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PLEASE CIRCULATE 
 
 A N A N S VV E R 
 
 TO THE 
 
 CHARGE AGAINST GEN. TAYLOK AND ifIS FRIENDS. 
 
 OF 
 
 OPPOSITION TO NATURALIZED CITIZENS. 
 
 ANDHOSTILITl TOCATHOLICS. 
 
 ^^^^^:^:r\2::^'^:^^ the ^0^000 
 
 inflammatorv appeals nhena,sLn, ^"^ ^^^"^' "^"^'Iv ^'gnalise themselves by 
 people. Their^f^von e ^2lZrA f ^\'^''^'':^' «* P^^^icular classes among th^ 
 Poor;" but withmhe L ttJ' f-^J ^ long t,me, was- " the Rich against the 
 naturalized a"a n the at ve Wn'' v"' ^'""'l '^'^ ^'''' ^°"g^^ '' ^-^-^« *h. 
 subservient to^he ends ThkT ?"; T^ '''V' *" "^^^^ '"^''S'^'^^ «P'"i«" 
 
 m-omirin. n 1 "^'^'l^f* '^'^ by the Native Americans and his correspondence with a 
 S^usT T:' I , "■ 1 '!"'' P'^'y- ^^''' '^ "°^^'^"^ '" ^^i^> --^ ^verv candid man 
 ^. /k V^\^'^"?"'^'^.^'' ^"^ ^^'^ disparagement of Gen. Taylor. He was nomi- 
 naiea Dy INative Americans and accepted the nomination, just as he accepted other 
 nominations at the time, with an express disclaimer to commit himself to their 
 peculiar doctrines. As to his letters to Gen. Peter Sken Smith, neither he nor his 
 triends nave any desire to conceal them. They require no explanation. We have, 
 therefore, no hesitation to insert them here ; they are as follows : 
 
 Hr.ADQLAP.TERs Army OF OccL'PATiON, Camp near Monterey, July 6, 1847. 
 
 Sia : The prospectus of a Native American paper, to be edited by yourself, forwarded to m* 
 with attached remarks from you, has been duly received. 
 
 Upon the points alluded to in those remarks, and to which members of the Native American 
 party require assent from those whom they favor for the Presidency, I can only say, with all can- 
 dor, that, if elected to that office, it must be by the sponfaneou^ xcill of the people at large, and with« 
 out agency or pledge on my part in any particular. If I ever fill that high office it must b« 
 untramrnelted with party obligations or iiiterefit.; of any kind, and under none hut those vhich ths 
 Constitution and the high interents of the nation at large mojt seriously and solemnly demand. 
 
 I do not desire the Presidency, and only yield thus far my assent to be considered a candidate in. 
 the same proportion in which it is desired by the people, irrespective of party * * * « 
 
 Very truly and sincerely your obedient servant^ £;■ A A i L.'-'K. 
 
 v_Gen. Petkb Sken Smith, Philadelphia. Major General Lnited States Army. 
 
 Baton Rougk, (La.,) January 30, 1849, 
 Sir: Your communication of the I5th inst. has been received, and the suggestions th«oi» 
 
 . offered duly considered. ^ ^ j^.^^e neither the power nor the desir* to 
 
 In reolv to vour inquiries, i have again to repeat inai i i. . , ^ proceed to nommate me foc 
 
 dictate^o the American people the e.Kact «»^""j^J^ ^^,^, J^^h , ,'«\, , T^^^^^ adopt the means best 
 
 the Presidency of the United States. II ^\pj)^\fl,,,' . and if they think fit to bring me 
 
 3utted, in their opinion, to the ^^J^^^^^^Xa^^.^^^^^^^^ cannot oW 
 
 '^ " •/ % * ♦ \. ' Z.TAYLOR. 
 
