Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1856-12-13
Henry Clay and Knew Nothinsism !!


Tn a letter, dated Washington March %,
1850 addressed to the President and faculty
of the University Of the Notre Dame du
Lac, HENRY CLAY said II hare neuer
5eliered the creed Of tie Catholics acas
ANTI-AMERICAN, and hostile to ciul
and religious liberty" On the contrary,
have Nth great pleasure and rith sincere
conviction, on several public occasions,
borne testimony 10 my perfect persuasion
that Catholics acere rs much deroted to ctUii
liberty, ondas much animated by patriotism,
as those pho belong to heprotestam creed.
Again--In one of his greatest speeches,
in the cause Of South American Indepen-
dcnce, made in the u. s. Senate, Mr..
CLAY said--"With regard to their supersti-
ticn-tAoy rorship the same God uiM us.
Their prayers are offered up in their tenn
pies to The same Reeteen,tr whose inteycession
ace erpect to sare as. Non Is THERE ANY
THING IN THE CATHOLIC RELIGION UNFAvo-
RABEE TO FREEDOM. ALL religions united
NTH Government are more or less ,asnsicN
TO Hberty-oU SEPARATED from Gvv-
eran,ent are compatible uiM li6erty"
And again Mr.. Clay said-eI think the
honorable gentleman fro,a Virginia does
great iviustite to the Catholic rcligton in
specifying that as one of the leading causes
of the decline Of Spain. Ii is oreli9ion en-
titled to great respect; and there is nothing
in its character incompatible ,ctth he
highest degree Of s,etioaal prosperity Is
not France, the most polished aud in many
other respects the most distinguished State
of Christendom, Catholic !? Is not Elan
ders, the most populous part of Europe,
also Catholic /? Are the Catholic parts of
Switzerland and Germany less prosperous
than those which are Protestant
SO much for the RELmIous FzArraE Of
Know Nothingism. Now how stood Mr.
Clay in regard to that other principle, which
demands THE PRESCRIPTION OF
FoReIeS BORN CITIZENS I'm his speech in
the U. S. Senate on the American syatem
he thus expressed himself:
1.-The honest, patient, industrious, Ger
man readily unites with our people, estab-
fishes himself on some of our fat lands, fills
his capacious barn, enjoys in tranquility the
abundant fruits which his diligence gathers
around him, always ready to fly to The stan
ueiu VI hiS euoPpea eooin !. "a VI .'e i@ne,
when called by duty and patriotism
1.-The gay. the versatile, the philosophc-
al FRENcHMAS, accommodating himself
cheerfally to all the vicissitudes Of life, in
corporates himself also without difficulty in
to our society"
But of all the foreigners, none amalga-
mate themselves Sc quickly with our people
as tho NATIVES OF THE EMERALD ISLE. -
In some of the visions which have passed
through my Imagination. l have supposed
that ireland was originally a part and parcel
of this continent, and that by some cxtraor-
binary convulson of nature it was torn from
America, and drifting across the ocean,
was placed in the unfortunate vicinity ol
Great Britain. The same open-hearted
ness, the same generous hospitality, the
same careless and uncalculating indifference
about human life, characterizes the inhabi
tsnts Of both countries. Kentucky has
sometimes been called the Ireland of Amer.
lea. And have no doubt that if the cur,
rent Of emigration were reversed, and Sc
from America upon The shores OF Europe
every American emligeant to Ireland woulc
there find, as every Irish emigraut here
finds. hearty welcome aad happy
home.
Te suppose IIrsrr CLAY, iflitise woult