Washington telegraph., 1856-02-13

hbcn lHdl tfic 1tu.iidn Oit1OUCS OF LOulSt
ana do no nat hold cirH allegiance, di
rectlv or indirectly. to es,,y foreign Pc,o
er, achetler ciuik or ecclesiastical, ana
are Americans by birth. education ana
train,ns." thsy eau be members of the
American party
In this connexion I will refer to the qnes-
tion of my friend from North Carolina. Mr.
Reasie.i the other day. which the honorable
gentleman from Georgia. Mr.. Stephens,
declined to answer, intmating that it would
lead to religious controversy. I make
this distinction now. | ask the honorable
gentleman from Georgia, or any gentleman
who may be pleased to answer
Mr.. KELLY. Let me ask the gentleman
question. | desire to know if the gentle
man from Alabama will say here in this
place. that he has ever known Catholic, ma
tive born or foreigner, who has become nat
uraiized citizen, who was opposed to the in
stitutions of this country
Mr. Smith. will not say that have.
| have had but very little intercourse with the
Catholics live in portion of the coun-
try where there are but very few Roman
Catholics but, sir. argue from their ante
cedents; what they have done in the past
they will do in the future, If ever they get
the power Why. sir. during the Reign of
Terror in France-the bloody days of the
Jacobins-were there not Roman Catholic
priests who joined themselves to the Jaco-
bins-who renounced their religion and,
stripping of their robes, kneeled before the
Jacobin altars and swore there was no other
God but the god of reason
Mr. KELLY. And let me ask the gentle
man from Alabama if there were not cler-
gymen of Protestant denominations who did
precisely the same thing?
Nir. SMITu. hope some Of these gen.
tlemen who have so many questions to ask
will, at proper time, take the opportunity
to furnish to me and to the House one sim
gle instance in which the Roman Catholic
clergy. in controversy between the king
and people. have been found on the side of
the people
MIR. FLORENCE I will give the gentle
man au instance now. Did not Father Muir
ply head the rebels. as they we're called,
against the forces of the king, and did he
not preach eloquently, and fight bravely, in
favor of Irish freedom The battle of
Vinegar Hill stands out in bold relief in
English history, and attests that the gentle
mans remarks are liable to strong exception
that he was a little confused in his histori-
cal knowledge. Great laughter.
Here the hammer fell the ten minutes
to which Mr. Smith vas entitled having ex-
pired
cloud cries of go on go on.)
The CLERK. The gentleman will pro-
ceed if 20 objection be made.
There being no objection,
Mr.. Smith continued / am inclined to
think that my friend from Pennsylvania does
not distinctly remember the nature of the
controversy in whlch Father Murphy was
engaged.
Mr.. FLORENCE. Yes. sir, recollect
distinctly.
MIR. SMITH. Ny recollection of the oc-
easion (if have any) to which the gentle
man from Pennsylvania alludes. is that it
was a spiritual, at least it was a UthegGr
war. That controversy gave the name to
the locality where it occurred. The great
question AT issue, think was whether Ham
nibal. in crossing the Alps. had actually
climbed the mountains, or had dissolved
them with vinegar. daughter L hope,
however, the gentleman from Pennsylvania
will prosecute his researches into history
further, and, at some future time, be able to
give me some instance where. in contro-
versy such as | have cited. the Catholic
cLergy were found arrayed on the side Of
the people.
Mr. FLORENCE. The gentleman asked
for single instance, and | thought | would
give him one.
Mr.. BoYcE. Will the gentleman yield
to me for a moment!
Mr.. SMITH No, sir, excuse me. can
not yield further, with all respect to my hon.
orable FREUD from s. Carolina.
When [ was interrupted some minutes
ago by the numerous questions which have
been showered upon me. was going to pro-
pound question similar to the one asked
some days ago by my friend from n, Caro-
lima, (Mr Reade to which have yet heard
no response Suppose man were to come
into your neighborhood. and professed to be
a school teacher suppose he applied to you
for place in your academy, either to lead
or teach suppose he professed religion
that he belonged to church the cardinal
policy ot which was to destroy the very
foundation of the Protestant religion sup
pose YOU knew that his master required OF
him to burn Protestant catechIsms-the
question is, would such man be proper
teacher for your children ! Yet, will any
man pretend to deny that it has been the
practice of the Roman Catholic clergy to
burn Protestant books?
A Member No. deny it.
Mr.. SMITH Then the gentleman denies
the current history of tho day-so far as
the public press is concerned and he de-
nies the recorded history Of the Roman
Catholic policy for ages-from the days OF
Luther to this hour. Does not the gentle,
man know that the Catholic priests burn
Protestant Bibles