Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1856-04-12

upon your tracks. rear you Will be
much annoyed-very uncomfortable in
deed, if you cannot do something besides
throwing yourselves upon your dignity
and reserced rights, as many a criminal
does when he is nabcd. Avail yourselves
then of the opportunity you have sought
to prove yourselves worthy of better
treatment. 1t is but clustering to abuse
his Excellency, for he has but done his
duty in the premises Deserve retraxit
from him and you may claim the triumph.
But, sir, if this House, under the guild
ance of the Honorable Chairman of
this COMMITTEE, eshall shamefully retire
from the contest without striking an
effectual blow, then the battle of Actium,
will be enacted again, and the modern
Anthony will have succumbed before the
superior arms of our augustus.
Thus far and so much, for what the
majority of this Committee have failed
to do; let us turn now to what they have
actually done. They have presented
here what is termed the Philadelphia
platform of June 1855, as containing the
true political principle of our country,
and expect you by your vote here to give
your sanction and approval. That you
should be gravely asked, sworn as you
are to support the Constitution Of the
State and General Government, to en-
dorse the offspring of that Grand Coun-
Gil is an insult which / could hope to see
this House resent with proper spirit. l
would not wish you to publish to the
world in your Legislature capacity, with
all the obligations you are under from
your position here, your approval of the
detestable principles it contains. If
however they speak from authority--if
you intend to confess in full to this black
indictment, then "beyond the reach ofmer-
cy are you damned" Why, sir, as /
read this paper, | shudder. have not
adistempcredi Inauguration, butin minds
eye | can see the victim bound to the
the stake with the fire, the fagot and the
bigot about him. | can see the rack
and the torture; | can see the assassin's
dagger and the warm hearts blood gush-
ing from its wound! / can see the poi
soned chalicc and its unsuspecting VIC
tim; mans intellect becomes dimmcd
with passion and bigotry and darkness
again covers the world. These things,
sir, have been from such cause and can
be again. The first blood shed by man
flowed from this cause, and the mark. as
indellible as that fixed upon the front of
Cain, should be branded upon his brow,
who like Cain would prosecute his broth
or because he worships not at the same
altar, or worships in different manner
from himself. am, sir, a Protestant
and a staunch one, but | sustain to the
fullest extent the right of every man to
differ from me and mine to differ from
him, in our religious creeds, and that
too without molestation, hinderancc or
penalty of any kind to be written in law
or retained in the heart. But when !
read this paper | hang my head for Pro-
testantism. 1t is false to itself--it is
disgrace. There is dark spot upon its
fair fame, and that darkness is made still
more visible by the bright age we live in.
1t has allowed bigotry to become the
captain of the Protestant forces, and
they are furnished with the arms of the
savage instead Of the armor Of truth =
| repeat, sir, VIC have cause to hang our
heads for Professionalism. Will you sus-
tain the principles contained in this plat
form, and in the next breath denounce as
traitors the Aboltionists the Black
They are bad enough,
God knows, but their principles arc less
fraught with danger to the happiness of
our people than some on that paper
They, it is true, would libcratc the black
slave; you would make the white one. -
They would sever our bright Stars, and
take their share to themselves, but you
would darken the whole galaxy. They
may succeed in dividing this Union; you
make this Union not worth dividing
They shall keep their pestilent nations
on the North side Of geographical line,
yours would be infused into the most
intimate relations Of life. You would
loosen the sweet cords Of hospitality,
which so strongly bind societies together.
The Protestants and the Catholics be-
come discovered bodies and repeal each
other. How can any other effect result
from the insulting course pursued and
in this paper? Would you,
sir, a Protestant Know-nothing associate
with the Catholic whom you here de-
nounce as traitor? No, sir. And
were Catholic, as / am Protestant,
no man who has ever united in such a
denunciation, except as an object Of mer-
cy or charity, should ever cross the TIRES
hold Of my dwelling. You thus place a
gulph between neighbor and neighbor.
which, if passed at all, will be passed
for purposes Of hatred and revenge -
You would not stop here. You would
infuse your poisonous atmosphere into
the very domestic circle. The Protest
ant wife and Protestant offspring, who
have lived in happy union with their
Catholic husband and father are now TO
be taught TO dishonor him as a traitor
and one unwothy Of trust even under
oath and 80 adroitly have you combined
this poison with another root Of evil, that
we shall behold the Protestan husband
stepping over the pure honor Of the
Cati,oiic wife Of his bosom. to enjoy the
dobasing emoluments Of office.
But, sir, the work Of these Philadel-
phia conspirators would not have been
complete without they could have in
troducod the Holy Bible as a cloak for
their hypocrisy, and call upon the Al
mighty Fathp1 ~ L Witnese Of their