The daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1863-1864, 1864-02-04
DAILY REGISTER.
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We Know No Party. but the
Party of the Constitution.
The Test Oath: A, Relic of Brit
ish Tyrrany and Priestcraft.f ~

ish revolution of 1888, when tyranny, op.
preston an priestcrait was the order of the
day, their Parliament passed an act which
was callel the "Test Act y for the purpose
of excluding Catholics from Office; it re-
quired all officers, civil and military, to
take the oath Of allegiance and supremacy,
and they were bound to take the sacrament
publicly, according to the rules of the
Church of England, and to abjure all belief
in the doctrine of transubstantlation. This
test had the desired effect; it perfected the
union of Church and State. The Presby.
terians and other religious sscts acquiesced
iu it, being desirous of excluding Catholics
from office, hoping that when that should
be accomplished something would be done
cor their relief, for it operated as severely
upon them as it did upon the Catholics, as
it disfranchised them all alike. But in this
hope they were sadly disappointed, and feel
ing themselves aggrieved and prosecuted by
aprivileged church to which they were made
tributary, caused thousands of families to
forsake their native land and seek for lib
erty in the wilderness of North America. I
think there can be no doubt that it engen.
dered an undying prejudice aud hatred
against the British Government, which,
like superstitio4s notions, were handed
down from one generation to another, until
the FIRE kindled from this first spark Of
discomfort, gathering fuel on the way,
sptead broadcast over the land and termi
mated in final separation from the mother
country, and caused dead loss Of this
country TO the nation. The clergy being
the only party on that side who were bene-
fitted in the shape of high salaries at the
expense of the people. Such were the
fruits which England reaped fro N this one
seed of the poisonous seed oflpriestcraft-
the "test oath It learned the people Of
this country useful lesson, for in al our
constitutions pr DIVISIONS are made against
granting exclusive or any privileges at all
to one Church above the rest. What is the
most astonishing is, that men who enjoy
the confidence of tha ?eople; who are, or
at least should be well iqformed from his
tory Of these and kindred circumstances,
should dare to tread upon such dangerous
ground as that of adopting "tcst oaths," so
contrary to our system of free government
and to the principles of republican liberty.
For the present it may crafty malicious
or vengeful spirit by keeping some few
rebels out of office, but who can foresee
the disastrous consequences to which it
may lead if persisted in? We all know
that hundreds of thousands Of well-meaning
citizens have been deceived and duped into
this rebellion by unprincipled demagogues
and traitors. No sane man can doubt for
one moment but that when therebellion is
crushed out (ss it will be the President
will pardon the whole of them except some
of the principal leaders. But let the latter
class be few or many, they know that they
will be forever despised as traitors to Their
government and country, and that the Peo
ple can never have confidence enough IN
them to give them office; they will flee to
other countries for safety. The "test oath,
TO say the least of il, mauifests a very great
want of confidence in the good sense and
understanding of the people, who havo
hitherto been considered capable OF
Judging and determining for themselves as
it was their uudisputed right to do. Who
should be their agents? But this high pre-
rogative, this sacred right and privilege,
this gem Of liberty, is now curtailed il not
destroyed. 1t is no less than saying to the
people you are no longer capable Of choos
Ing your own agents-we have made q
.stest oath" by which your agents shqH, be
measured to test your capacity to choose
them Of all the most Objectionable laws
that have been passed since the foundation
of the Government, / know of none so de-
grading and insulting to the good sense and
understanding Of a free people, nor none
that infringes so much upon their rights
and privileges. As to the great mass Of
those who may be pardoned. andvvho will
be bound to remain amongst us, bgias com
pletely disfranchised, aud in respect to po.
litical rights reduced TO level Ewith the
negro, uayit not engender a fixed and de.
termined hatred of the Government and
people which may continue through several
gensrstions, aud lead to strifesand civil
wars as disastrous 60 the country as the
present rebellion,j or render the necessity
of a military dsspotism to keep them in
subieetion. 7 know Of no better criterionby
which to Judge the future than tho 4hifory