New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-04-05
PROXIES I'm RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES.

Ifany additional argument were wanting for the
passage of this act beyond the principle that body
shall be governed by the will of the majority of its
members, it has been supplied by newspapers which
represent the opponents of the measure.
Among the weapons they use to defeat it, are
wilul misrepresentation of its true character i'm
peachmen of the motives of it's supporters, the as
sumption that all the virtue and intelligence of these
societies is concentrated in New York, and that the
country members will ruin their institutions if OIL
lowed to vote; and lastly, insolent threats against
the Assembly if they dare to pass, and against the
Governor if he dares to sign, the act.
This course s well calculated to force upon the
Legislature and the Executive the conviction, not
only of the intrinsic soundness of an act which is
so attacked, but of the reasonableness of the de-
mand that the members at large of these Societies
shall be enabled to exercise their own Judgment in
regard TO the official conduct Of their managers in
New York.
We Gull from The Christian intetligencer-fOr
two years the leading opponent of the act-a sam
pie of the arguments against the bill:
{" An Infamous invasion Of the rights Of Christians"
This Ubiquitous measure OF political cratiness"
a. bold and villsinous attempt
IAN outrage upon Christians so audacious"
" This crime about to be perpetrated"
" This sbominsble measure"
" This wicked BILL"
More recently, The InteHigeneer turns from the
advocates of the BILL and strikes higher. 1t says:
" We are sorry to hear that our excellent Governor
" is shy of signing the law for the suppression of
Sunday theaters and brothels, lest the German
"vote, especially of the baser SORT should be alien
" aled; but we can frankly and truthfully tell
" him, that if this proxy bill should become law
"by bis signature, there will be others more numer-
" GUS and influential than the vicious Germans, to
/" hold him to his responsibility for the act"
What delicious Bit of " Christian intelligence"
is this malignant SANDER, and how delicate the irony
of our excellent Governor" who, to the editors
regret, is in favor of protecting brothels
When the Proxy bill passes, as sooner or later it
is sure to d. it will improve the tone of the publ
cations of which The Intellgeneer is type, whose
code of morals and religion are comprised in the
Castle Garden platform, and whose manners are
appropriately borrowed from the plantation. II
will bring to the New-York managers who now
rejoice in such organs sense Of responsibility to
which at present they are strangers. They will
cease to regard themselves as the owners in fee of
the wealth, power, and influence of the great chart
table societies which have been built up by the wide
spread benevolence of the land for the spread of
sound morality and pure religion, and not for the
purposes of commercial Christianity. 1t will teach
them that they are the servants, and not the mas
ters Of the societies they represent. They will be
less insolent at their Anniversary meetinps lass
abusive in the columns Of their newspapers. They
will be more slow to crush debate, to SANDER the
Executive, and threaten the Legislature; and apart
from its general operation, the act will greatly
benefit the public morals, by lessening the amount
of religious cursing, and making the Christian
their language.