Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1860-03-29
NUMBER l3.
Religious intelligence.

for the purpose Of giving n ten party for the
benefit Of the Church.
This was passed with two or three dissent
ling votes only, and they were so weak as
hardly to he heard. They got stronger, how
ever during the night. This morring SEN
ator Thompson of Clay moved II reconsider
alton, on the ground that the Methodist F..
Church is Anti-Slavery, and enemies to the
Constitutions of the State. This brought out
Senator Scott, in one of the finest yindica
tons of political and religious freedom it has
been my fortune to listen to in the State. 1t
is more valuable, coming as it did from
most decided advocate Of Slavery. 1t is i'm
possible to do il justice in hasty sketch.
lie said he hoped the resolutions would not
le rcGccpsidcrcd, He re / embered no instanc
in which the chamber had been refused any
other denomination. 1t was true the Meth
cd Episcopal Church was thoroughly Anti
Slavery. They had the constitutional right
to be so, as much as he had to be Pro-Savery
His right to be Pro-Slavery, and theirs to be
Anti ti-Slavery, had a common origin in the III
aienable rights ofman, beyond the just con-
troll of human governments. lie believed
Slavery to be moral, social aud political
bessing-best for the wlite man and best
for the negro--and he was not afraid Of An
Iti-Savery sentiments Or Anti-Slavcry argu-
ments in the or out OF them. If Slavery was
right it would be maintained. There was no
iangef in error, when truth WIS ltft
free to combat it. He asked for himself
the rointnon rights Of Il citisen---ofa freeman
and was willing to grant the,n to all others
Was Slavery so weak that il must be main
tained by prescription? by violation of the
constitutional rights of our citizens? the dcni-
nj Of the freedom of thought and religion? If
so it was time it was out OF the State
I.e was not willing to make tn, ad-
mis- on, and was sorry that anybudy else WAS
Prescription would defeat its own purposes
The freedom of thought and of discussion
corld not be crushed out by it; The Chris
tian religion had reached lis through the pro-
scription Of ages, standing the test Of intilcl
expressions and arguments, supported by To-
cal tyranits and temporal prosecutions. The
Reformation swept over Europe like lorna
do, unappaled hy THE tcrrors of the Inquisi-
stion Even Mormonism flUurishcd as long
as it was animated by the fires of proscrip-
ton. Driven into the wilderness, desert
State astonished the world at tho base of the
mountains. Another example was the pro-
scrption of the Catholics by the Know Moth
ings. The charge Of prescription broke up
tie organization. MAJ y who were in it were
prescribing the Methodists Were the lessons
Of experience lost upon them? Would they
never learn them? The Methodist Episcopal
Church was one Of the oldest and most nu-
merous denominations in the country. Fuun-
ded by the great Wesley, thoroughly Anti
Slavery its discipline had undergone no chang
for three-guarters of a century. 1t was now
what il had been before the division OF the
| the Church. when its members from all parts
of the Union worshiped at the same Anti
Slavery alter He was willing thai they
should worship God as Of yore, according to
the dictates of their own consciencos unmo-
lcsted by the hard hand of prescription. He
believed them obedient to the Constitution
and the law If not he did not doubt the
power Of the State to bring them to punish
mcnt To exclude them from the Senate
chamber for their religious opinions learned
from Wesley, the founder of Mcthodism, aud
steadily II antained through the long histo-
ry Of the church, while it was indiscrlinIn-
ately granted to all other denominations was
an attempt, in violation Of the Constitution
of the United States, to prohibit the free cx-
ercsc religion, and in violation of the Con-
stltution of this State, denial that all men
have a natural and indeleaslble ii sht to wur-
ship Almighty God according to the dictates
Oh their own cohsc'ehceS; an at'empt, o' hu-
man authority, to control and Interfere with
'"' 's"'' VI oo,'o''o','c' r'ii W SNo p'o'''-
cnce to sects and modes Of worship lie was
sorry that such wrong should DC done by
any body, but not surprised that it should be
asked in the name Of Democracy which had
long sncc lost its original meaning, and be-
comes synonymous with despotIam.
oeha'or PARSONS, " ac.cr'iiiheo advocate OF
slavery ''oSe " 'el'i' 'ic 10 s'ca,' o's' 't"i-
Waf'' o'ocN featured SPcc'nic. VI humanity
whose contour anu manner irIeSistaUiy sug-
gcst "BoIocF i"U0h. ihelc were some
strange things III his speech. lie aStollshcd
the Senate with the statement that 'BtShop
"-l"dre~S "ds d''en on q me C""fch Dc
'rc"se ne noWuHt Seh Stote 9ut nc ha" yo'
'Oy ms "ye 10 SHatJef' w hcthet lhc
statement was intended To carry with II tne
iae' that t''o i,Snop 'We'tt1s Il'c s'asc s'lI
was 'c'' W 'N'''o''oo i'' "''.' u "'''I' ''I,'
an inierence' u was rare ITEM ol ii'leiil,
schcc' anu cou'o o'lS 'i"'' o'ei' u"o W.. ~
inc Voiu'hiiio"S cn"iCh controversy ny tie
most 'aDoilo"s anu i'o''';'o 'c'o'io"' 1t
mas c"'ao'iHuGa INC oc'','o' et.''"I.c' 40
we'i-ihi"rinca man, ana hereafter MS sl"tc-
inehtS VIII pp received Will UNIVERSAL c'e-
'e'''' .
Senator Halliburton followed on the same
side. lie, too, had made discovery The
Senate listened in breathicSs silence. Ihe
Senator read lom q scrap-book he held IN
hia hand the astounding Intelligence that the
Methodist Episcopal Church was Anti-Slaye-
ry. lie seemed just to have discovered 1t IN
some concealed nook oi church history, aud
put it in his scrap-book, that The world
might not lose it. Wh"re IN the world he
got the information, whether IN the blscip-
I do not know but that he has it. and in
a way that the world can never lose 1t, there