Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-10-12
The CnthoIic church aud tho War.

BrowHson's RevieW for October contains
long and able article upon Slavery and the
War, and how peace and the Union may be
secured, in which the writer defines his past
and present position, in respest to slavery,
as follows;
I'VE need not say, for the fact is well
known to our readers, that no man, accord
ing to his ability and opportunity, has, since
April, 1885, more strenuously opposed the
Abolition movement 10 the free States than
we have; not because we loved slavery, or
had any sympathy with that hateful institu-
ton, but because we loved the Constitution
Of the Union and because we believed that
liberty at home and throughout the world
was Ear more interested in preserving the
Union of these States under the Federal Con-
stitution, than in abolishing slavery as it ex-
listed in the Southern section of our common
country. But we believe and always have
believed, that liberty, the cause of free insti.
tutiens, the hopes of philanthrOpists and
ChIistons both at home and abroad, are
more interested in preserving the Union and
the integrity of the nation, than they are or
can be in maintaining negro slavery. If we
have opposed Abolition heretofore because
we would preserve the Union, we must, a
.tortori, oppose slavery whenever, in our
judgment its continuance becomes incom-
patble with the maintenance of the Union,
or of our nation as a free republican State"
This is the history Of the progress Of many
thousand minds throughout the loyal States
Ct the Union; and, if it is true that political
relations are paramount in their rights to
social ones the progress is right, and the
justice of the result can not be disputed
But, in theory, heretofore, it has never been
conceded that political relations are para.
mount; ard with us, the question remains to
be decided in a way that will determine the
practical force, if not the speculative value
of the two elements.
The writer says that ''the conduct of our
Catholic population, especially that of their
leaders, has not fully answered his expecta.
tions."
"Of the twelve journals in the Englist
language published in this country, and pro
ftssedly devoted to Catholic interests, we
can name only the Catholic, published al
Pittsburg, and the Tablet, in this city, as de.
cidedly loyal. The telegraph and AdUocats
published at Cincinnati, is occasionally loyal
and go also, perhaps, is the Buffalo Sentinel
The Metropolitan Record was, when last We
read it, striving hard to be on both Sides AL
the rest are really Secession sheets, aud ex
ert, whether avowedly or not, all their inilu
ence against the Federal Government, anC
in favor of that of the Southern Confederacy
for we count every journal favorable to tht
Secessionists that opposes the war and clam
ors for peace. of the clergy, the greater par
of whom have been born or educated abroad
large majority have Southern sympathies
and portion of them, small minority, WI
hope, are decidedly disloyal.'
This is rather heavy bill of indictment
and, it is to be hoped, is not to be taken with
out grains of allowance; but the write
finds something to console him in the knowl
edge that "the Catholic people, moved b.
their loyal and patriotic instincts, are nobl,
redeeming their Church from the false posi-
ton in which the disloyalty or mistaken
policy of the majority of their journals, ant
portion of their bishops and clergy, hav,
had tendency to place her.
although, for the most part, welded to th,
Democratic party, which has brought tht
country to its present critical state, and bit
terly preiudiced against the party that elected
our present Chief Magistrate, and especially
against New England Yankees, regarded b.
them as fanatics, bigots, and the enemies o
all good, they have nobly volunteered to fiji
the ranks of our army and generously shet
their blood in defense of the Union. NJ
class of American citizens have, in this re
spect, surpassed them, and indeed they hav
set an example worthy of all imitation
| Catholics have, considering their numbers
more than their proportion in the regula
army and volunteer forces of the Union, an
Catholic soldiers, whether we speak of off
GERS or men, are surpassed by no Others nov
in the field"
In the closing paragraph, the writer give
his views of the duty of the Government il
respect to slavery, as follows:
at seems to us, then, highly important, i
every possible view of the case, that the Fed
eral Government should avail itself of tn
opportunity given it by the Southern re
beIlion, to perform this act of justice to tn
negro race to assimilate the labor system {
the South to that of the North; TO remove
great moral and political wrong; and to wip
out the foul stain of slavery, which ha
hitherto sullied the otherwise brigh
escutcheon of our Republic
~