Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1863-08-18
DR.. Brownscr on Catholic Loyalty.


In a late number Of his ReUitp DR.. 0. A.
Brownson discusses the position Of American Cath-
ocs on the great questions of the day. lie pays
A warm tribute to the avowed loyalty OF Arch
bishop Hughes but adds that his own is the only
Catholic organ that has applauded the Archbsh-
OPS course. DR.. Brownson continues
Had be been backed up by the bishops and
clergy OF the loyal States, the Northern people
would have been united in prosecuting the war,
and the peace party would never have been organ
lied for the leaders Of that execrable party know
perfectly well that, though the foreign born popu-
lation and their children, the majority OF whom
are Catholics, are rot all who are ready to follow
them, vet, that without the assurance OF their ad-
herence they could hardly rally a corporal's gurad'
individual Catholics have been loyal, but they have
been so in spite of reproach and oboquy from
their Catholic brethren and the bitter inyectiyes ol
the Catholic organs What more could the Know
Nothings have asked of US in their justification :
So stand the facts simply stated, and yet "a
their very face we venture to believe that yer
few Catholics, except old American Catholics, IA
the sayeholding States, and not all even oil then
are deliberately and Intentionally disloyal or "a
moral and religious grounds in favor OF SLAYER,
when brought forward as distinct and separa
question. Catholics have generally, in late years
at least, been associated with the Democrat
party, and that party, since 1850, has been polilr
calIy pro-slayery party, and from its ranks have
issued the chiefs of the rebellion. Secession vs.
the work Of the Democratic party in the South
ern Ssates, aided and encouraged up to certalr
point by the Democratic leaders at the North, iol
reasons not difficult to divine. Catholics have
become proslayery through party and party az
tachments They have COMPOUNDED oppositiol
to political abolitionism with the defense o
slavery itself, and mistaken fidelity to their par.
for loyalty to the nation. Not few Of then
cannot conceive i. possible for man to be goo'
Catholic and not support the Democratic party
and to large number Of them, leaving their p
litc,l party is next neighbor to renouneing thei
. church. The leaders Of the rebellion at II
} South were among the first, in $50, TO meet az
: roll back the Know-Nothing movement, and III
mass Of our Catholics have q much more read
sympathy with Southern Shareholders than the
have with the more prosaic population OF II
North. The STAKEHOLDER seems to them neart
akin than the Northern freeman to the gentlema
7 or nobleman Of the old world.
y The change which the rebellion made in II
bearing Of the slavery question our Catholic pu
licsts have failed to notice, and our organs see
, to have imagined that they should treat it precis
e Iy as they had done before the rebellion broi
out Hence they have, as far as in their powe
placed cur Church aud the Catholic people on Il
> side of slavery and disloyally. here has been Il
e error-an error which has had grave effect {
the future OF this nation, and has done and is dor
q incalcuable injury TO the Catholic cause. II
! Archbishop OF New York saw that ii was NADINE
for Catholics in the loyal States to take the side
4 disoyaty, and the very Rev Edward Purchell b
seen that it was equal madness ior them to tai
the side Of slavery. The Church never dies, so
q is not absolutely too late. Let Catholics unde
!. stand the question, and they may yet repair mu,
4 Of the harm they have done, ana prove Intensely
q alike true friends Of their country and champio
Of freedom"