Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1855-01-27
KNOW NorHlNcs AND CATHOLICS.

In the first budding Of the Know Nothing
or American Party-whose inspiring aims and
principles are now felt in the remotest sections
Of our land-we avowed, in substance, that
we could not favor the success of any political
party which aimed to bring religion into the
arena, upon any plea. Since that time, ihe
aims and principles Of the Know N"things have
been about the only political excitement that
has asi'ated the people; and consequently en-
emics TO the order have risen up in every di.
~rec,ion, according TO the ratio Of friends it has
In listed, and various charges arc made asains.
il, according to the character Of the people,
ut the NorlI. it is a pro.>'avery party. while at
the South it is charged AZ being an abolition
party. No such charges can hurt it at liner
SECTION. But that charge which deserves no.
tee, is the fact that various papers at the North
and one or Two here ut the South, which favor
the order, have introduced INFO it religious mat.
tiers, by opposing what they call the encroach
ments OF the Catholic Church., presuming that
the members Of this Church all over the world
/ acknowledge a fea!sy to the Pope, a kind Of
"higher law which holds them in obedience to
his mandates before sl othe: laws, temporal or
spiritual, and consequently that such a sect or
association is dangerous to our liberties, and
should be put down. Such W believe is the
ground which those papers take to which we
allude, in their opposition to Catholicism.
While we deplore the fana,icism Of such
journals-we know not what better term to ap.
ply to them in the premises-as acourse cow
ardly and unmanly on the part of American
citizens, we wholly and uahesitatingly deny
that opposition to the Catholics or any other
religious denomination, upon any grounds
whatever, is a principle or creed Of the Ameri-
can Party, SO far as the principles Of this party
are known by tho great body of this party's
adherents-but believe it to be one of those
off:shoots thrown out by interested politicians
and publishers, to tickle the fancy of those i'm.
mediat.ly around them, and thus make a little
pecuniary or political capital.
We a!lude to politicians. They, both for and
against the order, make the charge against the
Catholics the means of effecting their ends
The speeches Of members Of Congress are gi-
ven to the world, which link a warfare against
the Roman Church with the pride aod patriot-
ism, and success Of the American Party, when
70 such clause is acknowledged to exist in their
platform. But if such an enmi'y suits the con.
s~tituents Of the gentleman from Massachu-
setts,' Or Maine. he is glad of the opportunity
thus afforded him Of viIlifying those who are
antagonists in faith to his Protestant friends.
Catholics, seeing this, and believing they speak
upon authority, league themselves sgains, the
Know Nothings, when, In fact, did they know
all, they might be their warmesl friends.
Pertinent to the above subject-and that our
readers may know the cause Of the opposition
to Catholicism among those TO whom we have
alluded-we here introduce . paragraph from
the speech Of Hon. NArH. p. BANKS, Jr, of
Massachusetts,, delivered in Congress the 18th
Of last month, on the subject Of "Politics."-
In this speech, Nj. BANKS undertakes 10 de.
fend the Know Nothings against the attacks
Of Mr.. BARRY. Of Mississippi, but positively
declares that He is not a member Of the order.
In the course Of his speerh, Mr. Barry re-
marked 10 Mr.. BANKS that he held in his hand
the Pennsyiranian, "a violent Locofoco sheet,)
and he found in il IA oath which it was said a
person wishing to berome a Know Nothing, is
required 10 take. in which is the following Ian
guage: @1'hat # it may be done legally, you
will. when elected to any Office. remove all 70.
reigners, aliens, or Roman Catholics from Of.
ice, and that you will. in no case, appoint such
to office" Il is unnecessary for Us 70 say, tina,
We deny the existence Of any such oath requir.
ed to be taken, 20 Eat ~ our knowledge *.
tends. as we'll as a host Of Others that have
been given TO the public ~ belonging 10 the
Know Nothing creed. Mr.. BANKS replied
l have no objection to any man Of the Ca,ho.
lie Church, or faith. Here is OUT. friend from
Penn, lMr. Chandler.] an amiable, learned,
and eloquent man; ! might be willing to vote
for him, Catholic as he IL, in preferences, per.
haps, to others nearer my politE cal faith than he
n' sshas ne tninKs OF the Seven Sacrements,
or how many he accepts, il no concern Of mine.
To me, it 10 TO objection, chat he receives The
interpretations of the Council of Trent. ~ to
the doctrines Of original sin an iusti6catiou.-
It cannot concern me, and it can concern no
man, that, 40 q matter Of faith, nny person cher.
i.hes the doctrine of transubstantiation. accord.
the full measure Of Catholic veneration to a.
cred relics or images, and accepts every article
Of the Nicene creed. Each man il accountable
for his own faith. IS ! for mine. And, even
though my name were appended to The decla.
ration, read to Us BY the gentleman from Mis-.
sissippi from the Pennsylvania, / might still
vote for such . man, il Otherwise il lay 10 my
way to do 90.
But there il another branch Of this subject.
Il 10 a current belief that the Pope, The head Of
the Roman Chuch, who stands q tho Vicar OF
| God. and il invested with the Attributes Of in.