Year: 1864

The Tribune of last Saturday makes a
violent attack upon the clergy and people
of the Roman Catholic Church. "ltseems,"
saws our puritanical cOtemporary, that this
substantial accord between the clergy OF
one Of our most numerous bodies of Chris
tians. and the keepers, almost without eX-
ception, of the haunts OF low dissipation
and moral ruin, challenges investigator ana
reflection. Why should the great body. OF
the clergy of any Christian denomination
be of one mind in politics with the keepers
and frequenters of the haunts OF wee ana
infamy? What is the mystic tie that
binds those seemtnqly incongruous classes in
political fellowship?' The Tribune goes on
In the next place, to inquire into 1.-THE grave
fact" that the Roman Catholic clergy OF
this country and ''the keepers OF the dance
houses of Water street and the rum holes
of Corlears' Hook, Mackerelville, and the
Five Points, ardently supported, with
scarcely an individual exception, the same
candidates in our recent election!


This assertion of Tile Tribune is put in q
spirit of genuine Black Republican malig-
nance. Public deceney, if not genial con-
sideration for the feelings of ones neigh
bors, would have saved any one but Pu /
tan from the outrage of associating with
so-called resorts of crime, body of most



thus Wantonly attacks in such manner q
large and respectable class of men who con-
fine themselves to their duties in private
life. is true emanation of the acridity of
the Praise God Barebones school Of malig-
nant self-righteousness A curse upon the
spirit of evil which is seen thus to actuate
these Black Republican fanatics; and which,
possessed, as it is, like the leper among the
tombs of a legion of devils, has not only
torn to atoms the Constitution and the
Union, but would drag down all that is
sacred in our private life |; nd pure in our
Christianity to its own levtl OF social, polit-
lcal and religious rottenness.


How does The Tribune know that the Ro-
man Catholic clergy voted for Mcclellan!
They have, as far as we have been able to
learn. never met in caucus" on the subject;
they have not committed themselves to any
particular view of the case by letter to the
public press; and they certainly have not
degraded themselves by any such display
of their opinions on the struggle by week
day, still less by Sabbath day, "stumping.'
That the Catholic clergy have been support
ers of General Mcclellan during the late
campaign, would be but an exercise of one
of their rights of citizenship; but If they
have seen proper to exercise that right thus
they have done so with such decency anC
minister-like modesty that it can be stated
to-day but as mere assumption! The ne
cessity does not therefore arise for deallnt
| with the improved assertion of The TrttMl
on the subject, beyond rebuking the malig
nance that has put the allegation in term
outrageous to every suggestion of religion
propriety and public decency.


| The attack OF The Tribune on the Komal
Catholic clergy and Church gives expression
to what NAV be regarded, for the reason
we have glanced at, a very natural hate
While, however, doing so under passions
the moment, it also speaks in accord Wit
those of the past. The CrOmwellian spiri
of the days in which the Bishop of Drog
heda was dragged from the altar to be mur
dered in his canonicals, has lost nothing {
its savage intolerance in the bosom OF tn
modern Roundhead. The fanatical hate
that time is ready, and, we firmly bellev'
but abides its time to to-day ruin tn
churches" that do not accord with its atrt
cious politics or pestilential polemics. I'm
unity movement of the sects is an emanf
ton from the virtual indifferentism chal
acteristic of religious opinion among tn


Puritans, and seeks an amalgamatlon OF a
the wide differences of Professionalism wit
the avowed purpose of hostility to IL
Church of Rome. In connection with thl
we regard the attack of The Tribune on Il
Roman Catholic clergy highly significan


and, reading both in the light of the fac


of the past and the passions of the presen


incline to think that it but breaks groun


in religious crusade which, when the p'


litical conflict of the hour shall have dor


its work of atrocity, will darken the lar
with worse horrors than those that hav
during the last three years, degraded OF


civilization and, in many quarters, debast


our Christianity.