Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1855-07-19
From the Presbyterian Critic.
THE AMERICAN PARTY.


great national movement against. the
!, Catholic Church. The recent excite
ment in the country has been, IN the
main, the result Of corrupt move
ment of unpriucipled politicians, te
excite the Protestant feeling of the
people and to ride into power upon
the tide. They have run foul OF the
great maxim, which They have SC
conspicuously set forward among
their principles, as if for the purpose
| of exposing the profligacy OF the
whole movement, by violating in
practice what they praise in theory
1t is absurd to deny, that making the
mere religious sentiments Of man
the reason for refusing to vote tor
him, is violation of the great prin-
ciple of religious liberty. 1t is al
lowing a principle of discriminating
the political aspect Of a vote to be
sound and just; which would be
wicked and unprincipled, if embod-
led in law. If our neighbors make
their dislike to our Presbyterian
sentiments the ground of their refu-
sing to vote for US, it is perfectly
useless to disguise that we are
under political responsibility for re-
ligious opinions-that, qaoaa hoe we
are suffering for them. The objec-
tionable feature in this view OF the
case is, making religious opinion
unattended by any viciousness OF
action growing out of it, ground
for a universal discrimination in po-
litical affairs, affecting permanently
large masses of citizens. This is
our first and great objection to the
American Know-Nothing party; it is
violating the very principle Of relig-
ious liberty, which it processes to
conserve; aud has adopteda construc-
ton of that principle which strips
it of all practical force, leaving it a
dead letter in the statute book, and
abandoning its control over the pollt-
ical action of the people.
We object again to a political
movement against the Catholic
Church, because there is no necessity
for it, if the American people will
properly employ the legitimate agen-
cies of opposition which are in their
power. The simple aud sufficient
condition Of the preservation of the
Republic from the arts of Romanism,
is the full and efficient support OF the
Protestant Church. the complete
and animated maintenance OF the do
mestic missionary enterprisesof OF the
various Protestant denominations
This is the great conservative element
of our political systemic sustain
and vivify it with the vigorous en-.
ergy which it ought to possess-and
| it need not be feared that any ol
the great social or political interests
that are conditioned upon it will evel
come to harm. 1t is the only
not less than the ouly--legiti
mate power, which can be effective
ly employed to restrain Popery ant
maintain the institutions ofour Gov
ernment. All persecution, no mat
ter how disguised in form or hmitet
lin extent, will inure to the beneh
of the body enduring it. The polio.
then, of restraining Popery by polit
: cal disability inflicted upon the in
dividual Catholic, is suicidal IN tn
extreme. 1t will concentrate an
intensity the attachment of its mem
bers, and render them more an
more unapproachable by Protestan
instruction. 1t will create sympathy
and thus open wide the door to pros
elytism, and it will put the Churc
3 in an attitude far more attractive a
, the victim of an unjustifiable crusad
than it is at all entitled to assum
from its intrinsic charms. How Ion
. is the world to be learning the lesso
and never coming to the knoWledg
; of the truth, that all means but reaso
and love to affect the opinions {
uen, only result in strengthenln!
attachment to their original convl'
; tions7 The principle Of this oPpos
4 ton to Popery is vicious, and th
more completely it is carried in'
! effect,the more disastrous Will % u
result. The more complete the p'
!, litical victory over Popery, the MOI n
I, lit will be benefited. The only eilec
4 Iiye-as it is the only lawful, genera
: land permanent agency Of opposite
Ito the Popisb Church-'s To tue tr'