The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-02-08
Threats gatnss acknowledgements
OF Puritan Persecution.

Threats against observation-disclosures
OF Puritan Persecution.
Two or three days ago, in the United States
Senate, Mr. Hale, of New Hampshire, q Puri-
tan and abolitionst of the true blue type,
threatened all Northern men who did not SYM
pathize with the republicans In their policy Of
no compromise and armed coercion Of the
Southern Statee-tbreatened them with the
first vengeance Of the Praise God Barebones
invading army. He said "their first business
would be TO take care Of the traitors at the
North"-take care of them with drumhead
court martials and halters. As Danton said, in
the first French revolution, there is nothing in
such cases like "audacity, audacity, audacity."
The real traitors at the North are those who
have violated the constitution, to which the pa
ramount loyalty of all is due, and who are now
seeking to completely subvert it by military
despotism. The stigma "traiter" has about as
appropriate application to those for whom it
was intended as the term witches" had for the
good and virtuous women in New England
who, in the palmy days of Puritan rule, fell
victims to the fanaticism of Mr.. Hale's ances-
tors, Not content with driving the Southern
States out of the Union, the next object Of the
fanatical crusaders is to force all men Of libe-
raj ideas out of the Northern States-to subject
them to persecution, even to death, if they do
not ostracise themselves from their native land.
As we have recently shown in two historical
sketches-one "The History Of the Pnritans,"
and the other "The Rise and Progress Of Abo-
litioHismr-such have ever been the principles
and the policy of the New England Puritans.
They say they left Old England because they
were prosecuted there But ahe truth of his
tory shows that they always prosecuted when
they had the power, and that this was the chief
reason why seven handed justice commended
the poisoned chalice to their own lips" How
ever that may be, certain it is they were the
first colonists who set an example of persecu
ton in this country They had hardly landed
on the American shores when they began to
put their principles into practice. They per-
secuted all other sects, and even their own
brethren. The result was secession to Rhode
Island and Connecticut where the prosecuted
founded new settlements, to the great loss and
detriment Of the old colony; for population is
the wealth of States, and whatever dimi-
nishes it in new community is a
public calamity. 1t was thus the Moors
in Spaln-the most valuable citizens of
that country who preserved the arts, the
sciences and literature after the fall of the Ro-
man empire, who developed the resources of
the peninsula, and gave wonderful impetus
to its commercial enterprise--were prosecuted
and exterminated for their religious opinions
by the nquisition under Ferdinand, Charles ",
Philip ii. and Philip H., the last of whom to-
tally banished the Saracens from Spain-a de-
population which inflicted a wound upon the
nation from which it has drooped and pinned for
nearly three centuries. At that time it stood at
the head Of European Powers. Where is it now
More than one hundred and fifty thousand of
the prosecuted Moors took refuge in France,
where they were received with great humanity
! by the enlightened and liberal monarch, Henry
w., and where they repaid the hospitality with
interest by introducing their arts and manuac-
lures: while to Spain the result was destruction
to its manufacturing interest and finally bloody
civil wars to break down the tyranny of an alb
solute monarchy and the inquisition.
There is second historical parallel equally
instructive After France for series of years
had been devastated by civil wars of religion
and massacres, including that of St. Barthclo-
news day, Henry ~, in the year 1898, issued
the celebrated Edct of Nantes, which granted
to the Huguenots, or French Protestants, the
privileges Of citizenship, the right of worship
ping God according to their own faith, and
certain lands to support their churches and
garrisons. For this liberation Henry was as
sassinated. But the Huguenots continued to
flourish and the country to prosper under the
liberal policy which he established, till Cardi-
nal Richelieu controlled the royal councils and
vigorously pursued his maxim, that "there
could be no peace in France until the Hugue-
nots were entirely suppressed" At length, in
the year 1856, Louis XIV. revoked the Edict of
Nantes and ordered the Reformed Churches to
return to the faith Of Rome
The temples of the Huguenots were demo-
lshed, and the worshippers massacred Fifty
thousand escaped to the Protestant countries
of Europe, and a few to the British colonies
Of America. They carried with them their
arts anu wealth and enterprise, by which RI
val nations were soon enabled to excel the
French in their own manufactures; and the
despotism established over the human mind by
the French monarchy it became necessary to
overthrow, by the terrors of sapguinary
revolution, which may one day be neccs-
sary in the Northern States OF America, should
Puritanism be successful in establishing its
domination.
Another pregnant example of the effects of
persecution is to be found in the modern histo-
ry of our own Anglo-Saxon race. After the
Stuarts were overthrow in England the Irish
Catholics held out for them In Ireland, and
in the fortified city of Limerick made their
last stand. The English failed to take It. and
as the French had delayed to come to their aid.
the Irish garrison surrendered by treaty, one of