The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1855-01-23
THE TIMES AND THE REMEDY

The present position OF parties in the United States sug-
gess crowd Of reflections the contemplative mind
There is apparent coincidence and concurrence in the
and the of the day which give to these
and extraordinary character. When we see
Christian churches divided by slavery discussions on the
one band, and united in the enforcement of wide and
system ofreligious intolerance the other when We
clergymen preaching politics from the pulpit and de-
sering the house of God for the contentious of boterous
public meetings; when in American cities great crowds
OF the demanding bread or blood =
when the sacred of religion il stained BY the rude
championship OF vile and proane partisaus when con-
spiracy bound into eonquerng party by hideous oats
and debasing orgies lords eminent virtue and I'M
challenged intellect and when this long train Of dan
gers and Of degradatons add list Of bankruptcies
frauds and financial troubles may well pause and ask
ourselves what te such aggravated evils forebode 10 our
beloved country another picure we find our
general happiness NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. eontened in ninety
nine of every hundredour government wisely
and well adminis'ered-and flag honored all over the
globe But how long this be while society yields 10
the persistent efforts Of blind and infatuated men? How
shall we discover the motive that prompts such Of
forts Some tell us It is spirit of reform and yet the
remedies proposed effect this object are worse than the
imaginary disease with all its exaggerated horrors 9th
it is to purify the old parties and yet they take as
their leaders Of the corrupt political hacks Of
the times Then instructed tina, an organization
70 protect the Protestant religion and yet we see Unver
sat preachers set up for governors by these REFORM
ers and peaceful precepts exchanged for belIigeren
speeches and passionate DEGREES Of accommodation We
say that before such organized combined per-
secuiions-sueh pToane extremes-no society born out
Of and dependent upon, public opinion can hold out
without being seriously impaired. Those who attempt
ed to reform religion in France forgot God himself
in their sublime investigations after perfec,ibity; and
in the pomp and pride of their theories they
worshpped diriniy whom they called Reason and lost
sight Of the prostitute in gazing upon the idol Let US be-
ware OF these false prophets Let pause before follow
ing these bad examples Let take counsel before we WELD
ourselves INCREASINGLY to current which may over
whelm us in ruin.
Does not this rapid glance the present position Of
parties foreshadow array q evils before which those
complained Of by reformers sink into insgni6
eance Is not the idle and insane camor about popes
power far less grevous calamity than divided congre
cations and warning creeds Il not the spocryphal
peril resulting from foreign emigration infinitely subord
nate 10 the spectacle Of domestic organizations pledged 10
prescribe their neghbors and their friends What Jesuit
vow is more binding dangerous than 4 know
nothing oath What foreign influence is one 1.-THE so
fearful as the crusade against property against law
and against the private rights Of the citizen nov
rising with potency and with numbers simultaneous
with this new organization And finally, what cause
can be called good cause which in order TO achieve
impossible results breaks out into excesses and en-
dorses that shake social system from lis CEN
tire 10 its circumference and mpe the structure al DOR
free institutions
Butt there no remedy for the alleged grievances which
are held 10 these That L The question
aud il Is TO this point that desire to direct the thoughts
Of nfamed bgots whether elerymsn or aymeu and the
energies Of our fellow-counnymen. The first and only
remedy is to apply TO these grievances the test Of common
sense aud rational legislation. You cannot break down
the Catholic Church by prosecuting Catholics Protestant
ism is not far gone this and there no more wisdom
In rssortng TO such folly and madness now than there wa.
hundreds Of years ago, when hunted Proesan the one
hand grew strong upon Catholic prescriptions and when
hunted Catholics the other hand ourshed amid the tenn
pest Of Protestant prosecutions Nor Amcrssnist to he