Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1856-07-23
EBENSBURG, JULY %, 1866.

this course was anti republican, absurd and
dangerous. We denounced it as contrary to
the Constitutional guaranty of lii erty of-con-
science. We condemned it as establishing
secret jurisdiction worse than even the inqui-
sition but how much sympathy did we obtain
i'll our course from the present Republican
press The Gazette, although not an organ
of the American party at any time, supported
Know Nothing for Governor in 1854, aud
rival, ..s mos. virulent American newspa-
pers in denunciation of the Catholic church
The polite and accomplished editor of the
journal was memaer of the American or
Know Nothing party, acted as member of
the Executive Committee of Allegheny coun-
ty, and is still conn -cted with the organization.
1t is true, like Governor Johnston and his
followers, he belon ys to the anti-slavery wing
of the American party. He has dissented
from the doctrines of the party on one point
the question of slavery, but when has Mr..
Riddle, when has Gov. johnson when has
the Con,merciat Journal, or any other organ
of the Know othing party ever evinced the
American or Know Nothing creed which
svows hostility to Catholics?
We have seen abundant documents, speech
es and letters from dissenting Know Nothings
from Know Nothngs who seeded from
the Fillmore Contention, but we have vet to
see the first one denouncing the odious reli-
gious test which was one of the fundamental
principles OF the American organization
We are. therefore, permitted to infer that
the whole American press Of Pennsylvania,
now bearing he names of Fremont and John
ston at its editorial head, maintains precisely
the same illberal doctrines, that it formerly
did on the Catholic test. 1t has never disa-
vowed them. 1t has never retracted single
sentim mt; and yet it now occupies the absurd,
inconsistent and ludicrous position of support
ing man who married an Episcopalian lady,
and yet who, from his own choice, net hers,
selected Catholic priest to perform the cere-
mony. Two years ago this same press would
have heralded such fact against Democrat,
as being sufficient ground of exclusion from
Office Two years ago it would have announ-
ced it in glowing capitals and declaimed
against the dangers of paI al supremacy We
have no words to express our contempt for
such inconsistency. 1t is g almost as bad as
kill king and marry with his brother"
We have said, and repeat it, that the charge
against Col. Fremont is not ours. Whatever
may be or may have been his religious views,
they are nothing to us. They would not
weigh feather in our estimate of his quaiif-
cations for the Presidency But they do affect
our estimation of the party that selects him
for its standard bearer. They show its utter
destitution of principle, and display the most
conteniptible servility They prove either
that the past professioes of the American par
ty have b en- false. or that whatever regard it
may have for its avowed doctrines, their value
is considered significant when weighed
against considerations of temporary expedi-
ence
Under any other circumstances, at any 9th
er time, and coming from any other s,urce.
the sacts connected with Col. Fremont's mar
riage would have been stale and Improbable.
But it seems like blow of retributive justice
that they should be furnished by Know
Nothing organ against the nominee Of the lar
gest section of the Know nothing party We
have not even taken the trouble to Investigate
the allie cations The main fact of the mar
riage however, seem to be undisputed. The
fact that Mrs Fremont wa not a Catholic ap-
pears , be equally certain 1t was sort Of
runaway match. The pair had been driven
out of tho paradise of Col Benton's approba-
ton. They wanted some person to perform
the interesting matrimonial ceremony 90 The
world was all before them where to choose y
If neither of them belonged to the Catholic
church why select Catholic priest? II
neither of them professed to belong to tha,
church, why would the priest oficiate? These
are questions which we would be satisfied to
answer by frankly admitting that it was none
of our business But the Know Nothing
party has made these matters the subject OF
political discussion. 1t has dragged the most
delicate relations of private life, the most
exclusive matters of private judgement into
the political arena. 1t was undertaken to ex-
plore the secrets of the freside, and to rake
up the facts that to condemn a public man
/ from the ashes of his own hearth Such are
the means which it has secretly employed to
destroy candidates who have been otherwise
unassalable We scorn to resort to the
same species of warfare; but we must never
| theIess commend to the American party a
careful consideration of the questions pro-