The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1855-10-06
srkEnn OF MR.. HOLT


There il such word liberation in the vocabulary o.
freemen."
Tile foregoing toast having been drunk Mr. Holt in re-
spouae the call Of the meetng rose and spoke as oi
lows. ....I....
I'm PREsIpBsr, Would that could in tatng terms ae-
quit myself OF the task which your KIND paruah'y mus u.s.
sened me- and that could express TOO now ueepv .s
the compliment OF ng called on to respond 70 ihc STINT
ent 10 which you have Just given atterng areceplon
While however do this, and must beg that you
viii pardon me from shrinking from an alels =,
hino like set speech on this OCCASION cannot 90 Tess
than say that ia my humble Judgment, no trner no no.
er sentiment acne precious to ireemen, than that
which has INST been announced us could be uttered by
human Inns w have all imbibed it, it ware from our
noter,s milk and among the rich jewels which cluster
about the heritage Of the revouuon there IS none orgne
none more truly priceless, than this us announcement
no IA bia moment not the less musical 10 us because
there Is still ringing in ears the insolent shout OF US
brutal foe whose organization may well pc Termed
the Mormonsm of political phEosophy-because, IKE hat
retehed deluson religion il has gone back and BACK
into ages and lands Of darkness and Of crime IN search
of mfnciplos on which it is founded and by when
il PROCESSES to be governed. The announcement too,
"a not the css appropriate here because we stand as
il were upon the very theatre of the cowardly atroci
ties which the sworn foes OF religious liberty hase
80 recently perpeIated delight too, doubtless do
Won all to honor this sacred principle III association
with our distinguished guest whose life has illustrated ms
attachment to This as 70 all the other great points % our
political creed here to-day with an une9ned de-
Sire y my presence offer homage to his private ana
public WORTH but especially to the stainless fidelity ana
ualterpg moral courage with which he has met all re-
sonsbiiies incident to the high office from which he has
lust descended And now the close OF an official term
snguary brilliant it is free from every reverse and re-
roacb he seeks again the sweet repose OF private lie
n sure he bears with him the anxious wishes Of us ALL
wishes which spring from heart of heartsthat his
future may be with flowers as IS his past with the
blessed memories OF noDic pnollc dulles laiuiJ uHu
houorably discharged.
Nr President in view of the ateness of the hour and
The fact that well agreed it docs seem to e that
it would be iii good taste to detaln you win any
mine upon the madness and the pernicious
tendencies of the political organization which has arrayed
itself against the sentiment to which you have Just na
fez:ed SO ardent devotion. Cries Of $50 on $50 on
Allow me, then, to add that can view with mose
unnxed horror than do the renorscess crusade now be-
ing prosecuted from one end Of the Union 70 inc otner
against our neigbors friends ellowcitzens, the
Catholics through them against all religious freedom
repeat il eInphacay through them against all religious
yreao1a in this matter all Proestants and
Catholics embarked in the chip upon the same great
bottom The Protestants may succeed in scattling that
Ship and thus for time overwhem their Catholic neigh
bors but they may rest assured that the same epgIng
wave that takes the Catholics the bottom will in due
time carry them there also They drugging to the
brim with poison cup which they themselves may yet
have drink it's dregs In the blindness OF bgotry
like Samson of old they have laid bold upon The pillars
of the temple Of religious liberty and would drag them to
the ground in the hope that the Catholics may be crushed
by the fall. They should remember that Samsons own
body was found mangied corpse in the ruins which he
himself had made gsibla..,
Mr. President it is uncharitablo say That tha
ganzaon little less than reasonable attempt to de-
stroy of the most hallowed fruits Of the revolution
the right of every mat, free from responsibility to
earthly tribunal TO worship the Almighty according to
the dictates of his conscience 1t is ruthless ntru
soa into the holy OF holes of your political sanctuary
which all parties and of every hue and aim, have
hitherto concurred in regarding as sacred from invasion
Could the uncounted millions Of martyrs who in all ages
and under all systems of religion and of superstition
have amid the flames and torments unutterable been hur
red into eternity be heard to-day in louder than
the echong thunder they would call upon the Protestant
population of this country beware beware how they
ncain IN their midst the demon Of religious persect
ton, which, like Banqnos ghost will not down at their
4 n wi Ii hay
the footprints Of crime and which, scoring its desoa-
ens into the human heart has from to age converted
this beautiful earth into smoking, illuminated hell We
had hoped and ondy trusted that fathers had chained
this demon that sublime fortress the federal consttu
tion-not for thousand years, but forever Woe,
unspeakae betde that recreant of the republic who
would break impair link of that mighty chain 1t
better for him and for the which he belongs
that he had never been born.
But they respond to that they intend prescription
for religions sake but seek only to exclude from office
those misguided citizens who hold that their temporal ale
glance is due to the Pope Of Rome and not to the authors
Ties OF this republic miserable and most shallow pre-
text Do not know that the national platform adopted
ut Philadelphia in June last proscribes all Cdthocs with
out any reference to the question whether they acknowl
edge civil allegiance to the Pope not and that the
Catholic delegation from Louisiana excluded from the
halls Of the convention solely because they Catholics
and that inquiry made TO whether they owned
this the Papa to be entitled to their obedi
ence? Aud do we not know that overwhelming
ory if not the entire Catholic population Of this country,
utterly deny the alth imputed to them this point and
that the Pope with his Cardinals and other high officials
has again and again declared that the Papa
has authority interfere with the civil affairs of other
naions2 And lastly, do not know that the practice
OF the Papal government far this country
cd has been in strict accordance with this declaration
that interference in temporal affairs State ma
tona has been attempted nor even alleged
peced IL requires small amount of charity and
duty too believe that this is mere political issue and
that the safety of the republic and the downfall
particular religious faith, is the aim of the organization
Batlayng their hands, red though they be- their boz
sons they tell that they find there of the fierce
tobbngs of that bgotry which prompted the persecution
Of other ages and that they know themselves incapable of
Offering violence to the property of their neighbor
because of his peculiar religions faith This declaration
strange when read in the lurd light of those con
gaons Of which this city has recently been the sad wit
But surprising it to be sincerely made how little do
they know Of themselves and how imperectly have they
sounded those depths Of passion at the bottom OF which this
monster lies concealedtranqui it may be but ready
at any moment to be reused into action Have they not
already eonvnsed society to its foundations? The seeds
which they have scattered broadcast have they not al
ready germinated and they not everywhere coming up
many budding tongues OF fire, whose hissngs are
heard and whose burnngs felt in every household in
The lsnd2
The progress OF bgotry and the persecution to which il
leads has been like that of rock hurled from some
mountain height At first it may slowly, but with
each revolution its speed becomes and rapid
until finally, bounding from pecipce to precipice gather
ing velocity and momentum every step, who shall stay
Needless portray the desolatons of its path
way2 SO with bigoiry. They begin gently at first with
exclusion from Office to-day; but IN this free country they
have right TO exclude their neighbor from Office
because he Catholic than they have to burn him ut
The stake for the The violation of natural and
law is quite manifest in the
the other. sf e