 I am, sir, very respectfully, your obed.e.u servant, 
 P...R SK.. SM.TH, esq., ^^^^f^^^^ , ,^^^, ^,,,i ao they convey <-^ 
 
tlieir party doctrines." It is idle, therefore, nay more, it is palpably unjust, to 
 «.ontend that either Gen. Taylor or the mass of those who support him is m any 
 decree connected with the Native American party. His nomination for the Pre- 
 ^sidency originated in the spontaneous will of the people, without distinction of 
 party. This, and the fact that he declared himself a Whig, led to his adoption as 
 the candidate of the Whigs of the Union, by whom he is presented as the repre- 
 sentative of national, and not of sectional interests. If those who style them- 
 selves Native Americans, as contra-distinguished from other parties, have chosen 
 to support him, they do it on their own responsibility, without any pledge and 
 without any expectation, indeed, that he will conform his Administration, should he 
 be elected, to the policy which they aim to establish. That such is the case we, 
 id least, cannot doubt, especially as our convictions are founded on the declarations 
 of Native Americans themselves. For example, we find the following articles in 
 the American Sig7ialj of Boston, the organ of that party in Massachusetts : 
 From Hie American Signal, July 18, 1848. 
 
 'Reply to the Times. — Henceforward we shall pay particular attention to our neighbor of the 
 EcEton Times. That paper contains so many more articles attacking Gon. Taylor than defending 
 Gen. Cas?, that we feel bound to give it our special notice. 
 
 The Times proposes a series of short questions — not quite as short, however, as Gen. Cass's 
 immortal letter to the Chicago Convention— all of which but the last we unequivocally and decid- 
 tdiy answer in the negative. 
 
 The Times sneeringly asks if Gen. Taylor was not nominated by the Native Americans of 
 "l^hiladclphiul 
 
 We unhesitatingly anwerno.' lie was not. In .September, 1S47, a Convention of Independent 
 American citizens, sympathizing in principles with the Native Americans of this country, repre- 
 senting thirteen States, met in Philadelphia, and approved the nomination of Gen. Taylor by the 
 people at large. We had the honor to be the Secretary of that Convention, and therefore can speak 
 i'.nderstandingly of its action in the premises. It recognized Gen. Taylor as the American candi- 
 date, independent of all parties ; and the members of that Convention so support him to this day. 
 The brave and good old man is regarded by the people not as the candidate of the Whig, Democra- 
 tic, or any other party; but as their ou-n candidate — as the Man of the People, and the 
 People's Man." 
 
 Pro7n the American Signal, July, 22, 1S48. 
 
 "Gen. Taylor the .\merican Candidate. — The following statement appears in the columns of 
 the Philadelphia Sun, one of the oldest and most ably conducted of the Native American papers in 
 ihis country. We commend them to our readers in this vicinity. — [Ed. Signal. 
 
 Gen. Taylor has been the candidate of a great and confiding people, irrespective of party, from 
 Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palraa, up to the present moment. He declared in his letters that all 
 parties might nominate him — Whigs, Democrats, and Natives — in Legislatures, Mass meetings or 
 Conventions, in whatever way they chose— but that he would not consent to be the standard 
 bearer nor the exponent of the principles of any or either party. 
 
 Neither the Natives of Pennsylvania, nor the National Native American Convention, composed 
 cf delegates from thirteen States, which met in Philadelphia in September, 1S47, and recom- 
 mended Gen. Taylor as the candidate of the American people for the Presidency, HAVE EVER 
 UTTERED OR PUBLISHED A WORD LAYING CLAIM TO GEN. TAYLOR a.^ <Ae 
 Native American candidate." 
 
 Once for all, then. Gen. Taylor has no enmity to any portion of his fellow- 
 ntizens. All stood by hlin in the hour of danger, all breasted alike the battle- 
 storm and shared in those brilliant achievements, which have made his name illus- 
 trious and elevated the martial character of his country. He knew no distinction 
 of birth-place or religion at Palo Alto, and Resaca, and Monterey, and Buena 
 Vista, and he acknowleges none now. The blood of every nation watered those 
 fields of his glory and the prayers of the Catholic and the Protestant were blended 
 in imploring the protection of Heaven for him and his little army. Is it probable, 
 then, that with these recollections clustering around him, he will suffer himself to be 
 made the slave of prejudice and intolerance, and ostracise men because they were 
 born under another sun, or worship at a separate altar .- He is too honest, and 
 generous and noble, too patriotic and American to be swayed by such a spirit or 
 'lifiuenced by such considerations. He regards all — wherever born, however be- 
 ijevino- — who respect the Constitution and obey the laws as his equals in the State, 
 and far be it from him to infringe the privileges or impair the rights, which have 
 thus become the common property of the nation. Such is his character and such 
 has it always been. And to show, that we have not mistaken it, we subjoin in 
 this place the testimony of one who knows him well, and appreciates him accord- 
 mgly. FatherMcElroy, — and no man is a better judge of the human heart and 
 jotellect, — in a recent conversation with Thurlow Weed, Esq., of the Albany 
 
