The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-03-12

the Christian world to seek for religious secur-
ity and peace by the practice of justice and not
| by the exercise of power; to plao theestablish-
ment of popular institutions with the enjoyment
of liberty and conscience, to advance the career
of civilization by recognizing the rightfu equal
itv of al Christian sects The asylum OF papists
was the spot where, in a remote corner of the
world on the banks of rivers which as yet had
hardly been explored, the mild forbearance of a
proprietary adopted religious freedom as the
basis of the State. Maryland's history is the his
tory of benevolence, gratitude and tolera-
tion' Ever intent on advancing the in
terests of his colony, Lord Baltimore
invited the Puritans of Massachusetts to emf
CRATE to Maryland, offering them lands, and
privileges and every liberty of religion. The
disfranchised friends of prelacy from Massa-
chusetts and the Puritans from Virginia were
welcomed to equal liberty of conscience and po-
litcai rights in this Roman Catholic province
underlying all Maryland legislation during
the first colonial years found religious toll
Grafton and liberty of conscience, but in compil-
ing their code of laws for their colonial life they
experienced one peculiar difficulty which their
neighbors, the Puritans. did not have
is not very convenient at times to have.
They had a conscience. They had doubts
and 5cruples, how to act as Catholics and as
British subjects owing allegiance to England
1t never entered into their minds or the minds
of their clergy. to hold themselves absolved from
all allegiance, free to make any rules and laws
that seemed good unto them, and to enforce
them even with the death penalty. Consider
this delicacy of Catholic conscience and recall to
mind the conduct of the New England Puritans
and we may cheerfully abide the decision of any
honest man. Mr.. Ridpath says very aptly In
no other American province was intolerance
more clearly emancipated. and in no other did
religious freedom shine with brighter lustre
Catholic Maryland was lamb at the mercy Of
three great wolves all through her brief history
-Puritansm In New England, the Church of
England in Virginia, and her sworn enemy from
the beginning. the infamous Clay borne.
"Only five years after the passage of the act
of toleration which. though not written down
until then, had been for fifteen yers, from the
landing of the coonists. the spirit and practice
in Maryland-on the Goth day of October 1864,
Clayborne, the curse of Maryland. his ten COM
missioners and the new Assembly met at Patux-
emit, acknowledging the authority of Cromwell
and DISTINGUISHING the Catholics. The act
passed by Clay borne and his Puritan henchmen
was an act concerning religion, whereby it was
declared that no one who professed or
protected in this province. That such
as profess religion in God by Jesus
Christ, though differing in judgment from the
doctrine, worship and discipline publicly held
erty was not extended to popery. How could
Bancroft say that these Purtans were the
friends of popular liberty? Is there anything on
record in the history of any other people on this
earth to equal this outrage on honor, decency and
common sense2 Why is it that such undue
prominence is everlastiney and everywhere
given to the Puritan Pilgrim fathers? 1t
is heard all occasions, but why? The
primitive Puritans of New England can
no more claim, to have converted or made friends
with the Indian tribes, to have established good
government generally or to have exercised re-
iigious liberation particularly than they can per-
vert truth into falsehood and make black white.
Plymouth Rock is the Blarney-stone of New
England. The descendants to-day of these first
Purtans, at least the knowing ones. are in their
hearts ashamed of their ancestry, and hence
they move heaven and earth to pervert the testi-
mony of history"