Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1875-09-30

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RELIGIOUS LIBERTY.
49, sF- t&N
II is with great pleasure We re-copU
the following article fram theC Cecil Ds4s
ocrat and CORDIALLY advise our friends q
consider Il we'll: -
The cnrse ofshe ~s{1G Gf0r rasny Gen.
tasios was the union Of States with &C.
elssiastical establishments. With tbs
experience of these ages before -
our revolutionary fathers shut out thi1
| levif from otif politicel syssem, md fec.
ever divorced Church and State 10
the people Of the United States have
now for century enjoyed the heneata
of this wise measures. And yet from
time to time political chicauery on the
one hand or religious fanaticism on the
other have made desperate efforts to
drag religion into Che political afeua
and use it for party purposes. Fortu-
nately these attempts have hitherto
proved abortive, and vet they have been
productive Of much evil. Religion
neither takes man out OF this worm
Of human actions nor makes him god.
It implants within him new principle,
but leaves the old, and long as life lasts
there is battle going on between the
new and the old. This 10 not only tho
plain declaration Of scripture, but it il
the experience of every Christian from
St. Paul to the saints Of the present
day. 1t has never been found wise or
safe to trust absolute power in tho
hands Of Church, for every Church u
infallible as every man is convinced that
he holds the truth, and that all who
differ with him are in error. 1t il .
great mistake to think that the veucrx-
BILE Pope of Rome is the only infallible
mortal in this world; thousands who
denounce his high claims are just as in.
fallible in their own opinions as the old
man of the Vatican. and just as sure
that they know the mind Of the Inf.
mite. a.. u ...
Oliver Cromwell proclaimed religious
liberty in Great Britain, but said If any
one thought that the Roman Catholics
were included in his proclamation Of
religious liberty, they were mistaken.
The know Nothing" party OF this
country was built upon precisely the
same principle. The banded Profess
tants were infallibly sure that the Ro-
manists were infallibly wrong, and that
it was their duty to keep them under
the political foot. And now We wit.
ness Protestant restlessness at the po-
litical advancement of Roman Catho.
lie here and there, and an expression OF
fear that the Pope may some day get
the upper hand in America. Marylan:
ders, acquainted with the history OF
their own State, should be ashamed to
entertain such sentiments. Maryland
was Roman Catholic colony, and was
side by side with Rhode Island in en-
grating upon her fundamental law Re-
ligious Liberty. This was over two
hundred years ago, when liberty of any
kind was a novel idea, and when reli.
sious liberty was just being born
when it was not for an instant tolera-
ted in the land Of the pilgrim fathers
This being historically true, is it sup
posable that whilst Massachusetts, has
advanced to the position Mary took
in 1858, MARYLAND has been going back
towards the stake AMI faggot for witches,
and the whip and cat tail for Quakefs 2
Does anv sane man believe that after q
lapse of two hundred and forty-two
wears, the spirit Of religious liberty has
died out in Maryland, or that her Cath
olic sons have forgotten the noble heri-
tage of their sires and its priceless value
to mankind I?
Are the Protestantso of Mary land ready
to ostracise the grandson Of Charles
Carroll of Carrolltop, on account Of his
religious faith, whilst they are them
selves in the full enjoyment Of that iib-
erty Of conscience secured to them by
Lord Baltimore's colonial charter, and
handed down to them, in trust for com.
ing generations, by the freemen Of
MARYLAND, without respect to religious
cr.eds? If so, then let them first dig
up the bones of the Calverts, Of Charles
Carroll, of Carrollton, and OF Roger
Brook Taney, and when they have re-
duced these to ashes and scattered the
ashes to the winds, then they will be
fitting instruments of bigotry and duly
prepared 70 follow the role Of fapaticisua
to its legitimate ends. :.
The man who can see danger to bis
religious liberty in the election OF Rc.
man Catholic Governor of Maryhnd
IAN ancient Catholic colony has surely
the prophetic gift, and may be set down
among the sons of the Prophets-rfdsng
an ass. Maryland, in all her history,
has bad no more loyal aad faithful son:
than her Roman Catholic gentry and
among that gentry no family has ranked
higher in the State than the Carroll.
Protestant as we are. We would blush
TO know that Protestants are 20 be
found in Maryland who could do such
dishonor to their manhood as to refuse
to support John Lee Carroll becsuse be
is Catholic. Such men may be very
religious, but We would ae ioath to
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