Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-08-16

il goes forth as Unanimous I fear To
results, and to me Il locke like yisidiul
sli bat it Is done, and We must hop
for the best.
We do not know when any iufonna
ton caused Ds gresier pain sad NOR
profound regret. We should deem Il tn
greatest Of nisfortunes 10 the state 0
Arkansas, If the Conservative whit
men Of the State had generally deter
mined to take the oath prescribed by tn
abomfnstion imposed on them as Con
stitution, Intending IN good faith &c keel
it. It Is infinitely more TO be regretted
when they resolve to take It, advised
that they ought 70 do so, with the iHten
ton Of violating Il whenever they have
the power,
We were consulted on The subject sOou
after the adjournment Of the New York
Convention, and declared that no man
ought &c take any oath, for the sake Of
voting, which he did not mean in good
faith TO keep; AMI thst Ee would not DC
tiff that single set would elect Seymoul
and Blair.
Lister" says Pascal, in his Provin.
cisl letters, "to the general rule laid
down by Escobsr: Promises are moi
binding, when the person, ia making
them, had 40 Intention to bind himself.
Now it seldom happens that any have
such attention, unless when they cor
firm their promises by an oath or con
tract, so that when one simply says,
goia do Il, he means that be will do il, il
he does not change hismind; for be does
not wish, by saying that, todepTIve him
self Of his liberty He gives other rules
in the ssne strain, which yOu may con-
suit FOR yourself, and tells US, il conclu-
sion, that 'all this is taken from Molina
and other authors, and Is therefore SSH
tied beyond all doubt
Even the Spanish. Jesuit Escobar
deemed promise binding when con-
firmeG by an oath. But the doctrine
Of mental reservations may De called
In aid, which Pascal thus explains: 50 A
man msy swear, as Sanchez says ia the
same place, that he never did sueh q
thing, Though he actually did III, mean
ing within himself that he did not do so
on a certain day, or before he was born,
understanding any observation-disclosures,
while the words which he employs nave
no such sense rs would discover his
meaning. And THE is very convenient
in many cases, and quite innocent, when
necessary or Conducive TO ones health,
honor or advantage"
Indeed, father is that not lie, and
perjury too, cried L p
"No," said the father; SANCHEZ and
Flliutius prove that it is not for, says
the latter, Its the intention that de-
termines the quality Of the actiuD.' And
he suggests 3 still suEer method Cor
avoiding fsIsehood, which is this After
saying aloud, st0sar that I hare not
done that, TO add, ia low voice, today;
or after saying aloud ssrsar, to inter-
pose in a whisper, that 7 say and then
continue aloud, that / haze done that
This, you perceive, Is telling the TRUTH
It would often prove very conve-
nisnt, ssid the jesuit, n Pascal, 70
be absolyed IN conscience from Keeping
csrtain Engagements one may have
made
So, when the advisers OF the ps0pie Of
Arkansas adopt the maxim Of Father
Bauny, copied FROM Basil P0uoe, T" that
one may seek an occasion OF sin, directly
and expressly-PriBI ct per se--to pro-
mote The temporal Or spiritual gsod Of
himself or his neighbor they ought 10
instruct them that when they swear
never TO attempt TO deprive the negroes
Of the State of the right OF voting, they
ought to intsrp0se, mentally or IN q
whisper, after the word attempt, llls
words, ttnIess belieue I can eject q, or, !
By arms, or OTHER words, that win make
the sense altogether different from what |
it seems. This, they should urge, will /
be conducive 20 their advantages, and
therefore quite innocent. (
Woe to the blind leaders ~ ssys Saint /
Augustine: Woe to the blind follow /
ers 90 Vis coecis dtceatibus d.! Ia ooeets /
segslenti5as 20 No direction of the inten- /
ton I'VE change slightly the vehement
words Of PASCAL can sanctify promises
not meant to Be- kept aad though the
liberation Of the people should depend !
on it, no man may wsrrsntably swear to /
refrain from doing that which he verify
intends TO DO whenever be has Oppor-
tuuity because none may do the least
evil, in order TO accomplish the greatest
good; and as the Scripture says, the
truth Of God stands in 40 heed Of cur
Iie.u
Oaths, It has been said, are regis
tered in Heaven" BY what argument
that viii satisfy his own conscience, can
any man justify the taxing OF an oath
which he does not intend to keep, even
II it we're TO save his life? By what a.
gument, when it il taken to the end that
by voting, otherwise denied, enc may
relieve himself from an oppressive
tyranny? The fact that no justification
Of such an oath can be found anywhere.
except ia the casUistry OF Spanish
Jesuits, whose doctrines are an Insult %
the human understanding, is enough 10
prove thai no real Justification can be
sither found or invented.
The potioDs OF Gree changed the ccn-
oaniOns Of Ulysses into swine. II Rael-
sebub had been retained to devise a plan /
ly which an honest people should be cor
'upted and demOra,zed, all his internal
Wit and ingenuity could have devised
lone more eficsci0us than that which
lis disciples adopted ia the convocstion
y unclean knaFes who framed a Consti.
ution for Arkansas. TOdeprfve a whole
'eople Of the right Of voting, in psrpetu {
ty, unless each would faint himself with
be leprosy Of perjury, and surrender )
is dearest rights and most inestinable {
rivileges as free citizen of the Com '
exhibited an ingepuitv
Forthy Of the schools Of Rsdicalism r.
We hoped that it was IN human no Q
1re TO resist the temptation. We =
oped that the people of Arkansas =
TOuld sparn the bride, the DeyIl's;ny,es !,