Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1875-10-01

it, they provided Congress shall make no
law respecting an establishment ofreligion
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof"
And it is believed that like provision is
contained in every State constitution.
But have we had no Marylander be-
sides Charles Carroll of Carrollton, whose
life, character and services speak aloud
against this intolerance? Yes, we have
had one in the person of the late Chief
Justice, Roger B. fancy. His whole ca
reer, professional legislative, executive
and judicial. proves how gross would be
the wrong done the country if we acted
upon any such unconstitutional and wick
ed folly.
But what is the religious faith whose
followers some would copsign to political
seryitude. 1t is the religion of Jesus.
Every Roman Catholic believes in it as
firmly, as any one belonging to other re
ligious sects. They have different mode
of worship. SO have other sects. But
the essentials of the faith, are common to
all. They believe in theDivinity of Jesus,
in the Trinity and the Atonement. What is
the most reasonable mode Of worship men
may and do differ about. but all Chris
tians believe in these essentials of the faith.
Have Catholics ever failed to be good cit
liens? All the duties Of life, public and
private, they discharge as fully as all other
Christians During the war of our RevO-
luton and the one of 1912 with England,
and that of 1916 with Mexico, they haz-
arded life and fortune TO maintain the
principles. which produced the first, and
TO maintain the rights of our government,
in the two last. They stood shoulder to
shoulder with Protestants on every battle
field, which was often literally mired with
their common blood.
This exclusion from political rights for
many long years prevailed in England to
for long time in consequence of the in
counsels now prevail The enlightened
men Of the present day in that country,
have seen the injustice of such an cX-
Clusjon and have removed the shackles
which enforced it. One of these states
men, however. "A gentleman of rare ability
and consummate scholarship. the Rt. Hon
orable ". +. Gladstone, is waging q war
of pamphlets with Roman Catholic Bish-
ops, which is calculated to revive to some
extent, the political intolerance of the
past. have no doubt that, he thinks, he
is doing what will promote the interests
of his country and secure its safety. His
doctrine is that the civil and political al
legiance OF the Catholic, is due first TO the
Pope rather than TO the government under
which he resides and is protected This,
in my Judgment, is gross error as appli-
ell TO the present century. There may be
found in some of the publications issued
from the vatican, passages which, taken
literally by themselves, will sanction the
Aew OF Mr.. Gladstone, but the history of
-chnS proves, that the Catholic sub
iects Of the crown, have never failed, in
peace or in war, 10 assert and maintain
the rights and honor of England. They
constituted q considerable portion of the
army with which Wellington succeeded
in overcoming the mighty power of Ma
polcon, and were ever in the van of those
who achieved the glorious victories up TO
the crowning one of Waterloo. And this
these Catholics did To preserve Protestant
England. against Catholic France, nine
tenths of whose people were Catholics
But If Mr.. Gladstone is right that Catho-
lies sincerely believe that their paramount
civil allegiance is TO the government of
Rome, he ought 10 maintain the necessity
of resorting 10 the measures, which were
the disgrace of England for so many years,
their exclusion from all political place
For holding such an allegiance makes
them aliens and like other aliens they
should not be suffered TO participate in
the government of England. That this is
the sequence of his doctrine no logocian
can doubt, and Mr.. Gladstone is logi-
clan of the highest cast. And yet, so far.
he does not propose such an exclusion.
Considering all these things, should
think that the American, aware of them,
when proposing to exclude the Catholic
from political office because of his reli
gion, would blush scarlet from very shame.
But addition TO what | have said, every
theological student knows than the truths
Of christianity have never been more ably
maintained than by Catholic writers, nor
have its beauties been more charmingly
or effectively presented to the human
heart than by Catholic Chateaubriand IN
his Genius of Christianity" Christianity
itselfis at war with all such iHtolerant doc
trines. 1t has been we'll and truly said, that,
by inculcating the precept of universal
love of fmankind, it raised the narrow spirit
ofpatriotism to the extended feeling ofgen-
eral philanthrophy," and that, lit laid the
foundation for the peace of the world,
through the doctrine of reconciliation OF
men with God and with each other" The
doctrine of the infallibility of the head OF
that church, recently brought prominent
ly before the public, is not a new doctrine,
the whole meaning of it, as | understand
it, is that the members of the church, as
sumo as true, the religious doctrines pro-
nounced from time to time by its COVER
ming head. Most of the other religious
sects have forms of church government
and take their doctrines from what they
are declared to be by such governments.
But there is nothing in this which shows
a want of true Christianity and then too,
how sadly weakened would be the glori-
Gus army of Christians, without the Ro-
man Catholics. They constitute num-
Der far greater than that of all other sects
combined. In conclusion, then, on this
head, | hope for the honor of our State
and the reputation of our people, that no
citizen will fail to support Mr.. Carroll,
only because of his religious faith.
3D. But, it is said that the debt of the
City had been greatly increased under the
Democratic Administrations OF Mayors
Banks and Vansant, and that for this in
crease the Party is alone responsible. A
few words will show how unjust this
charge is. The Republican party obtain
ed the control of the City in 1868 or 1864,
when Mr. Chapman was elected Mayor
They were substituted in 1867, by the cleo
tion of Mr.. Banks and Democratic Coun-
ellis. When this occurred the floating
debt was 81 1925, ,S66.94. The funded debt
then was $22 2,762, ,622.73. The Democrats
had, of course, to provide for both of these
obligations, and this could only be done
by borrowing or by taxation. They COM
mitted, think, an error in not levying a
tax adequate to the purpose. To have
done this would have required levy of
$2.20 on the 800. And the necessity for
such an increase would have been solely
owing to the floating debt just referred to.
Such q levy 7 have olwavS un,jarStop6