The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1864-02-17

Chase's valor and determination And thus it
happens that Collector Barney still rules in the
Custom House. that Postmaster Wakeman does
not, and that the New York Legislature has
| not yet rcuominated Lincoln.
| Tm CLERICAL PRorEsr AGAINST RArFfaNo -
The more we analyse this extraordinary docu.
ment. the moro we are struck with its superla.
tive impudence. 1t takes three grounds Of OBJ
! lection TO rafing;-First. because 1t ia contrary
to the law Of God secondly because il is con.
trary to the law Of the State; and thirdly. be.
cause 1t is condemned by the legislation Of
many Christian communities. There is not ono
OF these objections tenable. There Is no Gus
tom that has descended to US from early times
in favor Of which higher sanction can be
| pleaded When the apostolic circle was broken
by the treachery Of Judas Isoariot, are We not
told by the Scriptures that under the direction
Of the Holy Spirit his place was filled by cast
ing lots, and that the lot fell upon Matthias.
Again after the death Of the Saviour, are we not
informed by the same divine authority that His
| followers cast lots for His garmentss So much
| for the Gospel view Of the question Now, as to
the castom being contrary to the laws Of our
own or other States. the assertion is utterly
without foundation. 1t is true that lotteries for
gambling purposes are declared Illegal by our
laws, but there is 90 prohibition Of them foe
innocent objects The proof Of this ia to be
found in the fact that every conscript drafted
10 our army is drawn by lot II ID
tue same in France, Germany and ell
fl,a
every jury ia every State Of the Union ia
similarly drawn. So it is in Great Britain
and so it is in every Christian country whore
trial by jury prevails, Thus we find that
neither by the moral law, the laws Of the
United States nor our State laws is rafting,
with proper object, prohibited. Why. oven
the practice of the clergy themselves has given
q sanction to it. We have never known any
effort to raise money for the erection of q
church or parsonage 10 which q rattle did not
form one OF the prominent auxit iaries We
presume that the motive Of the fierce opposi-
ton raised to it in the present instance is the
fear entertained by these protesting parsons
that it will draw of 30 much from their own
prospective receipts
tached to the protest our admiration Of It's Of
fcontery Ia still further Increased. We find
that il nsmbecs seventy Of those OF whom for
LYNNE have the charge Of congregations. The
remaining twenty-oue are composed Of laymen,
sorne OF them living on tue church in various
capacities, such as secretaries to Bible socte-
ties, missions, &c. Now how small share OF
tue religious sentiment of this great metropolis
is represented BY these Individuals can be Judged
Of from the fact that there are in New York
over three hundred places of public Worship,
each having one or more officiating ministers
oBut this is not all. Out OF these forty -niue
clergymea who take such an interest Ia the
spiritual welfare Of our city only tweaty-foar
have any connection with it. OF the remainder
eight boiong to New Jersey. and tho rest to
Brooklyn Williamsburg. Newtown. Astoria
and Staten Island. The idea Of these New Jer-
sey and Long Island parsons coming to lecture
the people Of this metropolis on their moral
and legal obligations il about the coolest thiag
that has been heard OF in this impudent age;
and it is all the more refreshing from the fact
that it is the congregations Of these pious shep-
herds that furnish most Of the bad scandals
that edfy this wicked community OF ours from
time to time.
Tug House or RxeagsEHg ATivEs on rue Con-
srrUftoNAL ABOLITION or St.avEaY. On Monday
last resolution was adopted 10 the House OF
Representatives. by majority Of sixteen-yeas
seyenty-eight nays y-two-declaring ''that
the constitution OF the United States should be
so amended as to abolish slavery Ia the United
States wherever il now exists. and to prohibit
its extension in any part thereof forever"
In this vote we end the administration ele-
meuts voting in the Affirmative, and the peace
democracy aud other opposition fragments
present voting against the proposition. The
Northern democrats are still welded to their
old idol They still hold fast to the deluson
that Southern slavery somehow Is to come
back to them some fine day, and restore to
them the spoils and plunder as the national pc.
liticai balance OF power. But this new idea OF
the complete and permanent removal Of this
stumbling block OF slavery by q constitutional
amendment is rapidly working its way through
all the channels Of public opinion; so that we
anticipate that before the close of the present