Evening Journal^ paid the highest tribute to his worth. He says, "'Gen. Tat- 
 ■*' LOR is truly a great and good man; that couragf^, guided by prudence, and 
 " justice, tempered with humanity, are his prominent characteristics, and that 
 •*' temperance and simplicity of manner and habit mark his intercourse with socie- 
 '" ty.' 'He says, moreover, that 'integrity and patriotism stand out boldly in hir. 
 ^' official acts,' and he expresses his convictioiij that 'in the elements which form 
 •" his character, and the motives and objects which prompt and guide him, Gen. 
 '" Taylor bears a strong resemblance to Washington.' " This is the disinterested 
 -testimony of one who keeps aloof from the political struggles of the day ; of one 
 who is a distinguished ornament of the Catholic priesthood, and who as a Chaplain 
 in the Army was associated with Gen. Taylor through his most trying scenes ia 
 'the valley of the Rio Grande. Commendation from such a source is indeed 
 invaluable, and if not another word could be spoken in his favor, this alone would 
 ■be sufficient to vindicate Gen. Taylor from the malignant assaults of the artful 
 •demagogues, who are laboring to turn the people against him. 
 
 But let us inquire, since we are on this topic, in what the much boasted friend- 
 •ship of the Democratic party for the naturalized citizen consists ? Does it show 
 itself in the flattery demagogues use to secure votes, or in something real and sub- 
 ■jstantial ? Is it in mere words costing nothing, or in good works ? These are 
 ■after all the true tests of friendship and we shall, therefore, see how far they have been 
 •observed. The large majority of that party are opposed to all works of internal 
 improvement ; and yet these have been in times past, and must be in time to come, 
 ■the very life-bread of thousands of those who have made ours the land of their 
 . adoption. They uniformly oppose the protective policy, in whose overthrow the 
 mining and manufacturing interests must sutler, labor go unrewarded and wages bs 
 reduced ; and yet our foreign-born citizens look chiefly to these interests toi 
 •employment. In view of this, we put it to every man, to the Irish and Germans, 
 •who build our rail-roads, dig our canals, and toil in our work-shops and mines, i.^' 
 •this be the way to benefit them ? if these be the peace-otferings they desire } 
 
 Leaving these things out of the question, what has the present Administration, 
 with whose entire policy the Democratic candidate for the Presidency is closely 
 identified, done to dishearten the enemies of the naturalized citizen .' Have they 
 ever refused to reward any man because of his opposition to them .' Never. But, 
 when there was a high judicial appointment to bestow, no man was considered so 
 fit to receive it as George VV. Woodward, of Pennsylvania ; and in defiance oi 
 the protests and remonstrances of the Irish Democrats, Mr. Polk nominated him 
 to the Senate. How was it there ? Did the peculiar friends of our naturalized 
 citizens lift a hand to parry the blow, the Democratic President had shown a will- 
 ingness to strike ? Far from it. Some twenty Democratic Senators, true to the 
 Presidential will, prominent among whom was Gen. Cass, voted to confirm the 
 nomination which was rejected, by the united vote of the Whig Senators and a 
 small fragment of that party. To what extent Mr. Woodward carried his opinions 
 may be seen from the following proceedings of the Convention, called to amend the 
 •Constitution of Pennsylvania,' in 1837, of which he was a member. We quot^? 
 from vol. 5, pp. 443-4-5, of the " Official Debates," as follows : 
 
 "A motion was made by Mr. Magee, of Perry county, That the Committee proceed at this time, 
 =to the second reading and consideration of resohition No. 48, in the words following, viz: 
 
 " ' Resolved, That a Committee be appointed to inquire into the e.-vpedicncy of so amending thfl 
 
 Constitution of Pennsylvania, as to prohibit the future immigration into this State, of free persons 
 
 of color and fugitive slaves, from other states or territories.' . - r. 
 
