Thibodaux minerva. [volume] (Thibodaux, La.) 18??-1858, 1856-01-26
Hon. Gee. Eustis' Speech.

Hon. Gee. Eustis' Speech.
On Monday, the Eth inst, the Hon. Geo. Eus
tbs Jr. Representative from the First Congress
ional District, addressed the House as fol
lows:
Mr.. Eustis rosed to personal explanation
He said that he had intended to occupy the at
tention of the House after an organization was
effected, but that the peculiar complexion OF the
debate on Saturday last, and the remarks OF the
gentleman from Mississippi, Mr.. H. $. Ben
nett,) which he found in the Congressional Globe
of Thursday, compelled him to change the course
which he had determined upon. That gentle.
man had asked whether the American party in
Louisiana did not view the eighth section or the
Philadelphia platform prescribing Catholics
and foreigners, and whether, in consequence,
they had not ignored and repudiated it? That
if he, Mr.. Bennett was not misinformed, the
gentleman from Louisiana, (Mr. Eustis,) who
was elected by the American party Of that State,
had repudiated that portion of the platform, and
vet he was still tremendously acting with the
American party here in the support of Mr.. Full
Ter, of Pennsylvania.
Mr.. E. regretted exceedingly that the vote
which he had the honor to give the patriotic and
conservative gentleman from Pennsylvania,
should have given any concern or uneaslness to
the gentleman from Mississippi particu-
larly, as he did not think that he required from
that gentleman any prompting any suggestion,
or any lecture. He said this in spirit Of kind
ness and courtesy. He thought that he was
alone responsible to his constituents and politi-
cal friends for any vote he might give. He yiel-
ded to that gentleman the broadest latitude in
the expression of his opinions here and else
where, and he claimed the same privilege for
himself. He had voted for Mr.. Fuller because
he thought him the most acceptable candidate
and because he knew him to be sound and
conservative man, and he would continue to vote
for him as long as he permitted his name to be
used by his friends in the House. He wished,
however, to state the position of the American
party Of Louisiana, on the subject of religion.
i'm, and he hoped to God that it would be SO
held in every State Of the Union, that religious
faith was q question between each individual
and his God, and they considered any attempt
to abridge or sircumscribe religious freedom as
unworthy of our great country, as it was in vi
olatioh of the organic law of the land. In this
spirit the American party Of Louisiana repudia-
ted it in toto. He care not what construction
gentlemen might be pleased, in perfect good
faith, to put upon that article. They might say
that it was imperative, and therefore inoffen-
sive, against American Catholics, but the words
were there, and they were offensive and insul-
ting to the American Catholics. He called the
attention of the House to the construction that
Flournoy had put upon that article when he was
the American candidate for Governor in Virgin
ia. That gentleman published letter in which
he said he would never vote for o Rnman Cath
Ole, and he thanked God, that he, (Flournoy,)
was defeated. He ought to have been defeated,
as there was enough in his letter to have defea-
ted ten thousand candidates for Governor: and
he hoped that every man who held such Odious,
such monstrous doctrines, would ever meet with
as deed and as early a political grave as did the
Hon. Mr.. Flurnoy.
He agreed with the gentleman from Miss
issippi, (Mr. Bennette) when he said that if the
9Th article of the Philadelphia platform did not
mean to prescribe Catholics, it meant nothing,
The cardinal principal Of the American party,
and the only one which he chose to endorse at
present, was that none but native born Americans
should be elevated to Office. If none but native
born Americans should be elevated to office, all
foreigners, both Catholic and Protestant, were
excluded, and were excluded not on account of
their religion, but Of their birth, and therefore,
the only Catholics that remained to ibe dealt
with-the only Catholic that could be consider
ed as candidates for ofice-were the American
Catholics.
He wished the House to understand that he
was addressing the national American party,
and not the Democratic. and he wanted that
party to understand distinctly where he stood
on the question. He was no Catholic! he had
been in Catholic church but three or four
times in his life, but he wanted to see justice |
done them. If the eight article meant nothing, |
why not strike it out? It was blot on the |
history of the country, and had driven thou
sands from the ranks of the American party |
who, in other respects, sided with it. The |
American people were a generous people, and |
would never unite in a crusade against Ameri- |
can Catholic, and he, for his part, would rather
that his right arm should wither than lend its
aid to party whose direct purpose was such |
Gentlemen talk about Papal
power" They could not point him to an in
stance where Catholic priest, or an accredited
agent Of the Pope Of Rome, had ever held
seat in Congress, and yet he blushed to see the |
professors Of the Protestant religion polluting
their robes by dragging them in the mire of pol
tics. The State Legislatures were full Of black
robes and white cravats, laughter, and Con-
Shouts Of laughter.( He wanted to know where |
they got their authority from for thus black
baliing their peers and equals the American
Catholics, stamping them as mere tools Of the
Pspe of Rome, and considering them as unwor-
thy of being in the councils Of the country |
Did they find it in the constitution or in the |
treaty between France and the United States,
in which the territory Of Louisiana was coded
70 this country, the religious rights of the in
habitants being guaranteed 70 them! Did they
lind it in the Farewell Address Of the Father Of
his Country-that address so often quoted by
The orators Of the American party-or did they
ini it in that great book, the Bible, on which
70 much veneration had been bestowed so un-
probably in the Philadelphia platform! (Great
Laughter) He would tell gentlemen where
hey found it. In the teachings and in the
Inspiration of that dark spirit Of fanaticism
which is the curse Of the Anglo-Saxon race.
PHILOSOPHY or RAIN.-To understand the
philosophy Of this beautiful and often sublime
phenomenon 50 often witnessed since the crea-
lion OF the world, and 80 essential to the yery 4
existence Of plants and animals, few facts de-
lived from observation and long train of ex-
must be remembered.
l. Were the atmosphere at timescf q uniform
temperature, We should never have rain or hail.
n snow. The water absorbed by IL m evanora |