The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1855-10-12

American
with the abolitonss and fee-soers and the American
party of all the other free States except California, In OPP
position the institution Of slavery Northern fanacism,
divided all other questions is united IN opposition 10
southern slavery. Its platform was No more slave ter
tory slave States; the abolition OF slavery 10
the District Of Columbia the abolition Of the slave trade
among the several States where slavery exists the repeal
Of the ngitye-save law and the restoration Of the in
Missouri restriction To accomplish all OF these dis
10 the country the know-nothng party
North united in sympathy, as they would be In &C
ton with all the other anti-slavery factions and the
American party South thus cut off from all support from
the northern and free States, was lmpotent 70 DO good
and, If strong ALL only to do evil.
the remark made he did not mean 10 question the
patriotism Of the members of the American party South
he knew their devotion 10 the country and their nndgiug
attachment to the Union but what could they DO but d.
vide with the democratic party in the election for Pes
OF the United States and candidates for other Offices
the southern votes and thus weaken those Who ON primes
pies of sepreseryaon and in defence OF common right
should be united2
In addition to all this said he, Protestant he was in
all his feelings and in all his convictions, he could not sub
scribe that portion of the platform which proerhes
Catholics for their religious opinions He good 10
grow of it. but incacuable evils to the people and to
the free institutions Of the country By il Professionalism was
already in the field against Catholicism and the war is
not of conflicting principles but conflicting seets and
the contest for power is TO be changed from what II once
politicanto that of politico-regious srug
GLE in which the worst passions of nature to be
aroused to the most fearful intensity and the true spirit
and genius of the lost sight of the fierce and
maddening strife of religious bgots contendng for re
ton Catholics extended only TO such as acknowledge
the temporal power of the Pope lie should give his full
appreciation; but to those who not only dsclam such
power but refuse in amy respect whatever 10 submit to II
he did not think the objection should apply Those who ac
knowledge the temporal influence OF any King foreign po
tenta power of whatever character organization to
control their political opinions actions could not
ceve his support candidates for office either under the
State federal government but in regard 10 mere mat
Of religion the profession OF particular enets whether
right wrong is matter that Themselves their
consciences and their God; and individual, he
would deprecate all political prescription for the holding
Of such opinions The history OF the world proves that
religious bgotry and intolerance have been confined
particular church sect and that every religious organ
zaon is less hostile to all Others that do not agree
with it, The persecution time of the Protesants by
the Catholics and at subsequent period of the Catholics
by the Protcstants shows how fearful thing il is TO
hide the political power of government to the hands OF
religious bigots 1t the exercise OF such power and
by such that kndled the grim fires OF persecution
the plains of Smth6eld when the Catholics were in power
and that afterwards when the oestans got the posses
sion of the government drenched the country in Cath
Ollie blood The fell spirit that stimulates the Catho
lie prosecute the Protestant stimulates the Protestant
persecute the Catholics and whilst it snatches the sword
from the Catholic scabbard with the hand it seizes
that of tho Protestant with the other and with merces
fury plunges each into the heart of the victim.
Among the chief glores Of the federal constitution is
that provision which every citizen the liberty of
conscience and the right to worship Ged in his way
and at his time and if the trainers OF the constitution
them according the spirit of the constitution be
politically criminal and cannot but think that all po-
cal organizations that have for their object the political
prescription of for the conscientious discharge of
lgous duties wholly disconnected with politics. wrong
in principle and tend TO the subversion of the
The hope and the expectancy nay the very safety of the
government is in the separation of the political from the
religious power and sensible the trainers of the
constitution that this should be DONE that they expressly
declared that Congress shall make law respecting
establishment OF religion prohibiting tho exercise
thereof and that religious shall ever be required as
qualification to any office of public under the Uni
ted States If this principle as declared in the cousttu
ton is correct it ought to be lost sight of any
by the people than by their representatives in Congress
and should be held sacred and be strictly observed
by the voters at the baotbox by those whom they
ect to make their laws Unless this be The case the people
at the polls might declare that religious should be
required qualification for Office while their represent
ahves in Congress wond feel themselves restrained from
carrying out their will by the above provisions Surely it
cannot be desrabeit cannot be wiseit is patriotic
in any political organization stimulate action so oppo
site in its character between the and his
constituents and especially when the security of our re-
gious ms well as our civil rights endangered by the
conflict
But why was it that the trainers Of the constitution in
serted these provisions? Was il not that they foTesaw
that religious strife would unite itself with political and
that sooner later of the conendng factions would
get the control OF the government and it TO the utter
destruction of all who opposed them differed with them
on questions of religion They knew the proneness of
men, however enlightened when stimulated by secarian
ZEAL to press their peculiar to the utmost extremes
and to hold as enemies deserving death itself such
opposed their views stood in the way of the accomplish
ment of their sectaran purposes The bloody
III ana OF lalnar TO them, and they
saw without the protection which The organic law would
afford hem their fate foreshadowed in the death of
thousand martyrs who freely gave up their lives for their
religion and who preferred to suffer the cruel punish
ment rather than surrender the right of worshppng God
according TO the dictates Of their conscences The
spirit which seeks to prescribe for religious opn-
ions IS the same which then dragged them victims to
the altar aud would now then break them the rack
burn them al the stake but for the protection which the
constitution affords them. This spirit in his Judgment
should not he encouraged and il is the duty us it is the
interest," of all patriots and good only to en-
courage IT. but to use their utmost efforts suppress ii
for cannot be forgotten that in the mutations Of all hui
man affairs those who in power and the prosecutors of
the weak to-day may themselves be weak and prosecuted
Tomorrow. For in these cases,
- We have judgment here that we but teach
Bloody instructions which, being taught return
To plague the inventor. This even-handed Justice
Commonds the ingredients of our poisoned c6alice
To our own lips"
turn to the great question between the North and South
He had shown that the American party North had adopted
the free-so and abolition PLATFORM and that the American
party Sonh although sound the subject slavery had
no power to help the country to prevent the govern
ments falling into the hands of ts enemies the abo
litonists No party could save the country who could
not take from the freeso and abolition party some of the
northern free States for IT, he had before shown all
the free States together they only exceed the slave
States in numbers but have majority of fro forty TO
nifty them ia the electoral colleges That the Amer
can party South get of the free States unless il
aoaifdons s pro-slavery platform, win contend thai
IT can or ever will abandon this PLATFORM none eau be-
heve What can the democratic party do Has it ma
tona platform and national partya platform reaching
from Maine to California and party standing on that
platform from one end of the Union to the other q If any
doubts she points eyultinpy TO the recent elections II