New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-01-26
LETTERSPR FROM THE PEOPLE
ARCHBISHOP HUGHES AND TIE CATHOLIC
CHURCH.
Tai "a, rsi,s, W Tcibvne

To ne ESife, Of TAsN 7. ToibrHc
SIR: The late Baltimore Address a Archbishop
Hughes on the growth Of Catholicism IL the Uaited
States needsaome correction. The main DIN Of the
Address zoe. TO show that that faith does not wsts
away under the fall sun of light and freedom In
support Of this Il il neeul TO prove that its strength
i more Of native than OF foreign Origin-ts increSs
having ,prung from is intrinsic merits acting =
the minds Of enlightened freemen, rather than ffom
Wholesale importation 81 believers from Furops
ANXIOUS. Ike most polenics, 10 make good hrs point
ne steadily depr,cia,es the amount of imni gra;ioS
e,pecially Of Catholic immigration, and almost Ignores
the existence OF our French spanish and Italian pops.
a,iop now quite large, and exclusively Catholic. o.
course too he undertakes the Catholic strength Al
the time of our Revolution and the effect Of the scces
lion Of Louisiana. But these points Will leave fos
the delight Of those who yerscd in statistics, ar
fond Of usOlubc dipUcs viii merely call attentier
10 two eases OF sellcoutrscction transparent a. e
snnear very strange in man at Archbishop Hughes,
ability His leading object be II again observed,
~ show that the Catholic faith in this country has
prospercd more from native than nom foreign sid tei
he saw am quite satisfied that the nuuioe, OF con
verts docs not equal one third of the descendants OF
"Cathohcs who have q, parted from the fauh. H.
then the perversiors from that faith, as me ia
Journal might phrase H. have been three times a.
numerous as the conversions 10 It. Is Il not seevdeul
all the while decreasing not kept up or perhaps set,
ahead by aCcessions from abroad
But again and much worse Oftbc o,2i0, 535 persUs
OF foreign birth given by the census of 1850 he
Archbishop estimates that 100 900 only Caiho-
ics But these 900 oreignborn Catholics OF ls50
he sub,racs not from the whole number of Catholics
they were in 1850 but they are now in 1857 And
vet in those FIVE years. 0s ke klnseJ tebs ~ the
immigrants through New-lork alone were l,3l9, s3s
a number which our other leading ports together with
slight hut constant influx through smaller channels
undoubtedly sweled to l. 500 900. OF these " IS far
to suppose that 900 Catholics and cannot Dc
pretended that the deaths among these $4,000 hav,
been so numerous the births among them, added n
those among the 100, 900 previously here. 10 thai
by clear evidence, the Archbishop should have -
1850 600 instead Of 100000 And the former uuuS
her deducted from the Baltimore Almsnacs auin tols
of 397. 500 will give 1850 instead Of l,997,'~
a. the lumber of native American Catholics,
$50 0O0 instead OF LOO 600 asthc number OF ioteig,
born Catholics, including those of their Children oo
here during the last five years.
Thus then, o. everybody knew before, the Roma,
Catholic Church in this country " almost cntirei'
formed by the transportation of priests and peopt
from Europe This of course does not seriously afiot
the truth or falsity of that religion. simply assert i
a. an a,certainable and yeritablc fact; and hare
written the above stricturos not much from sss
tartan feeling ~ from an unwilingness that anti
episcopal zeal should be allowed TO befog the truth
history, or annul the evidence of figures. a.. q.
Lookpod y. Y, Jan. D. 1855.