The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1865-02-18
THE WAR UPON THE CATHOLIC
CHURCH.


them. These communities will have to thank
their disloyal conduct if this sentiment Of
the American people should undergo change;
If in political matters they DO not regard
their duty toward their country as supreme
bnt as subordinate to other considerations,
they become public nuisance and DANGER
to the welfare of the republic, and they fully
deserve to be treated as Such.-[The Methodist.
The American people in losing their Pc
litical freedom, appear also to haveabandoneo
their old ideas of religious liberty. Freedom
in any form has become unfashionable. Force
is the ruling idea of the nation. Freedom OF
conscience cannot exist where there is not
freedom of ACTION; neither can RELIGIOUS
freedom exist unless sustained by POLITICAL
freedom. This change in the popular mind
respecting religious federation is the ineviba-
BILE result of the political events of the past
four years, and it is founded' in the structure
of the human mind. An outlaw from civil
authority hasno business with religion, except
to destroy it when it comes In conflict with
his interests, or to use it when ii can. be made
an instrument to his advantage. The IRON
clad feet of Violence sLrike. with uqreveren-
tial sound upon the payements of the sanctu-
Iary of the Most High. The preceptS OF
,Churchmen are nothing to the lawless. Fbe
instincts Of self-preservation are all-control-
ling. They cannot tarn back, even if they
would. Having once leveled the defensss
erected by the people for their protection from
the encroachments of irresponsible power,
they must secure the perpetnity of their au-
thority to insure their own safety. If the
Church can be used for their purposes, tbs
well if not, then away with it';;-such is the
logic Of the quotation at the head of this
article, and of hundreds Of papens of siuailar
character.
What matters iti the land is filed with
asylums for the orphans and, the insane
schools for the destitute young-refuges, for
the repentant archaeological for the
sick? The cowled form of the sister of Mercy
and arity-bending overthe bedsof siok-
ness and administering the last consultations
Of earth. to. the dying, recall no lessons of
mercy or charity to them. The, tapering
shadows of. tue Cathedral spire may fall upon
the grassy mounds Of the dead, What mat
ters it? The Yesper hymn may float in. gllo.
rious, golden volumes along the aisles and
vaulted dome the voice of prayeB Of pater-
nal. admonition, of kindly benedietion, may
fall from the lips of the purest and the wisest
Of men-but what are they to the usurper ?
What are they, when giant Ambition grasps
he heart of man and twists its tenderest
cords into sinewy threads
There is no instance in history in which a
portion of people have reEolutionigeds their
,wn government and. established it, in. new
lands and upon q, new and despotic basis,
which did not resultinthe observation-disclosures
orm of religion. IF the prevailing order can
,e subjugated by fear, or favor it is used as
! tool to promote the purposes .ofsa faction
f the order cannot be made snbservient to tde
political designs of those seeking power, tits
,iven. over to the vengeance of.its enemies.
That this is to become the programme here,
las long ago become evident to every man
With intelligence enough to read sand under
tand2the purposes of the leading representa-
ives of the Republican party.
!. "Pepery and Slavery are twin relics of
barbarism, ard both must be swept away"
avs the New York organ of VIM. H..Seward.
After the South is disposed of we shal1turn
our attention to the Catholic Church" says.
mother. g If in AoLITlcAL matters" says
he Methodist, Quoted above, "they do not
regard their duty to their. country 4. E., to
vote for Mr.. Lincoln and his favorites) as.
supreme, X x they become public nui-
{ sance and danger to the welfare of the
republic, and they fully deserve to be treat
ed as such which, in plain English,
means, to be abated and destroyed.
We presume ths, Methodist speaks the SEN,
iment of,its own denomination and judg-
ng by the tone-of the religious and secular
organs all over the country, it truly represents
he feeling of most of the religious orders
prevailing at the North. The quotation is
only one Of thousand which we have OBJ
served of like character. And why this hos