The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-09-30
Roman Catholic Clergy's Letter

Quoting from the Pennsylvania Packet, and Daily Advertiser of Philadelphia, Wednesday, March 24, 1790.
 '"The Address of the Roman Catholics to George Washington, President of the United States.
 ~Sir:-
 "You encourage respect for re- ligion and inculcate by words and actions, that principle, on which. the welfare of nations so much dapends-that a experimenting Providence governs the events of the world, and watches over the conduct of men.
 "Yolr exalted maximS, and url- Nearied attention to the moral and physical improvement of our country have produced already the happiest effects. Under yeur ad- ministration, America is animated with zeal for the attainment and encouragement of useful literature, she improves her agriculture, ex- tends her commerce, and acquires with foreign nations dignity un- known to her before
 "Trom these happy events, in which none can feel a warmer in- terest than ourselves, we derive additional pleasure by recollecting that you, Sir, have been the prin- cipal instrument to effect so rapid q change in our political situation.
 "This prospect of national pros perity is peculiarly pleasing to us on another account; because whilst our country preserves her freedom and independence, we have a well-founded title to claim from her justice the equal rights of citizenship as the price of our blood split under your eyes, and of our common exertions for her de- fense under your suspicious con- duct: rights rendered more dear to us by the remembrance of for mer hardshipS.
 "When we pray for the preser- vation of them, where they have been granted; and expect the full extension of them from the justice of those of those states, which still restrict them; when we solicit the protection of Heaven over our common country we neither omit. or can omit recommending your preservation to the singular care of Divine Providence: because we conceive that no human means are so available to promote the well fare of the United States, as the prolongation of your health and life, in which are included the en- ergy of your example, the wisdom of your counsels, and the perSua- sive eloquence of your virtues.
 (Signed)
 "J. CARROLL
 "In behalf of the Roman
 Catholic Clergy; Charles Carroll
 of Carrollton; Daniel Carroll,
 Dominick Lynch, Thomas Fitz-
 simmons; in behalf of the Ro-
 man Catholic Laity."
 .To which President George Washington replied in part:
 'aTo the Roman Catholic in the United States of America:
 T presume that your fellow citizens will not forget the patrt- otic part which you took in the accomplishment of the Revolution, and the establishment of their goyernment; or the important as- sistance which they received from a nation in which the Roman Catholic faith Is professed.
 And may the members of your society in America, animated alone by the pure spirit of Christianity, and stiil conducting themselves as the faithful subjects of our gov. ernment. enjoy every temporal and spiritual felicity"
 ..Washington's reply to the Ad- dress of the New Church at Bal- timore:
 .sro the Members of the New
 Church at Baltimore.
 @Gentlemen: "To the manifest interposition of an overruling Providence and to the patriotic cxertions of united America, are to be ascribed those events which have given us respectable rank among the nations of the earth.
 we have abundant reason to reiOice, that in this land the light of truth and reason have trt- umphed over the powers of bigotry