Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1856-05-21
Principles and Policy of the American Par
tY..NO. 10.


dominant party of the Romish church to TEN
poral lpower in the Pope. Before passing iron
this point, will add further evidence to supper
my position.
| Brownson's Review is the accredited organ 0
that party. He ostentatiously parades the name
of the Archbishops and Bishops on the cover
his book to give the stamp of authenticity to it
sentiments, and he asserts in it that VI neye
think of publishing anything in regard to th'
church, without submitting my articles to thu
Bisbop for inspection, approval and endorse
ment.'' This declaration stands to the presen
day uncontradicted, and therefore on every
principle of evidence must be taken to be true.
Let us then look to his pages for an exposltlol
of the devotions of his church. In his numoe
for January, 1858, he says:
"For every Catholic, at least, the church IS th'
supreme Judge of the extent and limits OF mel
power. She can be judged by no one; and this
of itself emplies her absolute supremacy, and ha
the temporal order must receire its lao from her.
| *
"Whenever the occasion occurred, she asserted
her power, not in empty words only, out n n
deeds, to judge sorereigas, Kings and Ctrsars, IL
BESTOW TO OR TAKE EAWAY CROWNS, tt
pEPosE UNGoDLY RULERS, AND TO ABsoLVE THEli
SUBJECTS FROM THEIR oATHs OF ALLEGIANCE.
Again in the number for July, 1868, he says
"The church is supreme end you have NJ
power except that you hold in subordination tt
her, either in spirituals or temporaIs.
You no more have political than ecclesiastical
independence The church alone, under God, il
| independent, and she defines both your powers
and her own ,
"They have heard it said from their youth up
that the church has nothing to do with politics
that she has received no mission in regard to the
political order. - -
| In opposing the non.juring bishops and priests
they believed they were only asserting their ma
| tional rights as men, or as the State, and were
merely resisting the unwarrantable assumption
of the spiritual power. If they had been dis
tinctly taught, that the political authority Is al
,cays subordinate to the spiritual, and had grown
up in the doctrine that the nation is not compe
tent to Define in relation to the ecclesiastical
power, its own right-that the church define.
| both its powers and her own, and that though
the nation may be, and ought to be independent
in relation to other nations, 1t has and can haze
no independence in the face Of the Church-the
kingdom of God on earth; they would have seer
at glance, that to support the cicit authority
against the spiritual, no matter an aohat manner
was the remuneration of their faith as Catholics
and the actual or virtual assertion Of the supre
macy of the temporal power"
In the same number, page No. 30l, ne says:
'She (the church, has the right to Judge aoh'
has or has not, according to the lac Of God, tn
right to reign--.chsther the prince has By has an
Lfdelity, has misdeeds has tyranny and oppress.o'
fousited his trust and lost has right TO the allie
giance ofhis subjects and therefore achether the,
are still held to their allegiance, or are released
from 1T By the lao Of God. Fshe hare the righ
to Judge she has the right to pronounce judgment
and order its execution; therefore pronounce sen
tence of deposition upon the prince aoho has Jor
Lfeited his right to reign and to declare ms su6
Ejects absolred from, tile allegiance to ha and IRE
to elect themselves neao S0rere'gn."
might multiply authorities on this point, al
most indefinitely, but it would seem unnecessary
Those who are disposed to pursue this subject
will find it ably treated in the speeches of Hon
Erastus Brooks, delivered last year, in the Sen
late of New York.
Can any man who cherishes republican prn
ciples, tolerate sentiments like thesef Is 1t no
obvious that they are Numerically opposed Il
the cardinal doctrines which lies at the basis O
all free institutions, viz: the sovereignty OF tn
people9 According to that authoritative doc
trine of Mr.. Brownson, endorsed by his church
all porer is in ihe Pope. He is the suprem
iiudqe. If oppressed, the people must look to hin
for redress. They have no inherent and inallen
able rights-and THE DOCTRINES OF THE DEcLA
RATION OF INDEPENDENCE ARE ALL DANGEROUS
FAIsEHooDs!
But let us now come to the more immediate
purpose of this number, which is to show th'
aggressive spirit of the ultramontane Catholics
their hostility to freedom of religion-their in
tolerance of protestantism-their intemperanc'
in politics, and their determination, if possible
to bring this country under the dominion
| Rome.
| AS early as 1S44, the Catholics, as body
| took their stand in the political arena. The il
lustrious Henry Clay and the virtuous and piou
Theodore Frelinghuysen were the nominees O
the Wing party for the Presidency and Vice
Presidency am not aware that there was any
particular hostility entertained towards Mr. Clay
at that time he was not member OF any
church. But Mr. Frelinghuysen was a member
of the Presbyterian church, and what is more ht
was THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF FOREIGN
MISSIONS
| This fact at once drew not only upon him. bu
upon his distinguished associate, Mr.. Clay, the
bitter animosity of the Catholic press and of the
Catholic Sect
Brownson, in his number for July, 1874, in the
heat of the contest thus assailed Mr.. Clay:
"He is ambitious but short-sighted.
He is abashed by no inconsistency, disturbed by
no contradiction, and can defend, with firm
countenance, without the least misgiving, wha
everybody but himself sees to be political ial
lacy or logical absurdity.
He is no more disturbed by being convicted o
moral insensibility, than intellectual absurdity
= A man Of rare abilities, but apparently
void of both moral and intellectual conscience
l* and therefore man whom no power
under that of the Almighty can restrain; he
must needs be the most dangerous man to bt
placed at the head of affairs it is possible to con
ceive." '3sta
1t will be seen that the denunciations of Mr.
Clay are all vague and declamatory. Nospecia
objection is taken to him, and it is obvious tha
the opposition was not 80 much to him, a:
through him. to Mr.. Frelinghuysen. The Bostor
Pilot, another Catholic organ, discloses the plo
in its number of 31st October, 1844-about five
DAYS before the election! Here is what it said
I'VE say to all men in the United States, en-
titled to be naturaized, become citizens while
you can-let nothing delay you for an hour-le
no hinderance, short of mortal disease, banisf
YOU from the ballot-boX. To those who are citi
zens, we say, vote your principles, whatever they
NAV be-never desert them-do not be whee
died or terrifed-but vote quietly, seriously, ani
unobtrusively. Leave to others the noisy war
fare of words. Let your opinions be proved by
your deliberate and determined action. We re-
commend to you no party; we condemn no can
didate but one, and he is THEODORE FRELINGHUY.
sen. We have nothing to say to him as a Wig
we have nothing to say to Mr.. Clay or ans
other Wing, as such-but to the PRESIDENT OF
THE AMERICAN BOARD OF FOREIGN Missions, the
friend and patron of the Kinks and Cones, we
have much to say. We hate his Intolerance
dislike his associates-and stu0cler at the black
ness and bitterness Of that school IF sectarians Il
maioA he belongs, and amongst phom he is regard
Il L.n n,,thnnitlin y