New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-10-09

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filur not only in our civil but in our Catholic duty
The Federal Government is no usurpation; II Is
legitimate Government, and IT has never lost Its
legitimacy by any act Of tyranny or oppression. NO
such act has been can be pretended. Rebellion
against il, therefore, is not only crime but SIN
inc principle here asserted il that which we de-
Tended for wears against the revoluoniss in Europe
and il has been on the ground that such is the teach
ing of the Catholic religion, that we have repened
with INDIGNATION the charge brought against us by
Knoyv.N6tbinqs that Catholics are not and cannot
be loyal American citizens. We have labored, ID
opposition 10 The Know.NOthings, to show tDAt
Catholics are bound by their very religion 10 be
loyal; and we have yentured TO assert THAT y. the
Republic were threatened, or an attempt M de to
dismember the Union Catholics wOuld be the first to
rush to its rescue and the last to desert it,.
The assertion we ventured has not bee entirely
justified The conduct OF our Catholic population,
especially that Of their leaders, has no. wholly an
swered our expectations. OF the twelve journals in
the English language, published in this country, and
professedly devoted to Catholic interests, we can
name only The Catholic, published at Pittsburgh,
and The Tablet, in this city, as decidedly loyal.
The telegraph and AdDOcate, published at Cincn-
natl, is occasionally loyal and 50 also, perhaps, liz
! The Buffalo Sentinel. The metropolitan Record
was, when last we read it, striving hard to be on
both sides All the rest really Secession Sheets
and exert whether avowedy or not, all their infu
euee against the Federal Government, and IN favor
OF that of the Southern Confederacy; for we count
opuoses the war, and clamors for peace. OF the
clergy, the greater part of whom have been born or
educated abroad, a large majority have Southern
| sympathies, and portion OF them, small MI
nority, we hope, are decidedly disloyal The
Bishop of Charleston, South Carolina, sang we have
been told the re Deam over the fall Of Sumter.
Much allowance, no doubt, must be made for bishops
and priests residing in Rebel States, and j. would be
too much TO ask them TO proclaim on all occasions
and under all circumstances Union sentiments their
silence may often be excusabe, and sometimes Justl-
fable. Sill they are bound by their religion TO H.
struct their own people in their duty OF fidelity TO
the Government OF the Union, and they have and
can have no authority under that religion, in
sonauce with it, to hold dsloyal sentiments, de-
nounce the loyal States, and sing Ie Deums over
the defeats OF the Government 10 which they owe
allegiance The Bishops, both Of Charleston and
Richmond appear to have done thisi and, ii they
have done go no reverence or respect for their Ep-
copal character should be allowed to excuse their
treason make us hesitate to charge them with vo
lating their Catholic duty, and doing all 10 then
power to Justify the Know .Nothings in their grave
charges against the loyalty Of Catholics. Catholic
morality is a. obligatory priests aud bishops as IL
is on laymen, and from its obligations they can
neither absolye Themselves nor be absOved even by
the Pope. The right of the Supreme Pontif to
absolve from their oath Of allegiance the subjects Of
/ prince who according 10 the law Of God, and the
Constitution Of the realm or empire, has forfeited
his right 10 reign, we have uniformly maintained,
and still hold; but we have never maintained and
cannot maintain, that he has the right to absolve
from their allegiance the subjects Of a prince who
holds his power legtimately, and has done nothing
TO forfeit his trusts and certainly we cannot con-
cede TO simple bishops and priests power which we
do not and cannot concede to the Supreme PontiH
himself. We do not, In such case, deny the AL
solving power to their chief in order to claim it for
them.
But we are gratifed to know that the Catholic
people, moved by their loyal and patriotic instincts
are nobly redeemDg their Church from the false
position IN which the disloyaty or mistaken policy
Of the majority of their journals, and portion OF
their bishops and clergy have had a tendency to
place her. Though, for the moot part, welded to the
Democratic party, which has brought the country to
its present critical state, and bitterly preJudiced
aeainrt the party that elected our present Chief
Magistrate and especially against New-England
Yankees regarded by them as fanatics, bigots and
the enemies Of all good they have noby volunteered
TO Gil the ranks Of our army, and generously shed
their blood in defense Of the Union. No class of
American citizens have in this respect, surpassed
them and indeed they have set an example worthy
Of all imitation. Catholics have, considering their
numbers more than their proportion in the regular
army and volunteer forces OF the Union and Catholic
soldiers whether We speak Of officers or men, are
surpassed by no others now in the field. The loyalty
OF the majority Of the Catholics OF the North must
be held TO eace the disloyalty Of the few Catholics
Of the South and when this war has been prosecuted
10 q successful issue, we doubt not that the loyalty
both Catholics and non. Catholics will mutually feel
that they are citizens OF q common country and form
but one political people
That the attempt OF some OF the so-called Catholic
Journals TO make Catholics believe that the so.called
Jonfederacy Il less antCatholic in its sympathies
than the North, and that the North, when the Re-
belon is suppressed, will turn its arms against
Catholics may have influenced, and may still in
fuence few especially Irish Catholics, whose mis-
fortune II often is to trust their enemies and suspect
their friends, we do not deny, and we regret It, But
the notion is absurd, and always has been. The |
South is more infdel pagan, and far LEES Christian
than the North, and IL and always has been, as we
might expect far more anti Catholic, and, when not
absolutely Indifferent TO all religion far more bgoted
than the North, IT, by the North, we refer TO New
England. There Is no part Of the Union where
Catholics are better treated and suffer fewer annoy
ances, than in the New-Engsnd States. Nowhere
In New gland will Catholic priest or a Catholic
layman, If gentleman miss the treatment due TO q
gentleman, whatever some OF our journals may
allege to she contrary.
who Secessonists, did good service to the Demo-
cratic party-which by the way, is not the same as
doing good service to the Catholicism arresting the
Known Othing movements III Virginia. but TO defeat
the KNOWN othings was for them political neces-
nty. Had the Know-Nothings triumphed in Viz.
GINA in 1855 the chances Of either OF these ndyidu
ais becoming candidate for the Presidency would
have been less than nothing Their success depended
on the success Of the Democratic party, and that
party could succeed in no non-SlavehOldng State
without securing the Catholic and foreign vote.
Deprived Of that vote, the Democratic party was,
aud still H. in hopeless minority in every Of
the Free States. The oppo,ition to the Know
Nothings therefore, no more proved disposition on
the part Of Messrs. Wise and Hunter favorable to
Catholics, than il proved their loyalty and devotion
to the Union. The Secession leaders, no doubt,
mean TO use Catholics in their struggle for separate
nationality or the reconstruction Of the Union but
there can be Just a. little doubt that when they had