The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1855-08-04
From nc Richmond Enquirer.
ROMAN CATHOLIC DISABILITIES.

When the Sonnites had surrounded the Roman army al
the Caudne forks aged senator Of approved wisdom
the father Of the Somne general called for his adj
vice to the proper disposition be made Of the conquer
ed enemy Dismiss them said he unmolested aud IN
ransomed" This being strain Of generosity too high for
the conluerors he then said Exterminate them the
last man, Astonshed at the seeming contraC cton in the
counsel given the Somhite general requested expana
ton. BY my first advice said the old senator which
the best recommended TO you insure the everast-
ing gratitude Of powerful people; by my second which
was the worst pointed you the policy Of getting
rid Of dangerous enemy. There is third way aTeT
ttam nulluR eoaslum." When asked If a middle course
would do and whether Romans should be sub
eced to hard conditions aud dismissed unhurt he said
ista qadea seatir c que eqae AMIGOS parat neqae IL
iaicos touaS
The son, uuhappily for his country thought himself
wiser than his father and adopted the middle course pass
ing the Romans under the yoke and sending them home
irreconclable enemies This incident formerly applied to
the Catholic question in Great Britain applies equally well
TO the same question here
We have party who fancy that the Romans in the
Candne forks, and, unhappiy for country thinking
wiser than their sres propose pass the enemy
| under the yoke
This sefstyed American party represent TO US that the
Roman Catholics powerful enough to be dangerous
aud propose TO wound but not 10 Stay them make them
ineligible for Office but to leave them in possession Of the
elective franchise the great instrument Of political power
Those Catholics who from talent wisdom worth would
probably be elevated to Office degraded and nsulted
while the inferior portion are left untouched. Can it be
supposed that the influence of the Catholic leaders over
their followers viii be impaired by neligbility office
VIII there not be, now, the ties Of religion and
to some extent OF persecution They are TO be
rritaed but not disamed Their followers are left to
them armed with the elective franchise And this power
full weapon is TO he welded the command of injured and
indignant leaders. From loyal citizens they will be melted
to become traitors What love they bear
to constitution which depresses them below the common
level and stigmatizes them as unfit to be trusted
II they be enemies and powerful enough 10 be feared
and we have them in the Caudne forks let extemnate
them politically dismiss them "unmoested and unran-
somed" "7stiaa nalinm coasitium Let them go or de-
prive them of the elective franchise make them ineligible
to office take from them the education their children
abolish Catholic schools and colleges dsquay them from
sitting jues serving in the army and navy, and fl
they still gain upon us deport them the Moors were de-
ported from Spain.
The latter is logical deduction from know-noth-
ing principles but "wilng wound and yet afraid to
strike they shrink from such consequences and
content themselves with middle course which serves no
other purpose than to show their malgnity and
Catholic hate
II is the fashion to speak Of the men who devised the
an-Catholic laws Of Great Britain ferocious bigots
and yet compared with the inventors Of know -nothingsm
they are great, hbera-miuded, patriotic They
had some excuse for their enomiiies They lived when
the agones and struggles o! the Reformation their
height and when England bore divided alegance--one
part Of the nation adheriug exiled Catholic family
and the other maintaining reignng Protestant dynasty
There for fearing Catholic predomnance
when men hanged for believing in the Pope and
burned for denying him. Catholic terrible in the
days Of continental between the Catholics and Prot
estants, of Spanish armadas, gunpowder plots and
popsh conspraces; when the lies of Oates the murder
of Godfrey, and the Highland army OF the Catholic Pre-
fran,
then Synonymous with traitor But (said Canning)
treason naturally concealed while religion was
readily ayowed ascerained the test of the
peced politics sought in the protested creed 1t was
necessary discover the papss who wished the
exiled family, and the oath Of ransnbsantiaon de-
vised to detect hen When those times passed away The
odous penalties to which they had given birth vanished
with him. Thrty-our years ago, the British House of
Commons, the memorable night Of April 3 1921, by
Of ZIG to 1871 swept them from the statue-book, and
made Catholics eligible to Parliament
Who turn without deep modification from the his
tory of the fearful times which all but the Catholic
disabilities and the magnanmty which subsequently
moved Them to the upprovoked hatred of Catholics,
and the nsensate policy with regard to them proposed
by large class of American citizens2 Where our
Spanish armadas gnnpowder plots Popsh conspraces,
and highland invasons? What continental rage in
sight of shores involving the existence of the Pro-
estant religion? What shadow of excuse have to hate
fear the Catholics And yet it is proposed to leap
back to the hates the fears and the penalties Of those
times, vaung clean the peace goodwill and ibera
y Of the intervening period II the great American people
give themselves up such bigotry hope they will no
longer be absurd enough to talk about their progress in
political science In such beg instruc-
ton from Spain and pattern after his progressive Majesty
the Sultan.
COLONEL FAUNTLEKoY's OFFICIAL REPoRT-sUC-