 "Mr. Thomas, of Chester county, moved to amend the same, by inserting between the words ■ ot^ 
 
 and 'free,' in the third line the word '/b'"«'?"«''^-' * * * * * *. ■* .t c 
 
 " Mr. Woodward, moved to amend the'^amcndment by adding thereto, the words, and that tne 
 said commifter. be also insfruct<;d to inquire into the propriety of so amendinr; the Constitution as :<» 
 prevent any foreigners irho mnu arrive in this State, after the. fourth rfny of Jnlij, 1341, FROM AC - 
 aUIRING THE RIGHT TO VOTE OR HOLD OFFICE IN THIS COMMONWEALTH.' 
 
 Hence it seems, the Presidential choice for the highest judicial tribunal in the 
 country — endorsed by four-filths of a Democratic Senate, — would have denied to 
 the naturalized citizen "the right to vote or hold office" in the State "of Pennsyl- 
 vania. More than this the Convention could not do, or Mr. Woodward would 
 
have included the right to hold office under the Federal Governnr»ent. In support 
 
 of this proposition he made a speech from which we present an extract. He said : 
 
 "I would permit them [forei^ers] to acquire wcallh — to pursue the objects of their own ambi- 
 tion. I would, in short, allow them to become in all respects equal citizens with us, except only 
 'in this one matter of political pririlcges. All their national and their civil rights, shoulji be amply 
 guaranteed and protected; and they should become cUizcns in common with us in relaticn to all 
 chjects. cx:ep: toting and holding c)ffircy—[ Vol. 5, Debates in Contention, p. 447.] 
 
 The plain English of this is, that the " foreigner" should have the privilege of living 
 and breathing, of being a citizen in name, — but in reality " a hewer of wood ana 
 a drawer of water," — guaranteed to him so long, as it might please God to let him 
 Jive. And yet these are the opinions, deliberately proclaimed in full Convention, 
 of a man the Administration would have elevated to one of the highest stations in 
 the Republic' This is the man, he, who is now claimed to be the special pro- 
 tector of the rights and interests of our Irish and German citizens. Gen. Lewi.? 
 Casp, did all in his power as a Senator to place, where the President had called 
 him. "Oh!" but his friends will exclaim, " Gen. Caps did not understand Mr. 
 Woodward's opinions; had he known them at the time his vote would never have 
 been given for his confirmation — never ! never ! " Not so fast gentlemen. You 
 are good at apologies, we admit ; and, doubtless, you are somewhat bewildered to 
 find the acts of your candidate in secret Senate, coming so inopportunely to light; 
 but really we cannot permit you to shield him with such shallow pretences. He 
 did know his opinions in every particular ; for Mr. Woodward, although the 
 caucus nominee of his party in the Legislature of Pennsylvania, had been defeated 
 for the Senate not six months before, when this was urged, among other things, 
 jigainst him. Gen. Cass knew this, and he knew that Gen. Cameron received 
 the Whig vote and some half a dozen or more Democratic votes, and was thereby 
 elected. He knew more; he knew when he cast his vote, that the naturalized 
 citizens of Pennsylvania, by petitions numerously signed, had protested against 
 Mr. Woodward's appointm,ent on this very ground, and he knew, also, that they 
 had in the last resort appealed, from the President to the Senate. And, in the 
 full knowledge of all the facts, he subscribed to the principle, that " foreigners" 
 should not be alLowed " to acquire the right to vote or hold office." It was under 
 the veil of secrecy it is true, and it may be, therefore, that it does not detract 
 from his power to swell and orate over the sufferings of down-trodden humanity. — 
 It is quite probable, however, that its exposure will teach naturalized citizens 
 bow to weigh the sincerity of his professions of regard for them. 
 
 HOSTILITY TO CATHOLICS. 
 
 To speak of religion in connection with politics, is a very delicate undertaking ; 
 nevertheless as we have no ap'peals to make to any religious denomination, we shall 
 not shrink from what is due to truth and justice. We would not, if it were in our 
 power, drag religion into the political arena. We consider it too pure and holy to 
 be thus prostituted to the secular objects of men. All we have in view, is to vin- 
 dicate the character of our political brethren and remove, if possible, those unjust 
 prejudices which groundless accusations have excited in the breasts of the misled 
 and ignorant. We know that Catholics, like other men, are free in their political 
 opinions ; and knowing this, it shall never be said, that we either desired or at- 
 tempted to array them in a body against a political party. 
 
