The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-11-29

the presence of his spiritual guardian, the Rector
of Alatri Such in brief, is the narrative of this
extraordinary case of abduction as published in va
rious foreign journals, and authenticated by letters
from private and public persons. That so gross an
invasion of parental rights should have created
throughout Europe and this country, a profound
sensation, is not to be wondered at That
among the various Jewish communities, scat
tered all over the Continent, the action of the
Papal authorities should have given rise to
mingled emotions of alarm and Indignation, is
nothing less than might have been expected, from
people so deeply attached to their ancient
faith, and so closely united in the bonds
of a common brotherhood. Everywhere they
have sought to move the respective governments
under which they live, to take such action in the
matter as may be best calculated to bring about
speedy restoration of the child to the arms of his
parents. In accordance with these solicitations,
France and Sardinia have already instructed their
respective representatives at Rome to use their
best efforts to procure, by friendly remonstrance
the release of the young MoRTARA But it is not
only in France and Sardinia, that public meetings
OF Jews have been held, but also in England and
| Holland, and still more recently in various cities
throughout the UNITED STATES At such a meet
ing, recently held in Philadelphia, a committee
was appointed to prepare memorial, addressed to
President BUCHANAN, setting forth the facts of the
case, and appealing to him to use his good offices,
In behalf of the MoRTARA family. This memorial,
which was signed by large number of citizens
of Philadelphia, of all denominations, was for
warded to the PRESIDENT, accompanied by a COM
municaton from ABRAHAM HART. President
of the Synagogue of Portuguese Jews
to the Secretary of State. The letter of Mr..
HART, after brief narrative of the circumstances,
which made the MoRTARA case matter of public
concern, refers to the very general expression of
Indignation which the knowledge of the outrage
has called forth, both in Europe and America, and
argues that it is not the case of Jewish boy in
''1talv only, but that 1t may be the case of any
Zone else not protesting the dominant religion of
''that country" and that it therefore warmly COM
mends itself to the attention of our Government,
as bearing both upon the question of personal
liberty and the rights of conscience. No direct
interference is asked expected, but the earnest
hope is expressed, "that, by some expression, the
''moral weight of the UNITED STATES in the scale
however, goes further, and requests that the
PRESIDENT shall not only instruct our Minister at
the Court of Rome, to ask ''as an act of grace
towards the Government of this country, and
| "people of all persuasions, that the boy EDGAR
''MoRTARA may be returned to his parents, and
''that they may be suffered to educate him as they
'deem proper" but that our Minister
shall also endeayor to obtain "a revocation
'of the Canon of the Roman Catholic
'Church, which empowers its adherents to
administer baptism under certain circum-
'stances, Or at least, to declare such an involun-
'tary conversion null and void" where the
parents or children ignorant of the fact and
refuse to recognize the validity of the baptism.
As general anwer to the letter of Mr..
HART, and to the prayer of the memorallsts,
Secretary CAss briefly responds, by stating
that the occurrence referred to took place in
an independent territory, and it did not
affect the rights of any American citizen, 1t is
deemed proper to adhere to the established prnci-
pie of non-interfereace which has heretofore regu-
lated the conduct of our Government in its inter-
course with foreign nations. So far as our
Government is concerned, we do not see what other
answer could have been given. That grleVous
wrong has been inflicted upon the MoRTARA family,
no one can possibly doubt, but it forms no part Of
the duty of our Government to redress the injuries
suffered by the subjects of another, and any at
tempt to do so would be properly resented as an
understandable interference. But although the
'settled policy" of the UNITED STATES is
to abstain from intermeddling in the internal
affairs of other nations it does not necessarily fol-
low that the people of the UNITED STATES, should
hesitate to express their indignant reprobation Of
| the outrage, and, while our Government cannot
act in the matter without departing from estab-
lshed principles the moral weight of public opin-
ion, properly expressed, may be made produc-
tive of results far more sautary, because produced
by means that are perfectly unexceptionable, and
to public opinion, therefore, the appeal should
| h.