Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1855-06-28

of the maxim that coffee should seek
the man, and not man the Office" and
of the rule that, the just mode of as
certaining fitness for Office is the capa-
bility, the faithfulness, and the honesty
of the incumbent or candidate.
YIII.-Resistance to the aggressive
policy and corrupting tendencies of the
Roman Catholic Church in our country
by the advancement to all political sta
tions-executive, Legislative, Judicial, or
diplomatic-of those only who do not
hold civil allegiance, directly or indi-
rectly, to any foreign power whether
civil of ecclesiastical, and who are
Americans by birth, education and
training-thus fulfilling the maxim,
AMERICANS ONLY SHALL GOVERN AMER
IcA.
The protection of all citizens in the
legal and proper exercise of their civil
and religious rights and privileges; the
maintainace of the right of every man
to the full, unrestrained, and peaceful en-
joyment of his own religious opinions
and worship, and jealous resistance of
all attempts by any sect, denomination,
or church to obtain an ascendency over
any other in the State, by means of any
special privileges or exemption, by any
political combination of its members, or
by division of their civil allegiance with
any foreign power, potentate, or eccle-
siastic.
IX.-The reformation of the charac-
ter of our National Legislature, by ele-
vating to that dignifed and responsible
position men of higher qualifications,
purer morals, and more unselfsh patri-
otism.
X.-The restriction of executive pat
ronage, especially in the matter of ap-
pointments to office, so far as it may be
permitted by the Constitution, and with
the public good.
XI.-The education of the youth of
our country in schools provided by the
State; which schools shall be common
to all, without distinction to creed or
party, and free from any influence or
direction of denominational or partizan
character.
And, inasmuch as Christianity by the
Constitutions of nearly all the States, by
the decisions of the most eminent judi
cial authorities, and by the consent of
the people of America, is considered an
element of our political system and as
the Holy Bible is at once the source of
Christianity, and the depository and foun-
tain of all civil and religious freedom,
we oppose every attempt to exclude it
from the schools thus established in the
States.
XII.-The American party. having
arisen upon the ruins and in spite of the
opposition of the Wing and Democratic
parties, cannot be held in any manner
responsible for the obnoxious acts or
violated pledges of either. And the
systematic agitation of the slavery ques-
ton by those parties having elevated
sectional hostility into positive element
of political power, and brought our in
stitutions into peril, it has therefore be-
come the imperative duty of the Ameri-
can party TO interpose for the purpose
of giving peace to the country and per-
petuity to the Union. And as expe- !
rience has shown it impossible to recon-
cile opinions so extreme as those which
seperate the disputants, and as there can
be no dishonor in submitting to the laws,
the National Council has deemed it the
best guarantee of common justice and of
future peace, to abide by and maintain
the existing laws upon the subject of
slavery, as a final and conclusive settle
ment of that subject, in spirit and in
substance:
And regarding it the highest duty to
avow their opinions upon a subject so
in distinct and uneqlivocal
terms, it is hereby declared as the sense
of this National Council, that Congress
possesses no power, under the Constitu-
ton, to legislate upon the subject of
slavery in the States where it does or
may exist, or to exclude any state from
admission into the Union because its
constitution does or does not recognize
the institution of slavery as part of its
social system; and expressly pretermit-
ting any expression of opinion upon the
power of Congress to establish or pro-
hibit slavery in any Territory, it is the
sense of the National Council that Con-
gress ought not to legislate upon the
subject of slavery within the territory Of
the United States, and that any inter-
ference, by Congress with slavery as it
exists in the District of Columbia would
be a violation of the spirit and intention
of the compact by which the State of
Maryland ceded the District to the Uni
ted States, and breach of the National
faith.
XIII.-The policy of the Government
of the United States, in its relations with
foreign governments, is to exact Justice
from the strongest, and do justice to the
weakest; restraining, by all the power
of the government, all its citizens from
interference with the internal concerns
of nations with whom we are at peace.
XIV.-This National Council declares
that all the principles of the Order shall
be henceforward everywhere openly
avowed, and that each member shall be
at liberty to make known the existence