Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1856-05-08

and that there were besides four Church Of
England Glergymen who had Churches,
and decent maintenance; the population
then being 20, 900. He does not claim that
more than about one-ninth Of the population
were Roman Catholics
And what does it prove that fve-sixths
of the tax payers were in St. Mary's? No
doubt it was so but does that show what
proportion of those taxpayers were Roman
Catholics? Certainly not that is another
matter. Or what does it prove that the
Wills of that period were mostly those of
Roman Catholics? Does it prove that those
who made no Wills were also Roman Cath
olics? And yet any one who will look into
the Record of the Register of Wills, will
find that of the number of those who died,
not one in five, perhaps not even one in ten,
made any VIII. Or what does it prove
that the juries of the day were even mostly
Roman Catholics? Does not every one
know how often juries are picked up from
those in attendance about the Court? And
who were so likely to be in such attendance
as the Roman Catholic Gentlemen of pro-
perty and leisure in the immediate neigh
borhood? Go to St. Mary's and see if it
be not so there now
But Mr. Davis has given us very inter-
esting memoirs of some eight or nine of the
members of the Lower House of Assembly,
whose Wills, if nothing else, show that they
must have been Roman Catholics But
does that fact prore even if it were so at tho
time Of their death, that they were SO, OF SO
known to be, IN 1649. Who does not know
how many were the changes of that day from
Romanism to Professionalism, as well as from
Professionalism to Romanism? How many
died Romanists that were not known to be
such during their previous life? Was no
one ever known as the friend and adviser of
the Protestants, who was never known as a
Jesuit Priest, and yet nevertheless was such?
Let the history of that day show.
But the ''Act concerning Religion
aras it liberation act Its first section
reads thus, s'Be it ordained and enacted by
the Right Hon Lord Baron Of Baltimore,
absolute Lord and Proprietary Of this Pro-
vince, with the advice Of the Upper and
Locer House of this General Assembly,
that whatsoever person or persons within
this Province, and the islands thereunto be-
longing, shall from henceforth blaspheme
God that is, curse him, or shall deny our
Saviour Jesus Christ to be the Son of God,
or shall deny the Holy Trinity, the Father,
Son and Holy Ghost, or the God-head of
any Of the said three persons of the Trinity,
or the unity of the God-head, or shall utter
. any reproachful speeches, words OF language
concerning the Holy Trinity, or any of the
said Three Persons thereof, shall be punish
ed ptth death, and confscation or forfeiture
of all his or her land or goods to the Lord
Proprietary and his heirs p Is this tolera-
ton I might well hope, for the honor Of
Professionalism, that Mr.. Davis's statement
that it is the-actes il; tssse
For is death for such denials liberation ? I
think the first Independent congregation of
Baltimore would hardly thank even Protest
ants for such liberation, and certainly they
would not any more the Roman Catholics.
We could say much more about Mr.. Davis s
differences and opinions, without at all dero-
eating from his facts, and the interest to
:, Marylanders Of his work, but the interest of
the subject has already carried us far beyond
our due proportion.