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whether civil or ecclesiastic, and who are American by birth,
education and training." Resistance to the aggressive
policy and corrupting tendencies of the Roman Catholic
Church in our country! A most pregnant clause indeed
this—one that carries with it the asseveration that the Catho-
lic Church in our country is aggressive in its policy, is cor-
rupting in its tendencies. That is, the Catholic Church in
this country does systematically, as a rule of policy, encroach
or commit aggressions upon the rights, interests, property,
power or privileges, civil, political or religious, of some body,
politic, natural or corporate; and moreover is corrupting in
its tendencies. This is the broad, positive, unqualified as-
sertion. Who that understands the English language, can
read the words quoted, and make any thing less of them?
No one! How, when, where, upon what rights, interests,
property, powers or privileges, this aggressive policy
operates, or who or what is corrupted by these corrupting
tendencies, is neither stated nor intimated ! It was enough
and best to make the charges broad and indefinite: bigotry
would furnish believers and propagators. If made specific,
the danger was imminent—it would be disproved,—vague
and uncertain as it was, it could not be met by proof, and
could only be denied in terms as general as those in which it
was made—there would only then be denial against asser-
tion. The accusers well knew their advantage in this, and
that for their purposes, and with those for (not against) whom
the charges were made, tried upon such proof, the charges,
whether true or false, (their actual truth or falsehood was to
them immaterial,) would stand for true " by confirmation
strong as proofs from Holy Writ." And thus the Catholic
Church, or rather that denomination of Christians, (they
cared nothing about the Church,) stands condemned un-
heard by the fiat of this wise council. No other church or
denomination of Christians is similarly treated—this particu-
lar class is singled out for proscription—others, all others,
are afterwards discoursed about in general terms, patted on
the head kindly, encouraged—none of them could be ag-
gressive in their policy, or corrupt in tendency, that was not
to be imagined. The memorial presented to the Senate of
the United States a few, years ago, signed by about three
thousand professed ministers of religion, (none Catholics,) and
bringing or attempting to bring church power to bear upon
the action of that august assembly upon a momentous politi-
cal question, was forgotten ! It possibly may turn out, if
this spirit is encouraged, and becomes dominant, that after