The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1869-05-21
. w1DL1AM THE SILENT. !
ANSWER TO NO. TWO OF DOUGLASS
Horpee describes a poet, who

Horace describes poet, who
"Non fumum ex fulgore, sed ex fumo dare lueem
eogitat" WHO proposes to raise not smoke from
a6laze, but Light tom snoke.l
Unlike this bard, Mr.. Douglass came here
and gave US a fash Of vivid liquid, dazzling
light iu his recent lecture in Fremont, high
ly illuminating our Democratic sky, as well
IS the thick Catholic ignorance, and pre-
judice, and persecution, and what all, and
what atl--the reverberations of the clap
shook eTen the hoary walls of the Vatican
and the foundations of the Catholic Church
and now comes the smoke of ofexplanatiOus,
half excuses wriggling distortions, the
binding sand Of piles of Unmeauing words,
and worst of all, bad logic and defamatory
arguments. FEE e -
In No. 2 Of Mr. Douglass, could not see
aught calculated to put him in good light
before an impartial public, out of the charges
made against him. Heshould bear in mind
thai it is not priestly super rciliousuess he has
to combat into humiliation, but it is obliga-
tory on him, if he wants to say any thing at
all to justify bis il-bred, woundiBg eon-
duct in the eyes Of an audience, that felt its
sensibilities outraged, and of which the more
honorable portion symPathized sufficiently
with me to express their regrets, as well as
their disgust, at what had happened. Men,
indeed, of enlarged mind whose generous
souls need not the abuse of Catholics as food
for their religious sentiments, and whose en-
lightened political views disdain to accept,
and be bound By, puns, vulgar thrusts and
political cunning as party necessity, ,as
the groveling do, and must do, always true
to their contracted horizon. These men /
hold in high esteem; and as fer those that
felt tickled by the approbrious remarks and
manner (since Mr.. Douglass wants it itali-
c:zed, they serve TO make the minded
feel his superiority and his self-gratifying
sense of ir-play-the Americans best in
heritance, and the fist feature of character
that should always pre-eminentiy distinguish
US from other DatiOns-a new stimulus.
1t is not Mr.. Bower that Mr.. Douglass has
either to silence or TO appease. No; but a
gentlemanly respect for the above honorably
mentioned Obligcs him to a proper apology
and decent regard for truth to retractiOn
of the fslsehood of ihe qPope's Benediction.
This is the question at issue between myself
and Mr.. Douglass, and no possible subter.
fuge of his or ''eelism" can divert me from
it. Raise side-issues as long as you please
be it spontaneously, or in answer to inter
r0gatOries on my part, l will never allow
you, or the public, to forget or overlook the
true question and charge. When you have
paid this debt, then, but not until lhen, yOr
may go on to make h havoc with the Catholic
Church on other fanbs and vent your evi
dent spleen in N aking her "tremble and
totter."
1t is now, however, time to make an an.
alysis of No. 2 of Mr. Douglass, and follow.
ing him through the maze of rambling state
meuts, 1 must eeds give my remarks dis.
connectedly; Mr. Douglass always quotel
Phil. 1, when he should refer to Phil, II
Nearly onesIalf of his No. 3 reply is made
up of personal references and matters. Pat.
ting me gently for literary attainments, ht
sugar-cOats the nauseating pill of my whit,
mans and priestly pride. There is a leve
to which cannot descend; Mr. Douglass
takes advantage of that-a privilege that
leave him undisputed and unbegrudged. Tt
me it is perfectly Indifferent that Mr.. Doug
lass is Degro-for that neither despis'
nor love him more, = look 70 his word
and combat his false statements. To him
my arguments and comments assume the
hue and tint of race. How much Mr.. Doug.
lass gains by the stale fling of supercilious.
ness inseperable from the priesthood, can.
not see. It is strange that our opponents, al
the very first occasions in debate, try 10 pre-.
judice opinion in their favor by fIlips at oul
priesthood. If am not mistaken in the
sentiments Of my Protestant friends, Mr.
Douglass made here a new blonder in theil
eyes, and instead Of assisting his cause, has
only WOrsted it. Better let my character as
Priest alone, Mr.. Douglass, and eon6ne your
self to my remarks. As TO. retrospective
lengths of his and my COMMUNICATIONS, &C.,
let this suffice; A man may use I-3 of a
column too much for his say in half column
and another may be compact in two columns,
because replsts with matter and references.
1t is my opinion that Mr.. Douglass was
foggy, out Of the question. Whether my
reply, lengthy though it was, merited to be
called historical, full of facts. compact and to
the Poipt-I am not the judge and leave that
to theshOnOrable public.
81 have an evident liking !or newspaper
controversy, ba NATURALLY shrinks from It. y
Bold language for a man that rushes into
print all over the oeuntry, and has done so
for years; while am a tyro, aud the very
lines before you, dear reader, are yet num-
bered among my frstlipgs. Bold language
of man that, after having departed in man
ner and statement so far from reetitude,
cannot brook an honest criticism f.oDe so
deeply interested 10 pOintof objective truth,
as well as personal feelings, as I, without
carrying on paper controversy and working
asi f he had nsught else 10 do, with might and
main to keep. himself from sinking. The
papers over the country know nothing Of
your "natural shrinking" do not blame
Mr.. Douglass for the relish aud zest he ia kes
in printed notoriety, (his intention and pur-
pose being to emaucipate a down trodden
race-a work, by the By, IN which deeply
sympathiEsd with him, as all here are aware,
and for which, in my narrower circle,
worked with voice and vOte;) but he must
also possess, 20 y, Propriety requisite TO give
ME share M bis newspaper moncp1iy, fr
a cause as holy, it not holer, than his own,
/. e., the defence of my beloved Church FROM
every foul attack Of rampant bigotry, come
from what source it may. Newspaper men,
vagrant lecturers and silly tractarianism,
have too often licensed themselves to pre-
possess public opinion against the Catholic
Church in Misrepresentation of al kinds.
By adding words they strOve TO antagonize
all the bitter elements of society against
her. That foub and forever infamous stain
in the history of a country, whose constitu-
lion breathes from every syllable elevated
principles of civil aud religious liberty, and
whose DECLARATION. of Independence borders
in its hallOwed sentiments on inspiration
from On-high, Know NOtbingism mean,
could but have been the offspring of their
sickly, disOrdered naGgnity. "A man can
mt he al. tb;ns,v at once-be connot bo