The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1855-07-27

| prelnulceS ana passlohs VI A." lorcIGn HoIue,
and forgetting too often the principles of our
republican government and our Protestant
christianity.
We IN Ike no war on Catholcs-far from
it we welcome them TO our shores; we invite
them to our hospitalites;we see their churches
90 up without molestation; we attend their
service even when they celebrate high mass;
we admire the splendid decorations of their
temples; we admire the fervent pety of many
of their worshipers; but we deny the right
oc the Pope or Priest to touch the conscience;
we distrust II poitico-regiOus organization
with The head of the church temporal Prince
hurting thunders against hereticsi denouncing
the open Bible, furnishing men us in Tuscany
for reading the word OF God and teaching
others to read it; we dread the intolerant spirit
thus displayed-a spirit manifested in our
own country by the attempts made in New
York and elsewhere to shut the Bible out of,
the public schools and failing il that, at
tempting TO divide the school fund that
schools might be formed from which our BIZ
bic is to be excludrd-we dread the ascen-
dancy of such an organization, and when
Brownson, one of their own writers, says that
| this shall be Catholic country, that the con
vent bell shall be heard from Maine to Geor-
ga, and that the clean sacrifice for the living
and the dead--shalI be offered over this whole
country-we reply nerer-it we can help it!
BY the memory Of the noble army of Mar
tyrs; Oy the recollection of the struggle of
Luther who erected his broad platform in the
midst of Europe, and defied the power alike
of Emperor and Pope; by the suffering OF
Protestants every where undor the supremacy
of the Romsh Church, by our love of Pro-
testant christianity; by our love Of civil lib
crty we intend to resist your efforts 10 bring
this country under the sway of the Pope, not
because we are intoIerant but because we
are the friends of federation. This republic
must be Il Protestant republic. Our platform
does not exclude the native Catholic who
holds no allegiance 10 the Pope; but if the
Catholic will hold that allegiance, then we
say we cannot elevate you to the great Offices
of this republic
You must take the responsibility of SUCH II
church connection us you choose TO maintain.
Not that we dread the temporal power of
the Pope, but we believe his church to be
! hostile to our Institutions
Will he permit Protestant house of wor-
ship to be reared by The side of st. Peters,
or in front of the Vatican? VIII he permit
our Bible to be read openly within his do
minions? Is he friendly to republcanism:
In 1913 the republican spirit famed up in
| Rome; who WAS the first to take fright ut it!
The Pope, in the disguise of courier, booted
and spurred fled from his dOmnons. Men
were full of hope, descendants of the ancient
Romans they could without blush walk
under the monuments of their former glory,
the fires of liberty were rekindled upon their
old altars.
| Then Austria, the basest of the Kingdoms,
Austria who put down Hungary with the
bayonet, Austria who whipped women pub
| licly through the streets, Austria sent her
soldiers and France sent hers, and the Pope
was once more seated upon his throne. Is it
to be expected that any man who acknowI-
edges any allegiance to this Prince can ex-
pect to be elevated to Office by the American
! people!
No religious test is rcquired-but our ap-
| prehension is, that those who hold any allie
glance to the Pope, will sustain his policy and
that if his church should ever acquire the
ascendency in this country, the very same
intolerance which has been shown in other
countries, where his ruIes supreme, would
be displayed here. For this reason the Ameri-
cans declare that they will not elevate to
office those who acknowledge this allegiance;
but this does not bear upon the native Catho-
lie who disc'aims this allegiance. We adopt
the glorious Roman sentment-"never de-
spajr of the republic~- We shall stand by
the Union while there is any hope Of main
tanning our rights under it. To-day, we are
one great repubic-dvide and we shall fall;
we shall be without any army for our protec-
ton, or navy for our defence. il ever it
was important to preserve the Union, it is
important now. Europe is heavng under
onvuls0ns-powerlu armies are in the field
still greater dynastcs than those now in
existence will spring out of these commissions,
and repubicansm will be threatened. No
where in all the world but here, is there Il
republic worth the name. In the cefts OF the
Alps, Switzerland preserves her liberty; but
this government is the only powerful, free
State on the globe. do not believe tnat our
republican system would long survive II
breaking up of this Union. As to slavery, it
is us have more than once said-safcr in the
Union than it would be out of it.
Ofcourse,in desiring to maintain the Union,
| wish TO preserve n constitutional Union.
The noble task which the American party
has undertaken, is TO protect the rights OF the
Suuth--to maintain the constitution and to
preserve the Union.
propose to aid that party, TO the full ex-
tent of my ability, in accomplishing those
glorious objects Let us appeal once more
to the masses of the North 10 be faithful to
the constitutions; and il we fail to awaken the
patriotism, we know how to die in defence OF
our institutions.
call upon you, gentlemen, of both parties,
to quit your ancient standards and come up
to the aid of this great and patriotic party
It's glorious ensign is the harblnger OF bet
ter day. Other parties are like formations in
the clouds, which rise, perform their functions,
and disappear; but this organization is the
emerging of continent from the wild waters
of the ocean. 1t will stand!
We are striving to revive the great princi
pies of the REVOLUTION and the REFOR.
NATION. A party which proposes such
aims as these, must not be denounced rs un-
worthy of support. We honor wings who
support it; but much more do we honor
democrats who come up to its support, for
they abandon party, in the full plenitude of
its powers and prove that they love their
country more than their party.
trust, gentlemen, that we shall be able to
save the country. Let us save the Union
from the hands which threaten to destroy il;
and uphold its noble and stately columns
through all the cycles Of the coming future.
raSy Here is beautiful thought of that
strange compound of Scotch shrewdness,
Il AZ Il.