Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-08-24

Daniel COrnel 70 some Irish Catholics IN Cin-
cinnaf, IN 1913. IL was one Of the mistakes Of
O'Connell-Or, as an American gentleman saws
was avowed 10 him by O'Connell-it was n policy
he felt IL proper TO pursue in seeking his immedi-
ate aims as To lreland-to JON with the Aboli-
tionists of England and OF New England in de-
puneiauon OF African slavery. O'Connell never
succeeded in dOctrfnatng his countr- men. on
either side OF the ocean, with the idea, and. as
time has passed ON. they have desired 70 drop
the incident from the memory 81 their great
country men. The magnificent answer Of Bishop
England. Iish burn and Irish bred TO O'Coi nelfs
avowais of aboiitiOiI:sm settled tie question as to
tie arg ument snd left to the great ngitafor OILY
tie field he knew SO well how TO FIJI. of d. nunci-
alton aud ~declamatory assertion. The letter 10
Iri>h Catholics in Cincinnati. as an argnment. is
of ~ value IL Is unkind 10 The great Irishman.
now that he Is at rest, 10 rake il up. But IL i a
part of the Puritan me ihOd. in this miserable war,
To play the hyena, aud to disturb the repUse even
oil. the dead clfz4- r
He letter in question errs in matters of fact
and in matters of uoetriBe. You say the Con-
stituiion in America prohibits the abolition of
slavery Paltfy and miserable subterfuee! The
Constitution in America Is founded ON the
Declaration of Independence" SO wrote and
erred O'ConnelE The Declarations ofzIDdepen-
dence, drafted in l776. was the manifesto of cola
Onies leagUed together for the common object Of
achieving the sovereign Independence of each
from the English Crown The Constitution.
drafted in 1857. set forth the terms on which SOW
ereisn and independent States agreed 10 a Union
of limited reach, and for defined objects. nthe
latter document there is tie least allusion to tie
former. The Declaration was a popular address.
tie Constitution was an agreement on fuuda-
mental grants and guarantees of law.
Mr. 0'COnnell said in that letter: I've have
indeed heard IL said that some Catholic clergy.
men have slaves of their own; but, il is added.
and We are assured positively, that no Irish Cath
Ole clergyman Is a slave owner" The VERY
Rev Edward Purcell rakes up and publishes the
old letter, containing such assertions. Did he
not know that his own Most Rev. brother, Arch
bishop Purcell. an Irish Catholic clergyman"
only a few weeks before the date of this letter OF
O'ConneIl's. WAS a STAKEHOLDER IN Frederick
county .Md--and more than that, that when he
left Maryland for Ohio. be felt il in no wise in
cumbent on bis consriencc either TO manumit. or
to take away from Maryland. the property in
slaves which he had beldi Only the habitual
simplicity and good faith manifested by Father
Edwarsl- Parcel as eiitOr of the TIE egraph. can
account for his publishing this mistake of O'Con-
nell, without correcting it by his cwn better in
formation. So much as TO some Of the errors as
to matters of fact.
mcdonnell in this letter denounces with
the of which he is so accomplished a
master, "fhe Irish by brIh or by descent in
America" as perverted" depraved." 'souls
become stained with a blackness darker than the
negro's skin"-'silly." guilty" 'calumniators
of the aboliiionists. etc, etc. The vocabulary Of
abuse is large. and used with a sweeping general
ity Of application against 1.-The Irish in America"
against whom he quotes The testimony Of the
amisble. popular. snobbish and hippant Lord
MOrpeth. who had visited the United States a
velr or TWO before, and. on returning, had in the
sacred precincts of Exeter Hall unsparinely de.
- -
Of the English saints. rs "the worst enemies of
negro equality" Bn, the kew note Of Mr..
O'Conneli's letter in denunciatior Of his country
men in America, on which he makes most Of his
periods turn, Is their 'mOnstrous' assertion of a
right of property" ia slaves. Mr.. O'Conneil
could easily be excused for misunderstanding a
system he had never seen. never become ac-
quainted with the practical difficulties surround
ingit But. as n highly eiucated Catholic gentle
man. he is not so ensil, to be excused for writing
with d~ogmatic veheuence on a subject on which,
age after age the Catholic Church has legislaied-
on which the great authorities of the Catholic
Church have written and defned-and vet to
ignore the canons of the church that forbid steal
ing or seducing slaves away from their masters
To ignore The facts written in the annals Of human
and of divine law that do recognize. ave. and es-
tehlish the right of man 10 property in man.
