The Placer herald., 1865-12-09
Catholics in Missouri.

leI deS EatS UnlS:
About six weeks since we published the
resolutions of PRESBYTERIAN Convention
held at Pitsbury, and wherein The Catholics
were denounced the hereditary enemies
OF the American Republic. A religious war
was fcreshadowed, and an invitation given
to Protesiants Of all denominations to unite
against the common enemy, free to tear each
other TO pieces latter destroying the nfamv."
We attach but little importance to this
demonstration, citing it only as a symptom,
and of which the sole advantage was to show
more clearly the intolerance which governs
The fanalra Preshy,trians, Purians and
'seudo-philanthropiss of New England, their
birth place, and whose influence is felt
throughout the United States. But now. in
Missouri, intolerance passes cut of theory
into practice. and from the domain of specu.
ation into that uf fact. The new consitu.
ton of Missouri is well known. 1t is 4onalI
y known that it was formed by Religions
and political fanatics. whose object was to-
exclude Catholics aud Caholciy from the
State in order to give free license to their
hate and by driving away the opposition
which is mainly composed of Catholics, to
secure to themselves an incontesiahle supre.
macy. 10 attain their end, irs authors have
derleed that no minister of any sect what,
ever shall exercise bis office. without taking
an oath, the test IF which is prescribed in
the Constitution. Little does it matter wha,
'hls oath imports, it is sufficient that it vin
lales the conscience Of the clergy men, that it
should not he executed, and The Archbishop
Of ST. Louis, fenced At a measure which is
direct attack upon his clergy, forbade the
priests of his Diorcse from taking it.
Immediately the civil authority ragged
against the non'co'fo forming priests, and,
since few days past, we hear Of nothing
else than that priests have been arrested
placed under bail and condemned to fine.
The one last tried is the Rev. Mr. Cummins,
of Louisiana, who has been sentenced to paw
a fine, and who. on his refusal, has been
thrown into prison.
The defence of Caholicity is no part Of
our province, but, in this instance, the great
questions of The liberty of conscience and of
the separation of Church and State are at
stake. If any other than a Catholic com
munity were attacked, we would use exactly
the same language. Since 1889, when the
maxim religious federation and the mutual
aud absolute independence of Church aud
State, it is the first time that, in the United
States, there is departure from this tunda
mental and benlticent principle.
The abnormal condition uf the Catholic
clergy of Missouri furnishes in itself useful
lesson. 1t is another proof that the Puritan.
ism OF those oveilrized pilgrims OF the May
flower is still alive, aud has lost nothing of
It's odious intolerance. The purians regard
with "A jealousy not unmxed with fear, The
rapid increase of CaIhoIci,y in this country
They toresee the day when they will lose the
maJ"'iIy, and no measure is too repuonant
to Them TO stave otf this fate They them.
selves strike The first blow at freedom of con
science, without thought that, later, and ly
way If reprsal, the weapon they now EN-
ploy may be turned against themselves. Du
ring two centuries they have forgotten no,h
ing, learned nothing. The lur,lans of our
day, whose false philanthropy has secured
m"mentary popularity, are truly the sons OF
those who, in Connecticut, urned the Caih-
lies and banished the Quakers. Supply ing
reason with ralumny, they transform all
had not been the best soldiers of the North.
1t is true tha, the Catholic clergy. save few
rare aud unfortunate exceptions, di not de-
grade itself to The point of preaching carnage
and vengeance, suljrc' which each succeed
ing Sunday re'echoed in the Puritan church,
es. They con,en,ed themselves with preach
ing the morality of the Gospel. Indie i,a4.
Q1tnce this iag-O
What is singular is, that, in Missouri,
where all clergymen, without respect to de-
nomination. are subject to this oath, The au
'h"ri'ies only enforce it against the priests of
the Roman religion. Ministers of Episro-
pa ism, CaIvanisln, Lu,heranis,n. have refused
to take the oath. but they have not been
troubled. 1t is Catholics who are attacked,
and in this their enemies are So shorIsiyhted
as not To observe that thus the nober part
they assign to the Catholic priesthood, and
who in consequence, will become more res
rec,ahle and popular in the ratio of injustice
toward them Of The civil authorities.
The CHOLERA AT CoNsrA ANTINopLE.-Such
was the corruption Of the atmosphere, that
the poultry were all struck dead, and phos
pholus matches de,omposed and would not
hight. BY the third day. of the 400 in
hal,ilan,s OF Tatavia, of $40 persons attacks
ell hy the cholera. 425 died; nearly one'lhird
Of the whole population. With but few tx
c-plions. every case proved mortal in tw" or
three hours after the attack This great
mortality is 10 be attributed to the fact that
The rain set in fermentation the foul mass Of
filth on 'he Opposite side Of the ravine, the
eff1uvia Of which. combining with cholera
infected atmosphere, was borne by the wind
directly against Talavia, and for the frs,
lime inflicted upon it the scourge Of cholera;
for up to this date, it had not suffered from
the epidemic. When the wind changed the
cholera disappeared. mention this fact to
admonsh you Of the necessity of iso oating
the city sewerages from the vicinity ofpopu.
NM l.an1ars as wall as nih4r denusiIs Of