Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-10-22

Sketch Of the remarks Of DANIEL ULLaAsN at an
American meeting in Troy, on Wednesday even
ing, October 3d.
(coscLupKp.)
But there Is another important point connected
with this matter. We are charged, not only with
prescribing, but also with violating the Constitution
of the United States. We are accused OF violating
the great principle Of religious freedom This cry
has been raised from one end Of the land TO the
other, and distinguished statesman OF Virginia,
during recent canvass for the governorship OF
that State, made it one Of the principal staples Of
his speeches during that canvass. Heaven forbid
that there should ever be in this land any body Of
men who should be found willing to endeavor to
interfere in the slightest degree with the religion
of any man. Thank heaven such is not the case.
| claim the right TO worship the Eternal God &C
cording to the dictates of my own conscience, and
accord to every other man the same right and
privilege believe that the American party would
be found to man, as ready to shoulder their mus
kets, to defend the great principle Of freedom of
religion and conscience as any other body OF men.
The Constitution of the United States and of each
State except one, recognises this great principle.
But we do hold that there should be no connec-
ton between Church and State. We hold that
there should be allegiance on our shores to for
eign Powers. That sentiment we have imbbed
from our ancest0rs--the Puritans and Huguenots--
men who suffered most deeply from the evils aris-
ing out Of the connection between Church and
State. On the hearts OF the fathers and founders
of this government there was not impressed more
fervent conviction than that there should never be
in this Republic the slightest connection between
Church and State. But what is the case now My
brethren, the Foreigners who come among US have
established foreign hierarchy in the United States.
Every good Roman Catholic in this country owes
allegiance to the King Of Rome. Every Bishop Of
the Roman Catholic Church, when he is consecra-
ted takes solemn oath before his God, Of allegi-
ance to the King of Rome. have that oath with
me, but it is too long to read to you.
That oath Is the basis of gigantic political HE.
rarchy with its centre at Rome, consisting of the
Pope, the King of Rome, and the College Of Cardi-
nails; its great arms extending over nearly every
other country in the civilized world controlling,
governing the two hundred millions of Roman Cath
ocs Of the earth. II is to this connection between
Church and State that we object. That oath is
inconsistent with the Constitution OF the United
States, and Of every individual State of the Union
except one. Allegiance to the King of Rome and
to the Constitution Of the United States cannot be
reconciled. They are hostile, antagoDistical
But, say the enemies Of the American party, the
Pope does not attempt to exercise civil power.
shall not here attempt to 60 into long and detail
cd argument upon this point. ! have presented it
in full on other occasions. Mr.. Wise, OF Virginia,
during the recent canvass to which have advert
ed, undertook to throw all sorts Of obloquy and
abuse upon this dark-lantern party" In somc
of the paroxysms of his eloquence, he declared
that we had not read history, or, If we had, did
not understand what had read. Now, / will
venture to say that Mr.. Henry A. Wise had not
read history understsodingly; for, il he had, he
would not have made such sweeping assertions as
he did. - Mr.. Wise undertook to say-and it was
one chief point Of his argument--that this people
were especially indebted to Roman Catholics for
one Of the great fundamental bases OF our Consti-
tution-the Magma Charta Of England.
lie says that the English Barons who wrested
from King John that celebrated document (which
doubtless is the foundation Of modern political lib
erty--werc Roman Catholics Granted. But why
did not Mr.. Wise read little further? A more
unfortunate example could hardly have been cited
by him. The Barons at Runnymede wrested from
King John the Magma Charta. King John, after
granting it, appealed to the then Pope, Innocent
lII--and the Pope hurled his bull of excommuni-
cation against the Barons for prosecuting John,
the King Of England, who had taken the cross, and
was faithful vassal of the Church of Rome. The
Pope exercised the whole Of his temporal and spr-
itual power to defeat the Barons, and finally can
| celled, abrogated, aanuiled Magma CAarfa The
whole current of history, from that day to this,
shows that the King of Rome, whenever he had
the power to enforce his bulls Of accommodation
and in many cases where he had not the power
has attempted TO carry out the great Papai prin
ciple of union between Church and State.
We have a case at hand--an occurrence almost
of to-day, which aptly illustrates this point The
people of Piedmont, the other day, feeling the OPP
pressiye weight of the vast property which the
Bishops of the Romish Church had collected to-
gether in that small kingdom, passed law seques-
tratng the whole Of the church property, amount
ing in value to the enormous sum Of eighty mil
lions Of dollars, and giving il into the hands Of the
civil authorities. The King of Sardinia approved
of the law. On the 22d day Of January of the
present year Pope Plus TX issued an alocution, in
which, precisely in the same style in which his
predecessor treated Magma Charta, he cancelled,
abro9ated, annulled the law, "and we reprope, "
says the Pope, land condemn not only all he de-
crees already issued by that government 10 the
rights and authority of religion, Of the Church. and
Of the Holy See, but likewise the bill lately pro-
posed and zoe declare all Mese acts to Be entirely
worthless and invaiidr
Is not this exercising temporary powerg when
the king Of one country DEGREES the laws made by
another power null and voidf When our own le-
cslsturc, last winter, passed law regulating the
tenures of church property in this State, Bishop
Hughes, returning from the convocation at Rome,
published q letter. in which he docs not presume
TO annu the law, did Pho Nino the laws of Pied
monitor he knew that such an attempt would
be laughed to scoril-but he says:
We shall find fpcnty rays outside the intricate
web of its prohibitions for doing, and doing more
largely STILL the very things Il wishes us not to do"
tell you, Americans, the idea that the hie-
rarchy Of Rome does not seek for temporal power
at the present day is preposterous in the extreme;
we find the same policy regulating its conduct now
In Europe and America, as was pursued by limo
cent iii, when he accommodated the English
Barons; by Pascal ii, by Ohio Nv, by Gregory,
who, in 1889 accommodated Frederick of Prus.
STA, and by Innocent who, In l245, issued his bull
against the same monarch. Volumes of like ex.
amplcs can be produced. A few months ago, when
the people of Spain, through their Cortcz, passed
law sequcstrating the property Of the Catholic
Church in that country, we find the Pope issuing
an allocuton similar TO that relative to the people
and government Of Piedmont Let US, then, hear
no more of the assertions that the Romish church