Southern shield., 1856-02-23
From the N. Y. Express. Ramanisnl and the next Pres;- dency.

[
 Romanism, 1t is now quite apparent IS Buckling on it's armor to enter the ne4t Presidential election, in this eoun- try, with a zeal and earnestness peculi- ar to all politico religious enthusiasm.
 It no longer gropes in the dark, ol hamngues its disciples in the dark out of-the-way places; but comes boldly out with the mask off, acknowledging itspurpose, and declaring its intent "Ue acant 10 make Rome the Dis- trnf of *Colu0a6ia for aN Mrisfe,a- d0asp' exclaims the organ of the Arch bishop, here. And as an incentive to acion on the part of the faithful, 1t is semi officially promised, that the next time the College of Cardinals is called upon to elect a successor to the pres ent Pope, the candidate, possibly, may be taken from the United Statesl The Papal press responds to the appeal thus, ast were, from the very chair of St. Pe- ter, and follows up the programme with sud suggestions of it's own, as enable us, in some degree, to understand the plan of the campaign.
 15ne of the most active subalterns, in { 'a17al army, in this quarter, is a Ms D'Arcy McGee, the editor of a Journal rejoicing in the amusingly ab- surd aplellation of "American Celt. , The Celtaas unfurled the Romish ban her, and Ntered for the campaign of 1856 with ebout the boldest, yet most commendabT frank, avowal of the ob- Ject It's partyexpects to achieve, which has yet met otr eve. It is the Jesuit like policy of tAe Freeman's Journal organ of the Ctmmander-in in- Chief of the Popish phalaqx-not to create an impression that tae Romish Church is to be party, as such, to the approach ing contest at all, in order to do it's work, by stealth, al the more effectu- ally-but the Celt, with less discre- tion, speaks right out. The Presi- dential election of 1S56, it assumes, should be regarded o1 all hands as a I" true test of American feeling" and sees no reason why any of the apolo- gists for that feeling h tour own Chat is, the Romish } ranks" should any longer affect to doubt it. An appeal IS then made to Irishmen, and Papists, to prepare like men, and as good Roman Catholics, for the issue. But, lest our language, on this head, should be misapprehended, We quote, cer6atim.
 /" Countrymen of ours, are you pre- pared for the future, come what will Have you made up your minds to suffer prescription ?-to beget children for an ungrateful nation? - to live like cribbed criminals, and die without transmitting any patriotic hopes or holy convictions which your posterity may profess with impunity, or cherish with pride? Answer if you can have you so determined, or h~vo you
 Behdtiful spectacle, indeed Here IS an irishman, occupying an inhuen- tial position among his Romish lay men, drumming up hta |" country men" against the American people, who have thrown open their arms to receive them from beggary and bad government abroad, and have opened to them avenues of personal, political and social promotion, which are closed against them at home. The Celt, by implication, tells his Irish Catholic readers to look upon us as GAN UN- GRATEFUL NATIoN' - at a moment when, if its bigoted editor would but step into our almshouses and other charitable institutions, he would see thousands of his own class fed, and clothed, and housed, at large pro- portional expense of Protestant tax payers. It may be a very ungrateful thing for some Protestant taxpayers not to build Popish altars on Randall's lsland-a very ungrateful thing not to permit government vessels to be sent out on pleasure excursions to Papal Nuncios-yery ungrateful not to turn the Bible out of our public schools - and to refuse to vote an annual appropriation for the mainte- nance of Romish schools. All this, we repeat, is very ungrateful; but we do not see, Mir. McGee, how it can be well helped, until you succeed in car rying Presidential election, and put the American party and the American people under the ban-"a people," to use your own loving words, "primed with Puritanism, and made riotous and arrogant with worldly prospcri- ty." Again-the coming Presidential election is to be held:
 GA war between the Know -Nothings and Irish Catholics "a war between the religion of the one and the reli- zion of the other. It is struggle be- tween the SeUen SacrdmentS and the seventy thousand false ideas which the fanatics disguise with the name of { liberality.' It is a pitched fight be-