The true Democrat., 1855-08-14

hold public office, and have seen persons horror stricken at the idea of Deist being voted for. f These would all go into know nothing combi- nations to carry out their ideas of right and , propriety, and do not wonder at their being now 'no Popery'' men; but for an enlightened citizen, as Clemens should be, to join in such i, hue and cry, is past my comprehension. great English writer says against the tories of England upcu the same subject: nothing is so offensive to man who knows anything of his tory or of human nature as to hear those who exercise the powers of government accuse any sect of foreign attachments If there be any proposition universally true in politics it this, that foreign attachments are the fruit of domes- tic msrnle. It has always been the trick of bigots to make their subjects miserable at home, and then to complain that they look for relief abroad; to divide society and wonder that it is not united; to govern as if section of the State were the whole, and to censure another section of the State for want of patriotic spirit There Is no feeling which more certainly deycl- ops itself in the minds of men living under tol- l triotism Since the beginning of the world, there never has been any nation, not cruelty oppress- ed, which was wholly destitute of that feeling. To make it therefore ground of accusation against class of men, that they are not patri- otic, is the most vulgar legerdemain of sophis- try It is the logic which the wolf employs against the lamb. It is to accuse the mouth of the stream of poisoning the source." If this reasoning is applicable to England, where men are subjects with . "toeraby good govern ment," how much more true must it be in the | United States where every man is sovereign?
 All the Catholic prosecutions were known to the lramers of the constitution at the time Car roll of Carrollton-a atholic--signed the de- claration of independence; they were nearer to the times of the worst of those prosecutions and to the times of the extravagant power ex- ercised by the Popes of Rome. But the pow CT of popes, like the power of kings has con- tinually gone down, until now, so far from de- posing and ruling kings, as Mir. Clemens talks about, they cannot keep the handful of people in their own little domnions in subection If the lramers of the constitution dd not deem it wise or right in tteir day to abridge the privi- leges of the Catholics, how can a0e find an ex- cuse for doing it no,O when the progress of the age has done 50 much since to dsspate the req sons for such policy.
 The know nothing argues, as I intimatel above about the probable conduct of the peo- pie of this country as though they were the subjects of monarchies-n that strain of doubts and fears, which arstocrats in monarches might feel--whcre patriotism consists in merely fight ing to retain in power the same race of masters, where it makes no difference to q subject whe- ther Charles or Cromwell rules, he will have to dig for living in either Case But that is not the condition of things here, my know nothing friends, every citizen here when he fights, he fights to retain his own iguity-fghts. for him9elt-for there is no one above him but his o1rn chosen }eaders
 was for the rights of the Catholic because my rights and those of my children have no stronger security than Ms. When you aim to strike down the constitutional liberties of any citizen for any cause than a violation of the laws of the land, you aim blow at the liberties of every man.
 am an inEetcrate enemy to the Roman Ca tholic i.olity framed by the hierachy ol that church 10 advance the Catholic religion And we sec that t has been so unpopular among Catholics even in CaIiolr countries, that its ,alfi l. executed. The power If that hierarchy has been enteebled tot so much by the forre If req son against H. .,s 1t has been c0nipelled to give ground by the mecessltics which the modern con. diol of civilized society have generated the progressive physical necessities oT the age The ancient jealous requirements of the church to advance is peculiar interests can be DO lon ger compiled with. Stern necessity dictates to the intelligent Catholic everywhere that so- cjety now re iursa something more to support it than schemes to advance the power of the church; and the nature of that necessary some. Mtng more they find is inevitably antagonistic to those schemes. This necessity has compel led, against the thunders of the vatican, the late refo:mations in Spain ard Sardinia And this progress must go on until the ancient pow CT of the church will be reduced to no more than that wclded by Protestant churches; in- stead of the desire of its worldly advancement occupying 50 large a portion of the minds of Catholics, the church will have to be satisfied with much smaller share--uness, indeed, modern civilization can be overwhelmed and broken up by some barbarous power-in that event only would the field be open again for the operations of the ancient order of things.
 But if the feature of the Roman Catholic church so much objected to, was not so evident. ly on rapid decline, still would have no right vileges upon the suspicion that he vW bea tra- tor-to violate the constitution mysey neither in spirit or letter upon the plea that Catholics may be prevented from violating it hereafter- Besides, persecution has always had the effect of giving strength to those and their cause per secuted. And every know nothing editor, here- tctore, and Jere Clemens too has always profess sed to believe it. am aware they deny the
 
 Catholics because of their religion but because of the allegiance they owe to the Pope over the government of their own country. This was great reason given by the Sons of England for prosecuting the Catholics, and, for the pur- pose of showing whither we are tending-as we'll as for the cause itself, 1 will let great English writer on the other side answer it.
 eff such arguments are to pass current, it will be easy to prove there never was such a thing as religious persecution since the creation for there never was religious persecution, in which some odious crime was not justly or un- justly said to be obviously deducible from the doctrines of the persecuted party. We nigh, say that the Caesars did not prosecute the chris