Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1875-04-08
THURSDAY
The sectarianLaM.


lust expired, seems to have had in its
lifetime a peculiar guardianship over
famishing members of the catholic
persuasion who happen to be cast into
our prisons, for offenses against the
laws of our State and the good order
of society. Fearing that this class of
citizens may not have the benefit of
the Catholic clergy during their incar-
ceration, they passed a law requiring g
the Wardens and Superintendent of
our prisons to furnish Catholic priests
to minister to the spiritual wants of
the Catholic inmates of our public in
stitutions Efforts were made by the
Democratic friends of the bill to pro-
duce an impression that the Catholic
priests were prohibited, by Protestant
keepers and principals of these insti-
tutions, from entering there and min
istering ito the spiritual wants of the
inmates of the Catholic faith and, in
order that they may have this benefit,
it had become necessary for this Dem
ocratic Legislature to pass law re-
curing the keepers, or principals
thereof, to employ Catholic clergymen
to minister to them spiritually.
Now, this whole thing is a magnifi-
cent farce, a villainous fraud Every
body, who knows anything about the
management of these institutions,
knows that clergymen of all denomi-
nations have always been admitted to
visit the inmates, none being excluded
Sisters of Charity have been visiting
the sick both in prisons and hospitals.
rendering great assistance, and ad
ministering temporal and spiritual con
forts to the afflicted. It is a piece o.
| impertinence for political demagogues
now to come up, under the rotten pre-.
tense that Catholic elergymen and Sis
tiers of Charity are denied the right tc
visit them, and administer spirital ad
vice and consolation to them; q pieet
of impudence and hypocricy, equal
ed only by the father of liars himself
The whole thing has its origin il
hearts that are desperately wicked
politics, and not true religion or sym
pathy for Catholics, is at the bottom
ofallthis pretended love for the right
of Catholics.
If this class of religionists are thu
to be provided with spiritual advisor
and preachers in our prisons by tn
State, and at the expense of the State
has not every other religious sect a
equal right to be supplied with spirit
ual advisors of their own religion
faith 1t is not a principle in our gov
ernment that any one religious sec
shall be selected out from all th
rest and supported by the money c
the Government, but equal rights an
privileges are accorded to all alike
The Government, as a Governmer
should know no one religious sect IAN
give no special benefits, one over al
other. but religious opinions shoul
be kept free as the air we breathe; an
for our Legislature to select one sec
and metss-that the special recipient {
Legislative faeoritism, is close akin
the union of Church and State, and
this thing is permitted to go on !
designing political legislatures for
few years, we may wake up some
these mornings and find an establishe
religion by the Government, and evel
man required to pay one-tenth of h
hard earnings to support an establisI
ed religion by the State on the Nor
: American Continent. The bill refe
\ red to is but an entering wed!
! to result of this character Be cat
= tiouS.