperity and
happines, and lay the foundation for as
great a tyranny as the world ever
knew.
Shall We then stake everything that
is near and dear to us, to posterity aud
the world, to the mandates and infamy
Of a ecret-political oath bound conclaye ?
The uprisings of pure patriotism, love
of liberty, aud true American princi-
pies, say Meier! Shall we who stand so
proudly in advance of the rest of the
world in civil and religious liberty, be
now prepared to ~retrogade and take to
our generous embrace even worse oppres-
sion than that our revolutionary fathers
laid down their lives to expcl? Well
might we be called degenerate sons of
noble sires, unworthy the boon so dear
Fly purchased.
Why should we fear those who seek
our shores because they love liberty more
than oppression, or our institutions bet
ter than their own? / call upon his
tory to bear me witness when I say, that
we have never had an association of for
eign-bern citizens 10 oppose the govern
ment, or take sides with the enemy in
time of war? Would to God We could
say the same of some of our American
born citizensl
Andshould we fear our Catholic citi-
zens, scarcely one to twenty of our num-
Der And ven were they five times
as numerous, would there be any just
ground for alarm /? Have they not
shown as much patriotism and devotion
to our institutions upon the field and in.
the councils of the nation as any other
class of our citizens !? What new light
has suddenly sprung upon our affrighted
visions, that we should fear this handful
of Catholics are about to raise and take
this country five believe this, we are
h7aor0 BothtHyS In trUth, and should
carry the title in blazing letters around
our necks all our lives.
Gentlemen In CONCLUSION I would say
that [ have, I know, many personal
friends of both political parties in the
order-honorable men, who joined out
of curiosity, or a mistaken notion of its
principles some of whom I know will
never visit a lodge again. Others will
leave the carcass as suon as they discoy-
er its real ~rottenness, and the character
of the propeliug power, as rats do a sink
ing ship. An now that holds the in a
my together, is the strong desire of its
leaders for Office, and their appeals to the
religious ~prejudices of its members.
L have row given you some of my
views of the Order, upon general prin-
as well as a brief reply to the
charges. and leave you at liberty to ex-
pei me or draw black lines around my
name. But 1 should prefer hat you
would beach the whole thing from your
books with oxalic acid, that there may
be no traces left that I ever was a mem
Der. One thing more Whatever 1
may think of the binding character of
the obligation, yet 1 feel in honor bound
not to reveal the of those I know
to be members of the Order.
Respectfully yours,
J.. A. WALTERS.