Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1883-01-18
ForEaaru0n m MARYLAND.


At the meeting Of the Maryland
Historical Society on the 9th instant,
Gen. Bradley 7. Johnson read paper
on the foundation Of Maryland. The
paper recited the three theories of
the origin Of religious federation in
Maryland: First, that twas adopted
by Lord Baltimore to attract settlers.
This is the theory Of Lodge and
Doyle. the latest writers on the sub
ject. Second, that he founded Cath
Ollie colony Is a refuge for Catholics,
and declared freedom Of conscience,
moved By the teachings Of the church.
This Is the theory Of Cardinal Man
ming and Catholic writers generally.
Third. that the Professionals were in
the majority. and TINS adopted and
enforced it because it was the princi-
pie Of their religion. This is the po-
sition of Mr.. Gladstone and Profess
tant authors. Gen johnson contend
ed that none of these is correct.
Lord Baltimore, satisfied that free
institutions were about to perish in
England in the reign Of Charles /,
formed the deliberate purpose Of
founding o State in which all the
righss, liberties and franchises of Eng
hshmen should be enjoyed, secured by
all the guarantees Of magma charta.
Many facts made known in 1873 by
the publication OF the Records of the
English Province of the Society of
Jesus" preserved at Stonyhurst, prove
this purpose Of Lord Baltimore.
The original colony was organized
by the appointment of Leonard CAL
vert governor and Jerome Hawley
councillor, Catholics, and Captain
Thomas Cornwallys, Protestant. The
colony was largely Protestant. and
was undertaken under the advice of
Mutius Vitelleschi, general of the So
ciety of Jesus at Rome, and of its pro-
vincial, Father Richard BIount. Of
England, who sent out two Jesuit
priests with the expedition. The en-
igration of all Christians was encour-
aged by the promise of freedom of
conscience by his proclamation in
1884.
Gen. johnson referred to the code
Of laws prepared by Lord Baltimore
and the early history of the proprie-
tIry government in support of his
proposition. After the battle of
NAseby had decided the fate of the
English monarchy, in l645, Lori
Baltimore was obliged to reconcile the
condition of affairs in his colony with
that in England. In July, August
and September, 1913, he counseled
with Father Henry More, provincial
of Jesuits in England, as to the
proper measure to be adopted to re-
concile Puritans and Roman Catho-
lics-the Jesuits and his government
in Maryland.
Father More was a great grandson
of Sir Thomas More, Lord High Chan
cellor of England, who was a martyr
for his religion. He was historian
OF the JesHlts. able, pious and learn
ed. He prepared and proposed to
Lord Baltimore the scheme which he
adopted, to wit: That he should APP
point Protestants to govern the pro-
vince that he should bind them by
official oaths to disturb no one on ac-
count of his religion, especially no
Roman Catholic; that he should for
bid the Governor asserting to any law
concerning religion that he should
issue new conditions of plantation,
enforcing the statutes of Mortmain,
and he prepared q code of sixteen
laws, which the proprietary assented
to beforehand. and which he stipula-
ted must be adopted within twelve
months without amendment or alter
alton. The first one of those sixteen
laws was the act concerning religion
the Maryland act for religious toll
Grafton.
The terms Of the settlement were
sent to Maryland. The Assembly in
1919 adopted seven Of these sixteen
laws, first among them the federation
act, and in 1850 adopted the other
nine of the proposed acts. Thus it is
shown that the act concerning religion
was out part Of the mature purpose
of Lord Baltimore to found the State
on the Institutions Of magma eharta,
and il was drawn up and proposed to
him as part Of q general scheme of
compromise and settlement for Puri-
tan and Catholic in the COLONY by
Father Henry More, the provincial
Of the English province of the Society