Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1855-03-07

pros,r,p,,on for Re,,rion,s sake.

Prescription for Religions SAKE
The grand objection urged against the Amefl-
can organization by its INSCRIPTIONS opponents is'
that it proposes to exclude from office foreigners
and Catholics because Of their birth and religion.
It is true tina, tho Know-Nothings do design to
keep foreigners ont of the offices Of the country,
and this result they desire to accomplish through
the ballot box. 1t is not true that they desire or
design to prescribe Catholics on account OF their
religious opinions. On the contrary, they would
irown upon any attempt to deprive the Ca'hoiic
Of his right to worship God according to the die
tales of his conscience. They do not propose by
any legal enactments to impose upon the Catholic
any civil disability but simply claim that The
people have the right to vote Tor whom they
please, against whom they please, and Tor any
reasons that may be satisfactory to themselves
All! but this is 'fgross intolerance" "proscrip-
tive bigotry," and direct 'violati0n OF the bill
of rights' tits doing gross injustice and.wrong
to class Of citizens, when equal rights and prlvl-
leges are guaranteed to alll Now we have
simple question for these who esteem it such aw-
full prescription in the sovereign people to vote
for whom they please. Are they aware that IN
the State of Virginia, large and respectable
class of our ellow-citzens, comprising many OF
the ablest, most learned, and most reliable men
in the State, are excluded from certain offices, by
the fundamental law of the Commonwealth, on
account of the religious offices that they hold?
If not, let them read the following amendment to
the Report of the Legislative Committee of tho
Convention, which, after being amended 50 as 70
render it less proscrptivo and Objectionable, was
adopted by the Convention
"Prooided, that all persons holding any Office
"under the United States, OF any foreign gov
"ernment or State, or holding any lucrative of.
''fce under this State, or any county, city, town
'or municipal or other corporation of this State,
"whose salaries or compensation shall exceed
$3.50; and all ministers Of the gospel, and all
"priests Of every denomination, shall be i".r-apa-
"bIe of being elected members Of s'..Iner Eonse NJ
''the Assembly,"
Now, IN tue name 81 common sense, we ask
whie:: class might be most safely entrusted with
the framing of eur laws the ministers Of the Cos
reE in this State, or the foreign taymen? Surely
there can be but one answer And yet the one
highly respectable, intelligent, and numerou:
class Of our fellow-cltlzens is excluded, by law
from the halls Of Legislation, while the doors are
left open to the other. If it is gross prescription
vile intolerance in the Know-Nothings to say tina
they will not vote for the one class, what was i
in our Constituion-makers to declare the othe
far better qualified and infinitely less dangerous
class, ''incapable Of being elected9" If it il
urged that the object of this provision Of the Con
stituton was to make the separation of Churcl
and State more thorough, we reply that thu
) Know Nothings have the same object in view
when they decline to entrust the followers of {
foreign despot, claiming supreme temporal ana
spiritual authority, with the government of oul
country. Twist it as you may, the prescription
in the one case is tenfold more Objectionable and
elfectual than the other.
But who was the man to impose this civil dis
ability upon class OF citizens, because of Their
connexion with the Church of God Let the re-
cords of the Convention answer. Refer to the
Journals of that body, and you will find that this
provision of the Constitution, incapacitating min
listers of the Gospel from holding the office o.
State Senator, or County Delegate, was incorpo
rated by the man who, of all others, has the mos
tender regard for the Bill of Rights, and turns W
his eyes with haly horror at the bare idea Of GRE
ligieus tests" We mean HENRY A. WISE!
Yes, this man, at whose instance the Virgins
Clergy were thus prescribed, because of theil
holy mission, absolutely sckens at the thought Of
a Virginia freeman voting against Catholic lay
man, because of his unholy subsection to the Pope
o Temporal. o .Mores! What an ageof unmit-
igated humbugs