The weekly American banner. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1855-18??, 1856-06-27
Foreign Allegiance,

So far as the great American principle is COM
cerned of not supporting for Office Roman Cath
olics who regard themselves as owing supreme
allegiance to the Pope, we care not whether the
Catholics in this country are many or few.
the principle is invulnerable. Even if there
were but hundred men in the United States
acknowledging their highest allegiance to the
Pope, the smalness OF their number would be
no reason why they or any of them should be
supported for Office. No man is fit to fulfil the
functions of office in the United States, unless
in his own view, his first allegiance is to the
constitution which he has sworn to support. 1t
is absurd to tell us that because there are but
few persons in our country who hold to the
power of a foreign tyrant to absolve them from
all obligations of allegiance to our constitution
and laws, we ought to have no objection to sup
porting them for office. We wouldn't support
such men any sooner than we would support
traitor, and we wouldn't support traitor even
though he were the only traitor in the land.
The principle of electing men who believe in
the power of foreign potentate to require them.
to disobey the constitution and laws of our
country is in itself palpable and monstrously
wrong. In opposing it, we do not necessarily
imply the existence of any fear in our minds
that the Roman Catholics are either stronges
or increasing in strength in the United Statesr
Yet undoubtedly they are increasingly strength.
The innumerable multitudes, poured from other,
countries into our own, are almost entirely
Catholics. They make yearly vast accession
to the Catholic power. Yearly the Catholic
proportion of our entire population is. in conse-
quence becoming larger and larger. Already
the Catholics of the United States number
themselves by millions; and the Pope of Rome
by issuing his orders through his archbishops,
and thence through his bishops, and thence
through his priests, can cast the whole Roman
Catholic vote of the United States in solid
and unbroken mass, for whatever men or what
ever measures he pleases, and thus exercises,
even now. an influence in our politics absolutely
fearful. He can speak word from the Seven
Hills, and his whole army of hundreds of thou
sands in the United States wheels and fires at
his commend. The existence OF such power
in the will of foreign despot is a tremendous
evil and an appalling peril even when the Cath
ole numbers in the United States are not great.
er than at present; and with the increase of
numbers comes the increase Of peril. There il
a reason, then, great reason, a mighty reason,
why no man holding higher allegiance to any
, earthly power than to the United States, should
be elected to Office in this country.
The influence of Roman Catholicism over the
SAG NIGHT press of the United States is daily
becoming greater and more manifest. Hundreds
of anti-American papers who have always been
Protestants, are seeking every opportunity to
) disparage Professionalism in comparison with
Popery. IF they do not openly attack Protest.
! antism, they sneer at it. We have before US .
very prominent anti-American paper Of Ken.
lucky, which says, 8 that the mass Of the Pro
testant clergy have lost faith in God and truth,
and that they are scaling aloud the flesh ant
!, the devil.n If such is the case with the mas,
of the teachers of the Protestant Church, It j.
to be presumed that the laity are no better. Il
! is not to be suppose that the mass Of the FOL
lowers are better than the mass of the leaders
SO then, in the view of our anti American edit
orr, the mass of all the Prcteetants Of this coun
: try have abandoned their faith in God and trutl
n and SURRENDERED themselvs up to- The flesh and t.
! devil. When the press Of . great and poWerfas
!. political party is induced to use such Ian
8 guage as this, surely il Is time for Protestant
Americans to take heed to the political sggres'
9 sions of Romanism. - q ! ~