for any office in the gift of the people, unless he be an Ameri-
can born citizen, nor if he be a Roman Catholic ! See, too, the
next clause of that oath by which the member surrenders his
own freedom of action, and binds himself, in all political mat-
ters, so far as the order is concerned, (and none knows how
far that may be,) to comply with the will of the majority,
though it may conflict with his personal preference, so long as
it does not conflict with the constitution of the United States
of America, or that of the State in which he lives ! See fur-
ther the oath of the second degree, where the pledge of obe-
dience given is "to conform in all things, to all the rules and
regulations of the order and the constitution and by-laws of
the council so long as they do not conflict," &c., &c. And
further on in the same, the oath reads, "that you (the mem-
ber) will support in all political matters, for all political offices,
members of this order in preference to other persons, and that it
may be done legally, (strange legality!) you will when
elected or appointed to any official station, conferring on you
the power to do so, remove all foreigners, aliens or Roman
Catholics from office or place in your gift!" Then comes
the solemn obligation and oath, that the member is to
KEEP THROUGH LIFE, sacred and inviolable, this and all
other obligations which he has previously taken in the order,
and to crown the whole, (through which there seems to peep
a most material secret,) comes the clause in the third degree
oath, that he, (the member,) taking that degree, "will vote for
and support for all political offices third or union degree mem-
bers of this order is preference to all others;" followed near
the close by a renewal of the pledge to keep sacred and invi-
olate all other obligations which have been previously taken !
If these do not tend "to the subversion of the well estab-
lished and deeply cherished principles of our government," it
will be difficult to imagine or conceive of principles and pur-
poses which would have that tendency. Not only so, for
though there are loud sounding passages often repeated in
those forms of oaths, professing devotion to the constitution
both of the United States, and of the State, it is nevertheless
apparent to every one who remembers or will read those con-
stitutions, that the principles and purposes above quoted from
the oaths and obligations, not only conflict with, but are di-
rectly contradictory to and subversive of, the letter and spirit
of both. What says the constitution of the United States?
In Art. 6th, Section 3d, is found this solemn and important
injunction , " No religious test shall ever be required as a

QUALIFICATION TO ANY OFFICE OF PUBLIC TRUST."

Not content with this, such was deemed to be the import-

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