The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-02-08


rights Of education, the attainment Of wealth,
the right of social equality, of suffrage, and 1t
viii not be long before that class will demand
the boon that freemen seek, and denial viii be
unsafe.
1t is mean, IT is cowardly, as well as false, for
any man, or set of men, to assert that, in COM
bining to exclude all Catholics from Office, they
do no more than exercise the right not to vote
for individuals, which is as clear as the right to
vote for them.
Sir if the opposition seen and felt abroad,
and heard here, in this Hall, means anything
more than miserable, beggarly appeal TO low
preiudcies, with view Of holding Office, it
means that Catholics ought to be excluded from
all Office; and if they are, because they are
Catholics, ineligible to place, then, those who
assert it are bound to change the Constitution,
or openly violate its provisions. VIII that be
done? Will they have courage to do it? They
must DO it to be consistent. They must forbear
to be honest-a much more difficult effort. =
Will that be done, and the question of the
constitutional rights settled? or shall the Cath
Ole Christian hear himself insulted, as he has
been more than once here, with the offensive
Imputation which have endeavored to refute
Shall the heart of the American Catholics be
wounded wIthstale rumors-rumors revived for
party action-uncredited tales to their dishon-
or, or hypothetical charges of concealed treason,
which, while it ventures upon no specification,
disturbs the public mind, awakens slumbering
prejndices, sharpens religious animosties, and
gives occasion for the mean, the ignorant, and
the vulgar ambitious, TO rise into power, by the
combination of their own class with those who
failing in other combinations, hide their dis
grace, and ayenge their former defeat BY such
associations as make minorities contemplate in
themselves, and render majoriiies dangerous to
the Republic.
Mr.. Chairman, one more word and | will
close. / have fairly and fully met the accuse
tons made by the honorable gentleman from
Massachusetts, against the Church of which
am a member. Step after step he retreated,
until he had planted himself on the Bishop of
Rome; and there he challenged the citation of
a single disavowal on the part of the Pontiff,
that he claimed temporal power over the SUBJ
jects of other Governments. Step by step i
have followed him, and concluded the array of
disayowals by presentation TO this Committee
of an explicit denial on the part of the Pope
that any such authority or right was claimed
by the Church or by him.
Mr.. Chairman to the warnings expressed
here, and the nervous apprehensions expressed
abroad, that the prevalence of the Catholic rel-
gion will be dangerous to the country, / have
only to say, that we of this country are in no
danger from Catholicity, Episeopacy, Calvinism,
Lutheranism, or other forms Of Christianity
Sir, Christianity in any form is better than Inf
deity and Atheism. And Atheism is now at
work, as it ever has been busy, against the
Christian faith and Christian prohibitions 1t
assails the Roman Catholic first, because that
creed is more extensive; and without consider
ing the evil which each is doing to religion,
Christian men are yielding themselves uncon-
sciously, co-worl1ers with nfdelty BY their act
i've hostility to each other.
Mr.. Chairman, if this country is to fall by
any other means than ordinary decay or local
COMMISSIONS it is not Christianity, not the Chris
tianity Of Geneva, Rome, Scotland, or England,
that will produce the ruin. The mischief will
be wrought by inhdelity. Sapping first the
confidence of the people in each other, under
mining the foundations of Christian charity,
breaking the bonds Of social life, relaxing the
ties of moral obligations, setting creeds in hos
tile attitudes, till there is nothing left for host-
lily, and bringing down the whole scheme of
domestic, social and political life to the plans
and ends of Socialists and Atheists who laugh
at the existence of a God, and seek their tri-
umphs in the obliteraiion Of the doctrines and
teachings of Christ
MIR. Chairman, / have forborne to-day all
retaliatory imputations, all irritating compari-
Sons, and confined myself to a refutation of a
charge made against men Of the Roman Catho.
lie creed. have not sought this contest, but,
tor the sake of honor, Of truth, of myself and
my co-rehgionists, for the sake of the insttu-
tons and the Constitution Of my country, could
not decline IT. L have eyaded no point nor
attempted to darken counsel. / have met the
charge fairly, candidly, and truthfully. have
dealt in no street rumors have confided in no
idle gossip. | have adduced no testimony not
of my own knowledge, or from those who are
authorized TO speak to the question at issue.
and with reference thereto, with my hand upon
my heart, and my eye on Heaven call this
House, and u speak with reverence) call nv
God to witness the truth of all the assertions
made from nv own convictions and knowledge.
and my entire confidence in the credibility of ali
the testimony which have adduced from others
NoTE.-The object of this speech being, not
to defend any doctrine of the Catholic Church.
but simply TO defend the Church and its mem,
bers from the charge of holding as an article of
faith, what is not part of the Catholic creed,
1t has been deemed appropriate to copy the fol-
lowing from Prayer Book, in much use among
the Catholics:
This the Pope's) commission regards only
the kingdom of Heaven, that is, the society
which Christ established upon earth to be one
fold under one shepherd, to be brought by the
practice of virtue and the power of His institu.
lions, through His merits, to the possession of
eternal glory. This commission extends not.
then, power to the Pope of interfering in the
temporal, the civil, or the political regulations
OF nations"