Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-04-11

i. = 3
His opinion is his own. Bntwithout acri-
nony. we can write on this subject of slaves
y. 1t must be discussed; there is no
lelp forit-and while We accord to those
rho are its advocates all liberty ofspeech,
We hope that some license viii be extend
ID to US when we give our reasons on the
other side. 1t is not in factions spirit |
or fanatical spirit that we write, but I'M
Ter the strong conviction that great change
is at hand in the political tOeLtdre of the courl-
,rY, and that IL as of some conseQuence TO
Catholics to decide toiseEy tohat part to take.
This can not be done by crying out "igno-
rance, "stabolitiob,'' but friendly discussion.
zoe like It or not, slavery IS eTtin-
guished in the United States, and all that ace
hare 10 DO Is to decide hot0 ne shall GccomMo4
date ourselves to seoming events.
We have said, and we now repeat ii,
that slavery and the Catholic Church could
never get along we'll together. The Church
never tries to correct evils by revolutionary
means. When. she has not the legislative
power in her hands she is patient, long
suffering, gentle. What,she could not sup-i
press she tolerated. But she found slavery
little disposed to initiate her meekness.
When the slave power predomiuates, re-
ligion is nominal. There is no life in it.
It'll the hard working, laboring man who
builds the church, the school.house and;
orphan asylum, not the stakeholder, as
general rule. Religion hourishes in
macy with a free State, or as it is adjacent
to it. There are more Catholics in the
Cathedral congregation of this city than
in North and South Carolina and Georgia.
There are more Catholics in one of onrl
secondsrate congregational than in the whole
State of Alahamal Louisiana ought to be
q Catholic State, bat it has never sent
Senator or Representative to Congress who.
Tuentihed himself with the Catholic cause.
SO far as we know. The slave owners are
not the jealous men of the Church in that
State. n - -.
What help is Cuba, with all its riches, to
the Catholic cause? The poorest Irish or
German congregation in the free States
does more for religion than Havana, if we
can rely upon the representations of, those
who ought TO know and whose character
torbids deception. Itappears to us, there
fore, that slavery is not friendly, to the.
Catholic faith-or to its charity; and feryor.
when it happens to be professed. If for.
telling these plain truths any subscriber
wishes to withdraw his patronage, we hone
be will do SO at once. Aud if for telling
these truths the ladies' of a community in
a slave State choose to burn our paper
again, they have our liberty, if that be of
any consequence, to prove their amiabiIity.
and piety by doing SO. The time is near
at baud when they will wish that they had
been more tolerant to the expression of nm.
opinion. 80. u ii,
But, to our knowledge of eccles,asttcal
history: mo Que ventures to doubt. ~ savs
Balmes, "that the Church exercised nov
erful influence on the abolition of slavery.
This is truth too clear and evident to be
questioned. Itidid all that was
possible IN favor of human liberty. If it
did not advance more rapidly inthe work.
It was because It could not do so without
the undertaking, without
creating serious obstacles to the desired
Such is the result at which
We arrive when we have thoroughly ex-
ahmed the charges made against some
of the Church. * That
slavery endured for along time IL; nresencaiI
ot the Church, is true but it was ALWAYS
teclinlng, and it only lasted as long as was
necessary to realize the benefit withot yio.
ience, without shock, without compro.
'lst+St..e sAs AasAilsaraality ana ito
ton" These few words from the fifteatean1fa66
of Balmes' incompatible work
show the exact position occupied by the
Church in reference to Slavery. 10 sqv
that she ever favored the system, is a cGL,tDanv
She proclaimed mems fraternity Nth each
other, and their equality before God, and.
therefore, could not be the ADVOCATE ofsIaverv.
With respect to the works of ST. Paul.
so often quoted, we find q full Justification
OF our position. BE writes to Philemon.
commanding his faith and charity and saws
- wherefore, though might have much
n0OtI0nnRn in CEnSnt-
mat t1htch IS to the purpose, for charitvls
sake rather beseech, thou BEING sstcI n an.
as Paul the aged aud now also a prisoner of
Jesus Christ; beseech thee for nv son
OnIsmns, whom have begotten in NV
chalns-whom have sent back to thee
AND do thou receive him as my own bow.
els. Not now as servant, but instead of n
most dear brother, especially to
me; but how much more to thee. hotf in
the flesh and in the good 2"
Any one who can find any thing in this
In favor of slavery must have piercing on.
tics. Would St. Paul have sent him hack
TO heather master-or one who Womb
have the power. aud the will to despise him.
TO sell his wife and children into siav.'
eryH The thought is not to be entertained
of the blessed apostle.
II fugitive slave inlthis country was tn.
20 s'uE oack 10 some master in Mississippi
or Texas by Catholic Bishop of our DAYS.
bearing such an epistle as the above. how.
wouldthe master Knock and the world laugh
at the Bishopl What joke it would Be
considered in the South 80 ess q
But what did the Pope think of slavery
This will probably throw some lioht On
ecclesiastical history. Paul III, 1851, and
Urban VIII, in 1889, condemned in the
strongest terms the crime of reducing men
e slavery, separating them from their
wives and children, or in any. manner de-
priying them of their liberty; or upon aoy.
gretext to preach or teach that it is lawful.
Plus II, 1859, also denonncss the system.
10 strongest terms. Gregory XVI, who, in
bis Apostolic Letter of December. 8. 1899
refers to the foregoing, and uses this yehe!
m men language on the same subject
wherefore we. desiring to turn away so
great reproaeh as this from all.the bonn
diaries of Christians, and the whole n5stfsr
being maturely weighed, certain CarIlinsIs |
OF the Holy Roman Church. onr fysnsrs t.is