The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1877-04-24
NEW HAMPSHIRE AND ROME.

The intolerant spirit recently shown by
the people Of New Hampshire has more
than met its counterpart in Rome. The re-
fusal of New Hampshire to strike out the
word protestant" from her bill of rights,
practically, perhaps, does not amount to
anything except as showing the intolerance
which pervades the people of that state in
this the last quarter of the nineteenth GEN.
fury. And that intolerance was still further
shown by the fact that the amendment to
the constitution removing the ban of ineli-
gibility from -Protestants to office
from 1884 down, the people of New Hamp-
shire had been dcbarred from electing other
than Protestants to the office of governor,
or councillor, or to either branch of the leg
islature-was ratified by so small a vote
that change of less than ten votes would
have defeated the amendment.
Practically, however, as we have said,
this all amounts to nothing, as with the
word Protestant" still remaining in the
bill of rights, the Catholics now have equal
rights and privileges with Protestants, have
equal protection in the courts, equal privi-
leges in the public schools, the same right
to worship God according to the dictates
of conscience, the same eligibility to Office,
and equal influence according to numbers
in shaping public opinion and influencing
legislation-the only difference, if any, be-
ing that the legislature can incorporate re-
liglous societies for the purpose of employ
ing, at their own expense, Protestant cler-
gymen, and may, perhaps, be debarred
from Incorporating such societies for the
purpose of employing Catholic cergymen.
To the credit, however, of large ma
jority of the people of New Hampshire,
let it be understood that New Hampshire
is one of the states where a majority of the
people do not rule so far as making or
amending constitutions is concerned, two
third vote being required for such pur-
pose, and that in this matter of amending
the bill of rights but few votes less than
two-thirds of the whole number were ia
vorable TO 1t, while almost exactly two
thirds voted for the amendment striking
out the word protestant" from the quail
fications required for eligibility to office.
1t does not, however, speak very well for
the general intelligence of the people of
New Hampshire, their faith in American
institutions and the principles upon which
the government is founded, or of their con-
tidence 10 the people-that is, in Themselves
that nearly one-third of the whole voting
population of the state are so fearful of
Catholic influence that they dare not admit
them to equal rights and privileges with
themselves, and should seek to render, or
keep, them forever ineligible to hold office.
But so it is.
But this intolerance was not all on one
side. 1t was not, by any means, confined
to the Protestants, as we find that very
large vote-from one. quarter to one-flfth
OF the whole number-was given against
making the public schools non-sectarian.
The reason of this large vote is found in
the latest utterance from Rome. And we
may say here that If two wrongs could
ever make right-which, happily, can
never be the case-the minority of the peo-
pie of New Hampshire would find ample
justification for their Jealousy of the Cath
Ollie church and their fear of its influence
in its united opposition to free, public non
sectarian schools and the instructions from
Rome upon which this opposition was pre-.
sumbably based.
But what were these instructions p
Early in 1876, one of the committees of car.
dinals by which the Catholic church Is sup.
posed to be governed called "the sacred
congregation for the propagation of the
" faith"-addressed a circular letter to tn,