Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-06-23

Aruhhiuhuu HUGHES -suolsu 60 be a MARTYR
--He REFUSES to Obey the Laws OF New
York.
A correspondence between the Inspector Of
New York olty ana Archbishop Hughes has
just been published. : a law has been passed
requiring all elergymen 70 register IN the
Inspectors department all marriages solemn
ized by them. The Archbishop failed to
comply with the law, when the Inspector for
watded him a copy Of the statute, The FOL-
lowing is his Grace's reply;
NEw York, May 20, 1860.
Sir-Itis within but few days that re-
ceived your communication, dated lst of
April of this year. would beg leave to say
THAI nothing Is left undone in the church 70
which | belong which IS not IN harmony
with the best interests Of society. Persons
purp0sing 20 be married are published in
their respective churches, on different public
occasions, previous 10 their matrimonial con-
tract Every, precaution is taken 10 guard
against the domestic iuiquities which are too
often sanctioned by other official officers Of
civil matrimony.
! have, therefore, 10 say, with the utmost
respect that many cases have occurred, and
are still liable 70 occur, in which il is for the
Catholic priest to remedy privately the evils
which the corruption Of morals may have
entailed, 50 Ar As any remnant Of private
conscience is concerned on the part Of the
delinquents. But l beg to say, once for all,
thatunless under coercion, | shall never be-
tray these or similar weaknesses of fallen
human nature, when it turns up in the form
OF penitence. II the State appointed a sal
ary for clergymen TO perform marriage, or
any other religious act, as its official agent,
can understand that the State might have a
right to inquire into the manner, time, cir
cunstances, &c, Of such act, and to hold its
sgent responsible to its laws, There may be
those who viii admit the obligation, in the
absence Of these conditions 70 render the
State an account Of their stewardship. But
I beg leave to say, With the utmost respect
for all human legal authority, that am not
one of the number. I am, prepared for
prison, or for a scaffold but am not pre-
pared to to obey a requisition which would
violate the obligations Of my conscience in a
Will AAnN AAAef IL MAANA ~ - 1nAu Alht
civil and religious liberty is the right ofeVery
citizen, Very respectfully your obedient
servant,
fJOHN, Archbishop of New York.
DAN'L E. DELEvAN, ESQ, City Inspector.
Further correspondence followed, closing
with a note from the Archbishop telling the |
Inspector to go on and do his duty, that is |
prosecute him. The excuse Of the Archbish- |
op for defying a wholesome law of the State, |
though somewhat ambiguous, is himsy /
enough. II can only be understood in this !
light-that be frequently sanctions secret
that were they known would shock |
the moral sense Of the community, and dis
grace all concerned. He evidently wants toi
be a martyr His flourish about the prison /
and the scaffOld, in matter where the pun
shment is merely fine, is laughable The i
truth is, the Archbishop is restless unless an
.agonistic to the State, and determined to
assert the supremacy Of the church over the |
civil authorities, he leaps at this opportunity /
10 defy the Government. We hope the In
ipector viii Accommodate the Archbishop, and
prosecute him. CiIeiaaati Times
The object Of registering marriages is.tO
enable the State TO keep track Of the legiti-
nacyOf children, to detect bigamy, and to aid
more effectually in tracing and establishing
he claims of heirs to property. It is similar,
md has the same object in view, as our law
'equiring license to be taken out by parties
wishing to be married, and which license is
-ecorded by the Probate Judge, as well as
he age and names Of the parties. The law
,equiring marriages to be registered in New
York applies equally to the elergymen Of all
Hence the course the Arch
bishop has seen fit to follow, is purely non
ensical, and his talk of suffering martyrdom
OOks very much as though he wishes to
manufacture capital for his creed.
To say the least the contemptuOus refusal
f the Archbishop to obey a reasonable and
necessary law, savors too much of the su-
,remacy Of Church over State. The conse-
Iuence of such an attempt supremacy will
ecoil against the Church, of which the Arch
iishop is the head in this country. The
American people viii allow no one denomi-
lation to be favored more than another
The attempts Of denomination to be ex-
mpted from the operations Of wholesome
avs, at the whim of its clergy or bishops,
viii be frowned down in a most emphatic
manner. The course of the Archbishop, if
PERSISTED in by the Catholic Church, will
urely. create another Know Nothing party.
We hope that the inspector will give the
archbishop an opportunity to suffer martyr
lom, if he refuses to obey the law.
In connection with the above we would
SIX, where is the indignant TRADE Of the
Democrats against the higher law doctrine Of
he Archbishop When the Protestant Min
stry Of the North preached against the in
ernal provisions of the fugitive slave law,
hey were denounced in no elegant terms by
he whole democratic press as fanatics,
yho set the higher law above hu-
nan. This, be it remembered, is simply
or opposing a cruel, unjust, unnecessary,
yranieal, and as they think unconstitution-
j law, and which was got up to oppress an
Unfortunate class Of our people. But when
he head Of the Roman Catholic portion of
he Democracy sees fit to tramPle upon a
lecessary law, which is admitted by all to
le reasonable, then the Democracy are silent.
F6y is this? Because ninety-nine out of a
hundred Of the Catholics vote the Democrat
C ticket; and because all the Catholic
newspapers in this country support the DEM
cratic party.
Death Of Congressman,
Mai Schwartz. Member of the House from