Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-08-31

were the seven Republicans. the Pro
y testans preacher included, who a
IF Inst voted for the bill, servants Of Oh,
n Pope? Is there any man not an idiot, q
q utterly blinded BY prejudice, who does MOI
3 see that the charge IS absurd, that it is &
Il mere trick of party managers, who ere will
4 ing to leopard religion, eonvulse society
J. and sow the seeds Of perpetual discord in
/ order to achieve party success? Can not any
! man in his senses see that if patty ascend
a aney can be obtained one year by attacking
. a particular church, il may be obtained at
) another time By attacking some other
. e1urch2 / can remember when 3 UniVer-
! salist was not allowed to testify as a wit
! ness in some Of the States, when it was
! necessary TO believe IN hell-fre in order TO
! ! give testimony about a horse or an ass,
; when, In sOms neighOrhOOds, he was re-
garded as a foe to religion and worse than
, an intidel. There are many people
; yet who think that a Unitarian denies
the truth Of Scripture, and desert IS
the froEns and condemnation Of all true
Christians. There are others who regard
the QuakeTs as enemies Of Government, be
cause they insist upon the gospel Of peace
and deny tie lawlessness Of war. There
are others who regard the Episcopal Church
as a sort Of adjunct to Rome. And so Of
all the sects, there is not one against whom,
in the minds Of other sectaries, prejudice
may not be excited; and if that prejudice is
to take the form Of political warfare, there
is no sect that will be secure from its bale
tul influence. The Radical managers now
assail the Catholics, knowing them to be in
a minority. Were the PrOtestants in a
minority, | dare say some Of these same
managers would be found assailing them.
No, my friends, the only safe
ground to stand upon is the Demo-
cratic principle of equal rights and perfect
freedom Of conscience, embodied in our
| Federal and State constitutions. The
churches are powerful and efficient instru-
mentalities for good, and whatever may be
a mans belief or disbelief in theological
tenets, he cannot trIthfUlly deny their con-
sentative power over the morals and peace
Of society. But whenever they shall be
| dragged into the mire Of politics, whenever
warfare upon a church shall become a high
| road to political preferment, YOU may rest
assured that a blow at their usefulness will
have been dealt that will require many
years Of pain and suffering before its evil
effects will erase to be felt.
To hear a Radical stumper talk Of the
| Catholic Church you would think, if you
knew no better, that all the members Of
that church are under the absolute dominion
Of their priests; that the priest has bat TO
point his finger, and his whole flock vote
for the party 10 which he points. There |
never was a more unfOunded assertion, |
never greater libel pronounced against |
body Of American freemen. In matters Of !
religion, the aCathOlic reverently receives |
the instructions Of his spiritual guide; in /
80 la 1. a.
upon the dictates of his own Judgment. |
There are tens Of thousands Of Catholics |
who vote, and have always voted, the Re /
publican ticket, and il the number Of such |
votes is diminishing, it is not because Of |
pTiestly domination, but because the spirit !
Of Known Othingism again stalks abroad, |
and threatens to obtain complete possession /
Of the Republican party.
1t is not many years since Archbishop |
Hughes, Of New York, and Archbishop |
Purcell, Of Cincinnati, were open support
ers Of LincOln's administration, and were |
much applauded by the Republican leaders
fer that support. Then not one Of those
leaders was heard to utter a word about
priesily interference in politics, or pFiestly |
domination. On the contrary, these vener-
able prelates were laUded TO the skies by
the Republican party and their example
everywhere cited as an inducement to
Catholics to vote the Republican ticket.
Nay, further, President Lincoln manifested
his high regard for the Archbishop of New
\ OrRby sending him on a mission 10 Eu-
rope, and the whole Republican party ap-
p.auded the act. But did the course taken |
by those eminent prelates-nOne more
eminent or better entitled to the regard Of
their fOcks and Of mankind-cOntrOl the
Catholic vote? Every man Of YOU is ready.
TO say, no, for it is as notorious as that the
sun gives light to the earth, that the grea5
body Of Catholics continued to vote as
they had been accustomed to vOte-ths
Democrats continued to be Democrats, and
the Republicans continued to be Republic
cans.
1t is little curious to hear Republican
speakers denOunce what they call the inter-
ference Of the Catholic priesthood in poll
tics, and then turn over a few pages Of his
tory and see what the Protestant priesthood
have done, not only with the appreciation,
but encouraged by the loud plaudits Of these
same Republicans. Have you forgotten the
petition to Congress OF three thousand q |
think that was the nUmber) Protestant
ministers, denouncing the policy of Dem
Ocratic administration, and with what
flourish Of truupets it was presented and
And is it not an Undeniable
fact that no Democrat ever suggested or
thought Of assailing a Protestant church
because Of that 'priestly interference IN
politics?' Is it not an undeniable fact that
that though the form and language Of the I
petition were criticised, though it was said {
it was Of questionable SrOpriety for the s
petitioners to appear in their clerical char
nd hot q
liens, yet no one was found 10 deny their S
right Of petition, OF to vilify their churches e
because they exercised that right? Have
you forgotten the advent in Washington Of L
a large body Of Protestant clergy Of q
Chicago, who almost assumed to speak in C
the name of the Almighty when demand d
ing Of President Lincoln the is >
suance Of the Emancipation PrOcla- C
nation? and is not every man c
Of you a witness Of the fact that that P
ispriestly interference in politics. OCCASION c
Ell no Democratic assault upon q Protestant ! p
church, while on the other hand it was lUs- q
tily applauded by the Republican leaders / 9
ansl the Republican press? And yet these L
same leaders and this same press are ready v
10 90 into spasms if a Catholic priest has c
The audacity to exercise his right as an J
American citizen, and express, however 9
political opinion that is not h
orthodox according TO the Radical creed. a
FellOw-citizens, am not Catholic and s
have no desire to draw comparisons be o
.Ween the Protestant and Catholic priest n
hood, but since the latter ara so freely de-
lOunced for what is called theirinterterence v
IN politics, it may not be amiss to ask
ew plain questions.
What man ever us9rd a political sermon
rom a Catholic pulpit? 1 am sure l
never did, nor did ever read OF hear Of
me.
What man can number the political ser
mons preached from Protestant pulpits, Z
rom that of Henry Ward Beecher, in Ply '
mouth Church, down to that Of the hum G
best edifice whose spire points to :
Heaven? !
What man ever heard Of a Catholic q
PRIEST making a stump speech2 | am sure q
never did, nor do l believe such a thing l
sVer occurred.
But who can tell how many PrOtest ant q
ministers have taken the stump, from .
Henry Ward Beecher down to the Gran
lille Noodles?
What man ever heard Of a Catholic priest 5
1eing candidate for Office? know that v
never did, nor do l believe that any one
IF YOU ever did. y