Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-02-19

or obnoxious to- those glorious principles OF ciyll
aud religious liberty which we are so proud 70 boast
Of as our national inheritance. But they did not
answer the purpose nor subserye the ambition Of
that august prelate who reigns in the name Of the
papal hierarchy the destinies Of the province
of New York" They stood In bis way. They
stood in the way of the holy mother church, y
They were an obstacle in the path Of their mutual
power and ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, and they must be re-
moved And to that end the internal machinery
Of a foreign despotism, extended through its su.
perstitous rani6catons into this country and this
State, were SGT at work. The numerical political
power of the Church was shaken in the faces, and
held IN teyroyesn over the heads of New York pol
iticians; the bravest trembled before the august
ecclesiastical threat, and at the convention held
in 1916, those two conservative features OF our
State government were wiped out OF the constltu- !
ton The native qualification and the ecclesias-
tical prohibition fell together, before the awful
dictu,,a ofthe Roman Catholic Church, and for
eign-born archbishop, an apostle OF the woman in
scarlet, became in an instant eligible to fill the
gubernatoria chair!
II we're idle to argue that the people Of the State
sanctioned that change by their votes. True, the
new instrument was submitted to the popular suf-
frage, and by the popular vote blindly sustained.
The amendment was 30 cunningly and 30 jesuitical-
ly devised that not one in thousand Of the few
who read il before voting upon II, detected the
Interpolation Nay, more / will venture the opn-
ion, that even at this day, not one in thousand
of the 100000 inhabitants Of this State, know that
they voted for or that they are now living under
a constitution which qualities foreignborn Roman
Catholic Bishop for the highest Office in the gift of
its people. But such Is the fact.
The Puritans fed from politico religious State
government, and they fell into the very error of
their prosecutors intolerance. But among them
sprang up Roger Williams, who, like second Lu-
ther startled the world with a new theological
theory. When Roger Williams announced the
doctrine of mans accountability to God alone, for
his religious belief he revealed new light-a new
light, which, like an electric FASH Illuminated the
souls and the judgments Of the Christian world.
The generations which followed adopted his theo-
ry-thc fathers Of the revolution adopted his thee.
ry--andso emancipatng the religious sentiment
from the channel Of political corruption, they sent
down their bark Of State upon the waters of time,
freighted like rich argosy, with the chartered
liberties civil and religious Of unborn millions
They declared that no person owing allegiance
spiritual to any foreign potentate, should be per-
nlitted to take part in this government, or enjoy
the privileges of the free citizen.
The Federal Constitution of 1889, however, SUI
perseded one of these features in the local organic
law of New York, by vesting in Congress the sole
power 10 direct the terms upon which foreigners
might be made citizens by naturalization, and the
new State Constitution Of 1s47 wipes out all the
rest.
Sir, we have arrived at period in our history,
when we witness the effect of this abrogation.
The church Of foreign potentate assumes politi-
cal authorty--claims the right to hold American
citizens under control in their temporal affairs
violates fixed law of this State-parces out the
country into provinces under the authority of the
king Of Rome who sends his vcegerent here to
issue an edct against living statute Of our State
We<6nd that vicegerent or nuncio, received by the
executive Of our State, and entertained with fetes
yNa fad Sla
setting apart a national vessel to carry the vice
king on his journey through the northern proy-
incss bordering on the great lakes, and finally we
find him at the seat of government, demanding to
be recognised minister plenpotcntiaIy to the
United States.
Provinces, forsooth! The province of New York,
parceled out in the year 1854 by an edict from
his Holiness the King of Rome and placed under
the control Of his Grace the Archbishop, whose
duty il is TO execute not the laws of the sovereign
State of New York, by the grace of God and the
declaration of l776, free and independent, the cy
nosure in galaxy Of thirty-one empires-no no,
not to execute her laws, but to enforce the man
dates of his superior master, the despot of the
seven hills, the mpious selfconsttuted Vicegerent
of Almighty God, the Pope of Rome
The Prorince of New York Sir, / thought that
style of nomenclature had passed away from these
United States when Lord CORVALLIS gave his sword
to General Washington; and should like TO know
Dy Wnut authority u lOfelHn fHOndrCu NJ tnls uuy
thus parcels out our territory Bywhat authority
lac sends his royal deputy into an independent
State to enforce the edicte in opposition TO the
local laws? BY what sublime authority does he
say that the tenure Of church property shall vest
forever in his archbishop and successors, when
statutes declare it shall vest in board of lay trus
tees, chosen by the free suirages of their peers
Sir, it is time we had a reckoning, an understand
ing, on this subject with his Holiness, the Auto
crat of the Vatican. j think the act now before
the Senate viii serve as a very good entering
wedge 10 the negotiation
The history of that Church has been one of po-
litica ACKNOWLEDGEMENT from first TO last IL is in
ialibe, at least in that and to that end it courts
and cultivates every element of power. Money,
sir, money Is the great corrupting medium. oh,
how truly has IL been characterized the root of
evil Well, sir, political eligibility, and well
fortified foundation for political influence having
been secured through the corruptble ingredients
OF partisan dcmagogues, u was by a very natural
transition that the hierarchy should turn its alton
ton TO the accumulation Of money Without
money, sir there is little hope Of efecting politi
cal revolution OF this country, upon a scale so
grand as that which believe to have been in con-
temptation in this instance, and the large sums
cessary to accomplish this design upon the State,
could not be accumulated by any ordinary means
and so the extraordinary plan which this bill is In.
tended to counteract has been devised.
But sir, the hierarchy ofthe Romish Church pol
itica dstrusts its people in this land Of light,
free speech and free schoosi II loses confidence
in its own, where men are permitted TO be nteli-
gent. Roman Catholics, sir are like other men.
j discover no difference In the nature of the Roman
Catholic and the Protestant They are formed
from the same clay. They possess the same SEN
scs the same tastes the same desires, the same
necessities Freedom TO them Is as dear as free
dom 10 the Protestant. The inherent rights of
man belong to no sect, but 10 the whole human
race, and the Roman Catholic ought to enjoy those
rights, and i doubt not would be glad 10 enjoy
those rights in common with his fellow man. But
out Of the United States Of North America those
rights are not conceded to him. Darkness covers
the face Of his mind. He does not knop has o,C,l
rights, and thus he IL made the easy and the will
ing dupc Of an ambitious, corrupt hierarchy. II
u not so here. Our liberal institutions forbid il.
Our free and equal laws forbid II. Our system Of
popular education, our free schools forbid H.
Under these benigning Influences the great
mass of Roman Catholics become new beings. Their
4 Al. Il. 4.