The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-07-11
THE FOURTH or JULY IN BOSTON IN 1857 -
THE POLITICAL PARSONS PREACHING DIS
IuJIQN


The newspapers bring accounts Of the manner
in which the modern Athenans passed the eighty
first anniversary. There wasa partial gloom thrown
over the celebration of the Attn by the city author
ties Of Boston, caused by the bursting of mortar at
tie exhibition Of fireworks in the evenings which
nortally wounded four men.
But there was greater cause of mourning to
the friends of the Union in the manner in which the
day. that used to be a national jubilee in Boston,
celebrated by the political parsons and sectional
bigos who now seem to control her once large,
enlightened, and grand national sentiment AS, in
the days of witehcraft and the prosecutions of Ann
Hutchinson and Roger Williams, the clergy of Bos-
ton were foremost in tanning :" the devils embers,'
with John Cotton and Cotton Mather, who were
knaves than fanatics at their headso in these days
of disunion, fanatcism, and bgotry against foreign
born, the Boston clergy, especially the Unjtarians,
take the lead
They have reassumed much of the spirit of dica-
ton which marked the theocracy that governed Bos-
ton in the worst days of her old priestcraft. We
read of those early bgots that in the very year they
carried the first charter from Charestown to Bos-
ton, in which there were then but few novels set
up, one of the first laws tho clergy got passed was,
0hat no man be admitted to freedom in the Common
wealth but such as arc members of some church
within this jurisdiction" That of course meant then
an orthodox church. And, thereupon, old Baxton,
who then owned half Of Boston, quit all his posses
sions and abandoned the town. declaring that he
had come from England to escape the tyranny of the
Lords bishops and now the Lord save him from
| a.. t,rrannx, If tho .tT ord's brethren
And again, in these days we have the Lords
brethren dcmipeerng in the pulpit and soaring the
people with the raw head and bloody bones of sla-
very and Popcry
To show further what notions of government the
bigoted Boston clergy have taught from the begin
ming, we find the same dogmatism which now marks
the abolition clergy, first commencing its teachings
with the Rev. John Cotton, who when he came over,
Pclangcd the name Of the town from Shawmut to Bos
ton. Driven from England coming fugitive there
from religious persecution for preaching human
equality and liberty of conscience, he no sooner got
into power than he turned despot and nquisitor.
He was one of the political preachers of that day,
the prototypes of the Theodore Parkers, the Rev.
William r. Algers, the Stones, Huntngdons, Dex-
tcrs KalIochs and the like spiritual political leaders
of the modern fanaticsm of political anti slavery and
know-nothingism which has its headquarters in Bos-
ton.
In the old days Of fanaticsm the Boston authori-
ties even before they had Fourth Of July to cele
bratc, called upon the clergy toexpeund government
to them.
So in these days, when the abolition clergy of
Massachusetts, have established antisslavcry as the
can be freeman or hold Office in Massachusetts I'M
less he belongs to that church and curses the Souh)
the city authorities invariably call upon an anti-sla
very minister to preach Fourth Of July Grafton and
curse the South as obscenely Shime of old cursed
King David.
This year they invited the Rev. William r. Alger
to do it, and he did it in style arrogantly dis
gushing, and temper foreign to the principles of
national Union and State rights, as old John Cot
tons discourse against self-governmcnt and religious
freedom when he preached the first political sermon
in Boston at the general court election in 1854
"iod,' said old John Cotton, 'nevcr ordained a
democracy as a fie4sovernment either for Church or
State; for" said he, "if the people be governors
who shall be governed 2" Therefore the Church must
govern the people, and John Cotton and his orthodox
clergy must govern the Church. That was the only
thing in the minds of the clergy Of that day, to make
"a righteous government
Just SO the Rev. William r. Algcr claims for his
black-repubcan church in New England the exclu-
sive right to govern the Union. What he wants, in
his own language is ''to secure national righteous
ness at home
This national righteousness, he tells u.s. is anti
slavery There must not be slave in the whole
country. Without internal holiness no nation can
long stand Slavery is national sin, and therefore
this Union cannot stand with slavery at the South
notwithstanding the reverend demagoguo had just
before INDUCED in cxtravagant eulogiums upon the
fact that we are enjoying in this country glorious
advantages" priceless. blessings" and an entire
exemption from all those enormous unrighteous
vampire burdens of accumulated debt, establish
ments, fcudal laws, fittings, and broodng fear
which crush the ovcrcrowded populations of the
Old World to the EARTH and drain out the energy Of
their life-blood with simple, self-ruling dcmoc-
racy peace and plenty, the common school, the open
church, and all the natural rights of the individual
unnfringed,"
All is sunshine till he names shareholders and
is upon him. He muttcrs forth 'the muilled walls of
the plantation !" his straning eyes behold ''sable
of al,ao