The true Democrat., 1855-11-06


 join he would be obliged to prescribe all felo'o Catholics inside and outside of the order. as ' so it would seem likely many with their evo. open will not be initiated. And vet, stranos, ,' say, the Know Nothing candidates in Louisi,sO are understood to be Catholics; but they n,. bably have the saving merit of being sta,rI whlgs and bitter enemies of democracy. The Catholic test has been stricken or, the Philadelphia platform, by South Caroli,s and Louisiana, and 1t may be other States a prominent members of the order have nlads themselves to attempt the repeal of that 9s' by the grand national council There sao~ to be difference of opinion among memba of the order with regard to it; but wben.v. that Is removed the corner stone of the or, nlzatlon IS gone, and hence it is not probable Will be done. The prevailing opinion is in il. ! favor, and It is the chief weapon of the org,r lzaton and as such must be considered.
 Protesting respect for the bible, yet tbA,. horrd oaths are condemned by it, and bor any christian can take them is incomprebans ble. If any one will take the trouble of co, | sulting that good book he will in the 1st episs, of James, 5th chapter 12th verse, read theiJ | lowing:
 But above all things my brethren, swe not; neither by heaven; neither by the eartp neither by any other oath; but let your vea yea, and your nay be nay lest you fall into cor, demnation."
 And in Matthew, 5th chapter, 34th to 37s verses!
 But Isay unto you swear not at all; neitbs by heaven for it is Gods throne;'
 "Nor by the earth for it is his footstool. no ther by Jerusalem for it is the city of the Gre King"
 'Neither shalt thou swear by thy head b. cause thou canst not make one hair white ,. black;"
 "But let your communication be yea, ve, nay, nay, for whatsoever is more than tie, cometh toe evil"
 Dr. Clarke, the most celebrated and exacta all the biblical commentators says of this pa, sage:
 He that uses any oath except that wbj5 he Is solemnly called by the naaqistrate to mak so far from being a christian does not deserva the reputation of decency or common sense
 If there are any christians in the order [ beg leave to commend these passages and tbi, commentary to them, for reflection at their lei sure.
 But let us look at this test in reference to thu law of the land
 HC COHStIIutIOH Ol the U OHlIeQ StatcS says No religious test shall ever be required as {, qualification to any office or public trust ur der the United States "-Art. 6. Sec. 3. Tb amendment thereto says -" Congress sha make no law respecting an establishment d religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thert | of'-A7t. l.
 The constitution of Arkansas provides " Tn, all men have natural and indefeasible rig | 4, A 4 AL tates of their own consciencea-that no huma authority can in any case whatever interfer with the rights of conscience, and thatno prsI ference shall ever be given to any religious es tablishment or mode of worship."- Corst. A7 2. Sec. 3.
 Similar provisions are probably contained hI the constitutions of every State in the confeds racy. They speak for themselves, and ind cate fixed purpose to erect an impossible ba- rler against every attempt to interfere with th rights of conscience, whether under the lorm of law or at the ballot box, or by any otha mode known to human action.
 But the Know Nothings inform us that the do not prosecute the religion of the Catholia they merely oppose the man mot his rel. zion. In the name of common seuse what K 1t? A Catholic is not disqualified from holl ing office because he i9 one; but if an orLauizl. ton declares that he shall not be voted for o- account of his Catholicism, and that mandats can be enforced by the abuse of the ballot box Is not the Acknowledgement as complete and etfeCtua, as if he was declared by law inelig. blc to office? If the Know Nothiugs can a.. tain the power, they will enforce it, and the re- suit would be, that liberty of conscience pro. duces forfeiture of constitutional right-o, In other words, to be Catholic is to fall under the ban of prescription. By the ballot box the Know Nothlngs attempt what they would not dare to carry out by law; and indeed could not while an independent judiciary, untainted with Know Nottingham, would declare such lcgisla- ton an outrageous and dangerous infringement of human rights, and deadly blow aimed a. the constitution itself.
 Our opponents seem to think that the ballG box Is supreme-a sort of higher law--and tha. from its decisions there Is no appeal. That is a mistake. It is subordinate to ani part of the machinery of civil government and is a means to execute the law, by select1. proper officers to do 1t. But to use it for an7 purpose, not warranted by law, is not only a illegal act but an outrage on the great prinGI pie of suffrage itself. It would not be moft directly against the prohibitions of the cousa. tuition to combine to destroy the liberty of tl, press, through the instrumentality of the bala . box, than it would be to prescribe set of mel on account of their religion, through the sam l medium.
 } By way of extenuating such conduct, ". are constantly reminded of the danger that ma l be expected from Catholics. It has not beer proved, ] believe, that they are or have bee disloyal to this government, or that they he. any thing more than a spiritual allegiance a 7 the Pope of Rome. As to Italy, he is spiri ual and temporal prnce-the head of the civ government aud the head of the church--b1 as to the rest of the world only the spiritul head of the church, to whom no civil allegianc Is due. This is known to all intelligent pG sons.
 Now, what is the comparative strength of th Catholics in the United States and in Arkar 7 sas. According to the census of 1850, the tod ) of all denominations and sects in the Unit States was 14,27O,139. Of this number, ta Catholics constitute only 675, ,721, not one four teenth part of the religious sects, and not or' thirteth part of the whole population of th United States The Methodist and Presbyte. rian sects have the largest, and each about d equal amount of church property The BaF tist and Episcopal denominations come nez. and the Catholic next. In Arkansas the Me thodists number 25.745; Baptists $500; Pres byterians 10, 731; Union 800; Catholics ,60c , minor sects l 200; Episcopalians $50; Free 2CV making an aggregate of 6O,226, and show, } ing majority of all other sects over the Cath olics of more than fifty-eight thousand AT F army of 58,OOO religious combatants armed, 1 is 10 be hoped, with no other weapons tha ? Bibles, to hold in check 1,6OO quiet and unoT ) trusive Catholics, and yet the cou ntry in dar1 ger from the latter! Did ever absurdity befor travel beyond the degrees of comparison, q reach such height! Is it not notorious q every observer that the increase in Protestant reformation, in our country, is fifty times great CT than Catholic extension and must of nece1 sity be so in all time to come? Thus we perl ceive how few facts and figures must brin9 } the blush of shame if any be left, to th1 : cheeks of those who, to attain political endS ] have brought to their cause the elements of rel ligious persecution, and then seek to justify |, by holding before our eyes purely imaginarl 3 danger.
 t But suppose the Catholics could be extermf