The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1855-09-25
WHY SHOULD AMERICAN OR IRISH CATHOLICS
BE PROSCRIBEDf

WHY SHOULD AMERICAN OR IRISH CATHOLICS
BE PROSCRIBEDf
If there is any single idea which your fanatical and
therefore ignorant know-nothng pernaciousy adheres
to- it is that great evil is be brought this
try by the Catholics If citizen be American Catho
lie, and you point to the bameess and in
highly praseworthy character of his life this Conscientious
know-nothng will elevate his eyes and hands and cx
claim "Ah yes if he would only abure his allegiance to
the Pope foreign potentate could offer objection to
him. If you talk about the folly and injustice of closing
ports to the ibertyoving foreigner who is flying from
the desposm of his native land and comes here Offer
his heart his head his hands, and mayhap his purse
receive in return what he failed to find where he
born-a country dusng the blessings of civil and re-
ligous libertythis conscientious knownothing will
tell you 9" have particular aversion to foreigners il
they Professionals il they have religion but
these foreign Catholics, and particularly Irish Catholics
tell you sir they will overthrow the liberties of
try Now, that there is not of weight
grain of truth in these objections that the American
Catholic not deficient in any of the qualities which make
up perfect right to that proudest Of ttesan American
citizen that the Catholic rishman when he has gone
through the probation which present naturalization
laws impose upon him. is at ready the coun-
try and especially in the perous time of war and that
neither the American the Irish Catholic any pot
cal allegiance to the Pope whatever
When has American Catholic refused to bear his
share of the exposure and his quota of the contributions
to sustain his countrys honor7 eunhesitangly affirm
1t is true the Catholics are small number as
compared with all native citizens yet in their numeri-
cal proportion have their swords and bayones ever gilt
tered in the sunlight Of battle and been dyed with gore
and a Ills have heen ~
OF danger AT the period OF our revolutionary warm
the times that tried mems souls-we find them ever
firm. The history of those times makes no mention of
any Catholic traitor. There in those days certain
divine who had been chaplain Congress- and who has
been condemned to perpetual nfamy for his hatred and
desertion of the American cause He was not Catholic
His the Rev. Jacob Duche In letter that he
addressed to General Washington, dated Philadelphia,
October g. l777, in which he besought the Paer Pai
abandon the American cause speaking of Congress- he
says:
"Maryand no longer sends Tilghman and Protestant
Carroll"
Mark she does not send "a Protestant CARROLL but
she did send Catholic Carroll who the year previous had
affixed his signature the Declaration of Independence
and who still earnestly contending for American
rights, American honor and American freedom Shall his
CuHuren Branucnldren De deprived OF that
onal inheritance which he that period so noby assisted
to bequeah to them because they may choose to
ship God in the way this heroic ancestor did Or
shall they be told that the grandson of the Rev.
Mr. Duch6 il either of these personages be found is
eligible to Office when they not if he was born in
this country and has joined the American ordcr?a
Again. of the Irish Catholics have they not proved emf
nenty devoted to the land of their adopton' Does any
doubt whether the Catholic Irish rendered us essential
service in our revouon2 Let history and tradition de-
eide We have, however, before us the aPennsylyania
Ledger printed in Philadelphia after that city had
passed into tho hands of the British This newspaper
bears its title tho British of arms. and was to all
ntents and purposes British paper opposed to the cause
of American independence. In the number published No
vember 26, TIT, we find the following paragraph.
"a letter from Dublin declares that nothing can
the spirit of resentment which the Protestant
the insults they have lately experienced from the Aer
tbs gentlemen Of the Boyne and Anghrm societies (so
called from the two memorable battles fought the gorou.
rsvouon) recruiting their corps with great asduty
being oppose the enemies Of the present happy
establishment, OF what kind soever."
The revolution referred to the English revolution
OF 1885, he present happy establishment was the British
government which was then trying put down the Amer
lean colonies, in which lsudabl. undertaking II found