Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-10-17

"the Order has In some portions Of the Union
deliberately discarded alike It's secrecy and its
obligations" it does not seem indispensable
that the admitted member should in all cases
f" be oath bound" But If any individual vol
unfairly incurs the obligations Of pledge, we
would ask this reverend divine if its violation
would not be moral perjurya Amy promise made
and violated involves perjury, and, whether the
party to which this forfeiture has been made
has the power to enforce legal penalty or not
the moral offence is as complete as If the liar
could be sent to the penitentiary. The edito-
the everyday action Of the Papists. If a
Catholic communicate citizen of the United
States, violates any canon Of the Church, he
may be mathematical and accommodated
True, the citizen may be no more harmed. Than
the mule Of the Abbess Of Bouvilliers was by the
maledictions Of his pious mistress. He may
eat as heartily, laugh and sleep as soundly, and
60 about his business with the same freedom
as if the Vicegerent were not after him with a
sharp stick But is not the moral offence Of
that communicate as enormous as il the Pope
were armed with temporal power to deliver
him over to the secular arm for physical tor
turc9 So every sensible or just man will say.
1t is the same thing with the expulsion of a
member from Masonic lodge. The legal i'm
portance OF the decree neither proves the in
EQUITY Of the Masonic Order nor the innocence
of the offender He who pledges himself to
abide by pledge and violates his promise, is
guilty Of moral perjury 1T is even more dis
honorable act than the violation Of legal PEN
atty; for in the latter man may be kept to
his duty by fear, whilst in the first he has no
arbiter except honor Now, Doctor Forney,
ought to look little closer into the meta
physics Of his profession. Members Of the
American Order may consent--as Papists or
Masons do-that " the imputation Of perjury "
shall fall upon them if they violate their pledge
voluntarily taken if sthey fail or falter" in
what Doctor Forney calls "the pious pastime"
of prescribing their equals, and oftener their
neighbors," for . foreign birth or prelatecal
alliance. But Doctor Forney has shown that
in some portions Of the Union the Order has
deliberately discarded his obligation. It can
not then be indispensable to membership. 1t
is voluntary. The ritual Of the Order shows
that member can at any time discharge him
self Of the obligation by withdrawal. Then,
if member voluntarily ircurs an obligation,
and violates it, he would not be denounced for
perjury in refusing to prescribe or persecutc,
but for having violated the voluntary obliga-
ton of his honor. Does the d. ID. still I'M
derstand? Wewill make this distinction SO
transparent to him that he cannot doubt the
true doctrine. Suppose witness shall testify
a libel against the character Of a party on trial
before court of justice, Upon indictment for
perjury, the libeller would be punished for
violation of his obligation to tell the truth, not
because he had either failed to convict or ex-
culpate the party upon trial. Does the d. D..
the Distinction
We Gull a few epithets from this speech Of
Mr.. Forney, which demand the particular rep
rotation of the American public. The obliga-
ton of secresy of the American Order is called
a "profanc oath" Such members Of the Pro
testant church as may have expressed dread
Of Popery, are called processing followers Of
the meek and lowly Saviour" and charged
with melting political party in its work Of
and Acknowledgement The
Christian members of the American Order are
as "vast multitudes of men wal
lowing In the most reckless oaths, glorying in
the most abandoned prosecutions, and arro-
gantly assuming the right TO punish rebellion
to their standard, by hurting the anathema of
perjury, as If they were delegated vicegercnts
Of God on earth"
They are reproached with I" the bloody
tumults" Of Louisville. But Minister'S Of the
gospel are taken up by Mr.. Forney in the fol-
lowing insolent and false paragraph:
"That ministers of God should, in the osten,i-
Die desire Of promoting the spread Of the doctrines
of Christianity, embark Nth those cho are CON-
nited to these obligations; that they should cheer
fully assume companionship with men besotted In in
tellect and led captive by vice and fraud and that
they should sit silent and see not only their Catho-
lie Eiow-beings, but their own neighbors, (even
those concurring with them in religious belief who
do net belong to the 0rder,) stricken down or
marked out as It were for execution, almost passes
comprehension"
In this paragraph, this agent Of the admins
tration, sent on . mission Of prostitution and
perjury to see how much Of cowardicc, of ne
cessity, Of political fraud and trcachery can be
found amongst the American people, charges
the American pulpit with hypocrisy in pro-
Tossing an ostcnsible desire Of promoting the
spread Of tho doctrines Of Christianity with
fraud in combining with dishonorable mon for
dishonest purposes; with corruption in cheer
fully assuming " companionship with men be-
sotted in intellect and led captive by vice and
fraud, and with intolerance and persecution
in seeing their Catholic fellow-beings stricken
down OF marked out for execution