Mr.. O'ConDell. IN the aut~cratic spirit with
which circumstances put il ir his power 20 issue
edicts for Irishmen from Cancellation Hall. saws:
We proclaim Ia the world our conviction that
no constitutional law can create or sanction
slavery"
The Lord and Ruler OF all. pronounced on
the offspring of Cham that he should he a ser
want of servants to his brethren" This was a
constitutions law, sanctionine and establishing
slavery % God. who smoke 10 Noe. was infalli.
bic. Mr. O'Connell takes the opposite side
In the Book of Josue. in the sacred Scriptures.
II is written that Josue gave orders in regard 10
The Gabaonifes-of the posteritv OF Cham or
Ham-fhat 'vou shsll be under a curse. and
your race shall ALWAYS he hewers Of wood ard
carriers Of water" That was a constitutions
law creating and ssnctioninc slavery" 1t was
nnnroved by God It was by error that Mr..
O'Cnnneil denied IT'S Justice
Moses. the divine ~lawgiver. had before this
established the right of propety in man. Those
of the race Of Chanaan the I>raelites might hold
in servitude forever Even of their own race,
they might huv and sell under limitations. Nav,
a stronger" dwelling among them might buy
and bold y Hebrew man or woman rs his slave.
This wss- -consfifu-iona law creating and sane
tioning slavery" Mr.. O'Connell erred in his de-
nal OF such y right
TIE Christian nGes. from tho days of the
Apostles to this day. the unchaneing. the I'M
change bic doctrine of The Catholic Church. has
recognized slavery ns n iusiihsble human arrange
ment, has sanctioned" il. and forbids surrei 4.
tious or violent Interference with IL. This j. the
voice Of the theologians of the great Catholic
iurssts and mo%rslis.s. age after age. Thev agree.
all. With the great Doctor e the Church. the angel
OF schools. ST. Thomas Aouinas. who. in explo-
ding The sentimentalism OF Seneca. Incorporated
through Ulpian into The Psniec;s. that call men
are nv nature free" saws. that "bv nature. may
he understood in two wavs: one. that nature de-
usnds this OF that the other, thar ma
ture does not provide otherwise. So. we may
say. that man Is. nv nature. naked. because ma
tnre does not provide clothing . In
this sense. man is. hy nature. free for slavery
(sfrrifUs-) like separate possessions Of other
goods. is not provided nv nature. bnt by human
reason. for the advantage Of human %society.
Sunnia Theoi. ] 9 rcir 5. in An. We have
quotations enOaeh. 10 = like purpose. from the
great theoloaians and iurists cf Christeudom. all
agreeing. to I'll forty columns Of our paper. Mr..
O'Conneh erred. blundered, in departing from the
consentaneous teachings of Catholic doctors. IN
c mr. imenf Lord Mnrpsti A. d conc la e'the rad
calls and higots of Exeter Hall. -
1t has been nm unkind thing, an urjustifable
thing, a foolish thing. to rake mp a letter that
O'ConBells country men, SIS friends Of his. sup
pressed becanseit was damaging 10 him. 10 was
a weak lefter. and is arrogance, in arraieniBg
"Trfshmen in America. is damaging to its au-
thor. he was a great man. greatly honored Tor
what he did in his proper sphere IN Ireland. But
he had no note Of infaIlibihty about him. He
had his errors. The amishle editor OF the Tele-
graph might rs well qnote his duel with an Eng
fish black guard. and his having met him on the
field. in defense Of duelIing, rs 90 cite his sberra-
tion from good sense. and from facts. and from
the canons and teaehings Of the Catholic Church,
as = plea for the sccursed heresy OF Exeter Hall
and New England abolitionism IL Is weak. IL
is cowardiy, &c is base IN the Cincinnati Tele.
4 orarb .ffar 1o~1fnsnn - itsruoa nth an The