The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-11-22
Archbishop Hughes ON the War.
Prom the Metropolitan Record:
Nxw YoRK, Nov. l, 1876

Archbishop Hughes ON the War.
Prom the Metropolitan Record:
Nxw YoRK, Nov. /, 1862.
w DEAR GovKRXoR: II Is now moro than
.venty three years since had the pleasure of
hs;ne introduced to you on the railroad train
between Albany and Utica. Opportunities for
cultiyatipg more intimately that first acquain-
lance. have been few and far between. Still, az
. personal friend. apart from what they common
" call politics, have always recognized you, in
nv own mind. as q true, unfinching man, of
upright principle. IA
longed to any political party, and yet, since my
return from Europe, certain nominally Catholic
n.pers have written me down as q politician.
Much allowance must be made for such writer's
They assume that my going to Europe was for
nolitica, and not national purposes; in fact they
seem. or choose to appear, as incompetent to
distinguish between what is vulgarly called .
nolitician and q patriot OF the two. would
nrefer to be considered patriot rather than
nolitician Before the outbreak of this melan-
cboly civi! war, it is known to you, my dear
Governor, that I foresaw the coming calamity.
I wrote to distinguished persons in the South,
nrayine and beseeching that they should exer-
cIse their influence for the perpetuaton of peace,
or rather against the disruption Of the Union
In INV own sphere in New York left nothing
undone to soothe bitter prejudice, especially on
the mart Of Abolitionists, with view, and even
IN hone. that the domestic strife which has since
oyertaken US might be arrested and turned aside.
tits lust one year and eight days since it Was
desired, by telegraphic communication, that
should visit the city of Washington on public
business. I obeyed the summons. spoke my
mind freely. 1t was thought that. in the perils
of the nation. at that time, could be useful in
promoting the interests of the Commonwealth
and Of humanity If would consent to 60 to
Europe and exercise whatever little influence
might possess in preventing France and England
from intermeddling in our sad quarrel.
II has, no doubt, escaped your memory, that
during the fourteen or fifteen hours which spent
in Washington, l declined the acceptance of
what would be-, to persons not of NV rank, q
great honor. did not absolutely refuse before
deciding, but wished to consult one or two per.
sons very near and dear to me in New York
Finally, and at the very last hour, there was
word uttered to me, not by any special member
of the Cabinet to which you belong, but by the
authority which it possesses, to the effect that my
acting as had been suggested, was . personal re-.
quest, and would be considered as personal favor
In three minutes decided that, without con-
sultipg any body, l should embark as a volun-
tser to accomplish what might be possible on
the other side of the Atlantic in favor of the
country to which belong.
What occurred on the other side think it
would be al present, improper for me to make
public lam not certain tina, any word, or act,
or influence Of mine has had the slightest effect
in preventing either England or France from
plunging into the unhappy divisions that have
threatened the Union Of these once prosperous
Ctafos ,ba
day--no hour even-was spent in Europe in
which did not, according to opportunity, labor
for peace between Europe and America. So far
that peace has not been disturbed. But let
America be prepared. There is no love for the
United States on the other side of the water
Generally speaking, on the other side of the
Atlantic the United States are ignored, if not
despised; treated in conversation in the same
contemptuous language as we might employ
toward the inhabitants of the Sandwich Islands,
or Washington Territory, or Van COVERS Is
land, or the settlement of the Red River, or Of
the Hudson's Bay Territory.
This may be considered very unpublished, al
most unchrstan language proceeding from the
pen of q Catholic archbishop. But, my dear
Governor, it is professionally true, and am
sorry that it is so. If you in Washington, are
not able to defend yourselves in case of need,
do not see where, or from what source. you can
expect friendship or protection. Since my re-
turn l made kind of familiar address to my
people, but not for them exclusively, in St. Pat
rick's Cathedral. Some have called it not sen.
mon, but discourse, and even war-blsst, in
favor of blood spilling. Nothing of that kind
could be warranted by knowledge Of my nat
ural temperament or of my ecclesiastical train
ing. From the slight correspondence between
Us, you can bear me witness that pleaded il
every direction for the preservation of peace
SO long as the slightest hope of its preserva-
ton remained. When all hope of this kind
had passed away, was for a vigorous prosecu
ton Of our melancholy a0ar so that one side or tn
other should find itself in tie ascendency.
On my return from Europe knew it was ex
pected thatI should make, in writing or other
wise, some observations of my experience abroad
that would reach the public generally. These
observations were made in the Cathedral of st
Patrick on the 18th of August They consisted
ofs very simple narrative of my experience II
different countries of Europe during my ab
sence from New York. Toward the close Of m,
remarks two ideas ventured to express viii
perhaps more energy than had been employed il
the simple narrative. ...-
One was the advocacy Of conscripti0n in pre-.
ference to the dragging business of enlistmen
and volunteering Perhaps come may hav'
thought that it was unbeooming for me, in
Catholic pulpit, to have expressed my opinion
on this topic But knew that the country
which l had no reason not to love, Was beinI
agonized by civil war. And besides, on refec
ton, consider that CONSUMPTION, sometime
called drafting, is the only fair, open, homes
mode by which a nation can support it's rights
and, in case OF danger, it's own Independence.
Many of my hearers on that occasion con-
founded the principle of conscription with tn
abominable practice of the ''press-gang" during
the war between England and France. This, o
course, was their mistake, not mine. France i
military nation, and u great nation; and it
system of CONSUMPTION, although at periods o
great national necessity, verging in its operation
after another, OF the cons who might be, other
wise, the hope and the stay, the consolation o
their aged narents ia nOtwithstandinp still tn