The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-12-10
The Message.

The Message.
The Presidents annual message has been
published for some days, and We have not
yet Geen any very high-Hown compliments
paid to it. In fact. the President 10 sensi-
BILE thas where there IL . I" reliable majori-
ty there is not much need 81 logic. Not
only ia the document utterly deficient in
anything like logical force, however, but it
is equally wanting in good taste. Gen.
Grant does not hesitate to act the big bully
again, and pitch into the South most valor-
ously. He regrets the untamed temper of
our people, their social ostracism of carpet
bag officials, and the GOODNESS with which
they hold aloof from>national politics. He
thinks it quite natural that the robbed
and the plundered should fawn upon their
spectators, and that the oppressed shoald
lick their masters hand. It is true that
an all wise Providence has placed our tenn
poral fortunes at the mercy of the con-
queror, but Providence never puts ones
conscience or honor at the mercy Of any
body. Self-respect is q treasure of which
no physical force, no pressure of misfor-
tune, can ever rob any one without his own
deliberate consent. And certainly that
self-respect would be lost on the part Of the
Southern people by admitting to their init
macy, We do not say Northern people, but
that portion of our new population who
have shown themselves little better than
accomplished thieves. No Northern man
who is a gentleman finds any difficulty at
fL6a in, int
ances, but that is not the class for which
the sympatties of Ger. Grant are aroused.
Gen. Grants virtue boils over against the
Mormons, whom he refers to as "self-styled
saints" He declares that they shall not
violate his ideas of decency under the cloak
of religion. 1t is evident that if King
David were living at this day with the
same ideas of religion that he had while in
the flesh, he would be m ost naughty repro
bate in the eyes of our immaculate Presi-
dent. Gen. Grant would proclaim at once
that no Intercourse could be held with such
q monarch, that he was violating public de-
cency under the cloak of religion. We do
not for q moment sustain the proposition
that Mormonism should be tolerated in this
COuuIAy Al AsS poAS SoAuuuo ocpcCt. Wo
object to the assumption of power by o
Presider to decide on thequestion whether
a religioE is genuine or a mere cloak. Gen.
Grant has made q woful blunder in pro-
nouncing against poiygamy as necessarily
irreligious and immoral: it is merely
immoral nnder the Christian dispensa-
ton. He might make the same assump-
ton as to other religious sects, and
make similar blunders on other points of
doctrine. How it is possible for Congress
itself to legisiate against polygamous
religion, without recognizing Christianity
as the religion of the country, we cannot
see. But such a recognition would be, to q
certain extent, the dreaded union of Church
and State.
What does Grant care for nice little dis
| tinctions like this, however, He is Chris
tian and he is not going to tolerate people
| in being anything else, no matter what the
Constitution may say. In the same way, he
| being Methodist, those who are not
Methodists may look out.