The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1865-12-30
STATE RIGHTS DEMOCRAT.
From the Sonora (6al) Democrat
PURITANISM VS.. CATHOLICISM.

O0A NASAO " AAA0 GlGlAiN l1 hts H.
sue of last week, devotes a long and labor
ed editorial to the abuse of the Democrat.
under the mead of " Catholieism-Puri-
tanism" The article seems familiar. 1t
reads very much like an extract from the
BLACKBOARD speech made in this city last
fall by a notorious little pulpit demagogue.
At all events, it has all the c-oarseness-
and mendacity which eharacterize the ef-
fusions of that dirty and despieable class
Of religious huclsters. But we are adj
monished to answer not the fool accord
ing to his folly" and therefore shall not
follow his billingsgate style. The writer
cas US of endeavoring to array one
class of rellgionists against another. : ON
political grounds This comes with ex-
ceeding bad grace, considering the source.
Has the writer forgotten the religious his
tory and teachings of his own church ?
Does he not know that the Abolition ia
hatics of the North are those who 9 have
arrayed in hostility one class of religianists
against another, on political g%so9tatis p
Why is the Methodist church split in
twain at this time, and who brought
the division? Every man of ordinary in
telligence knows that the Abolition
preachers of that denomination at the
North divided the church. on the slavery
question. They are the guilty parties,
and yet their Black Republican Worship
ers now have the unblushing impudenceI
to charge us with following in their infa-.
nous footsteps. And WHY Because we
d~enounce the dastardly interference with
the ministers of religion in the Southern
States. Because we could not sanction.
aud applaud the arrest and imprisonment
of Catholic priests for refusing to take the
religious test-oath in Missouri. This IS
the reason we are s%neeringly asked if our
paper is a Catholic organ. Ne answer
that it is the organ of Truth and Justice F;
the advocate of civil and religious liberty;
the enemy of tyranny and oppression, be
the perpetrators whom they may. The
Catholic Church stands before the world
to-day with clean hands. 1t has refused
to bend the knee at the shrine ef popular
idolatry. 1t has taken no part in politics.
It's affairs never have been rrofaned BY the
noisy clamor of political priests. 1t has
preached peace and good will TO men, and
labored 10 bind up the wounds and stq2
the efusion of blood in our fratricidaI
struggle. For this We homer the Catholic
Church. IthIs our highest admiration.
But We are accused Of double-dealing.
The writer says that when we speak of
Puritanism we mean Professionalism. and
then proceeds to show that we are trying
to array Professionalism and Catholicism
against each other, when, as he AYERS, no
antagonism exists. Most sapient of sap
heads, to use a classical expression. How
much stronger does he make his case by
lodging behind Protestant breastworks?
But we can't allow him to shift In this
manner. Puritanism must stand the
brunt of its own misdeeds. How could
We denounce pr0testants in the name of
Paritanism? Would not every word APP
ply to the Methodists, Baptists, Unitari-
ans, Presbyterians-the Protestants in the
Soath-themselves the heaviest sufferers
from thedemon spirit of Puritan Abolition
ism7 Fie upon such an idea. 1t is I'm
worthy even Of the writer. and God knows
that Is saying a geat deal. But now, in
all fairness, is there really, as the Herald
contends, no hostility entertained by Pu-
ritanism against Catholicism? Let us ex-
anime into this briefly. Massachusetts, Is
the representative State of New England.
It is the hot-bed Of Puritanism. How
has that old Pilgrim Commonwealth treat
ed foreign-born citizens, the great mass of
whom are Catholics? Through the elect
i've franchise she has tried to degrade
them below the negro. The foreigner
must remain seven years In the country
before be can vote there, while the igno-
rant black has the ballot placed in his
hand within two years. Again, the re-
collection of the attempt to disgrace the
Irish military compan es by the Puritans
has not faded from memory. They were
disarmed in the city of Boston. as the
reader doubtless we'll knows. Then, too,
that little affair of the Ursuline Convent,
at Charlestown, in the ame State, is not
wholly forgotten. There the Puritan ruff
fans burned down the Convent because it
was a Catholic Institution, and drove out
the priests, nuns and children with brick
batsand oaths. No interference was made
By the authorities with the rioters; COM
pensation has never been made. The tri-
al of the villains was a farce. and they es-
capped unpunished. This was in 1884.
The same year the Catholic church in
Burlington, Vermont, shared a similar
fate. Attic city of Philadelphia, four
years later, the Puritan spirit broke forth
IN all its mad fury. Catholic churches
were burned and Catholic citizens mobbed
IN the streets. Then we come to the
KnoW-Nothing organization. That pro-
scEiptiye party was also hatched out in
Massachusetts,, and carried every New
England State. Marching in triumph
over Catholic rights wherever the Puritan
element exercised It's baneful influence, it
reached the Earm-hearted people Of the
gallant Old Dominion. There it found a
lion In the path. Gov. Wise, at the head
of the Democracy of Virginia, a slavehold-
ing State, struck the monster to the earth,
and rolled back the tide of fanaticism. In
addition to these we have the declaration
Of ex-Fice President Hamlin, another
representative of New England, that e The
Irish Catholics, having destroyed their
own country, came here to DESTROY anoth-
II and all they feared was competition
from the negro" Couple this with the
assertion of the New York Times, Sew
ards Abolition organ, Slavery abolished,
the American people viii have time to at
tend to Catholicism in the United States.
SlaTeFy and Popery are twin relics Of bar
barism." Besides all this, we refer to the
numerous declarations of A~bolitionists
since the war, that the votes of the nc
we're needed to Offset the ignorant
laigners; and also to the proceedings
Of the religious convention held in Orc
gon . Few months since, at which Oatholi-
nsaFa xar n,or1v 10000 Al -