 The Whig party has never sought by flattery and deception, nor otherwise than, 
 by an honest advocacy of great principles, to secure the support of the Catholic com- 
 munity ; still, unless we have been much deceived by the lessons of experience, 
 they have invariably treated them with that consideration which good citizens, 
 whatever their religious creed, have a right to expect. Had they presumed to do 
 more, they would have merited contempt. And we defy any and all men, to- 
 show a single instance, wherein they have either manifested hostility to Catholics, 
 or evinced a disposition to deprive any 'other people of the right guaranteed by the 
 Constitution, — the right to worship God as each one pleases. It has suited the 
 purposes of tlie unprincipled to stigmatise them as bigot? and " church-burners," 
 
5 
 
 afid, jt may be, that such an impression has to some extent been created. But 
 after a fair and, as we believe, impartial review of all the circumstances connected 
 with the disgraceful scenes, which disturbed the peace of Philadelphia in the spring 
 of 1844, we have not been able to discover that they are obnoxious to such a 
 charge. Indeed, if either of the two great paities be justly censurable for the acts 
 of a blind, infuriated mob, it is susceptible of proof that the responsibility belongs 
 rather to their opponents than to them. 
 
 The kind treatment which Catholics have received from the present Administra- 
 tion and the extent of their obligations to the Democracy, of which Gen. Cass is 
 the willing representative, is easily told. First, as a cabinet officer and subsequent- 
 ly as Minister to France, the President has preferred George Bancroft, of Massa- 
 chusetts, to a hundred men of his party of more talent, and of infinitely more 
 character. And yet, this man, it is said, contributed as much as any other to rouse 
 that terrible excitement a few years ago, which ended in the destruction of the 
 Catholic convent, in Charlestown, whose smouldering ruins and blackened walls 
 still stand, eloquent in rebuke, within full view of Bunker Hill. Another of his 
 chosen friends is Marcus Morton whose fealty was rewarded with the collectorship 
 ol the port of Boston. This is the same individual who protested against the ap- 
 pointment of Mr. O'Neill, a native-born citizen, as postmaster at North Bridge- 
 water, Massachusetts, because, as was alleged, he was " a Catholic in religion 
 and a twaddler in politics." For this, we have the authority of the New York 
 Freeman's Journal. In a letter, dated January 17th, 1846, the Washington cor- 
 respondent of that paper said ; 
 
 "The Collector of Boston, Mr. Marcus Morion, in the fervor of his feeling ag^ainst 'Popery,' har 
 written lately to one of the Departments here, against a gentleman in his own State who is apply- 
 ing for an appointment, and makes his objections to him upon the ground that he is a Catholic. 
 Has the course which the ' organ ' of the Administration thought proper, a short time since, to pur- 
 sue on this same subject, and the exclusion of citizens of that denomination from a just proportion 
 of government favors, by those in close connexion with the President, been the encouraging cause 
 of this movement on the part of the Collector at Boston ? It would appear so, indeed or else he 
 never wpuld have dareu to address a head of a Government Department in language of that sort." 
 
 The Freeman-s Journal will be recognized as a Catholic paper of extensive 
 popularity, and its statements are usually undoubted. The letter referred to was 
 first on file in the Post Office Department, and when last heard of, among the 
 archives of the Senate. Whether it produced the desired effect with the President 
 and his Post Master General, Mr. Cave Johnson, it is not for us to decide, but the 
 Post-Office register points to Edward Southworth, Jr.', and not to Mr. O'Neill, as 
 Post Master at North Bridgewater Mr. Morton, notwithstanding this exhibition 
 of zeal to keep Catholics from public office, does not come within a respectable 
 distance, even, of another official functionary, Edmund Burke, tlie Commissioner of 
 Patents. He, the " B untie Icund''^ of the Washington Union, has raked from the 
 common sewer, where it has long lain lifeless and despised, one of the vilest slan- 
 ders against the Catholic religion. Reputed to be a man of high literary attain- 
 ments, he has done what none but the ignorant and depraved would think of, — en- 
 dorsed the exploded calumny, that the Catholic Church licenses sin for an equiva- 
 lent in money. In his first article against the protective system, prepared for the 
 Union, Mr. Polk's " Official Organ," he gave the derivation of the word " tariff,^^ 
 from the Arabic, and then remarked as follows : 
 
 '•At some stage of history — the precise time 1 havc not been able lo ascertain — it sutTered iteelf to 
 t* prostituted to a vile purpose, as the following extract from the Fragments of Bolingbroke most 
 clearly proves. In speaking of the sale of indultrences under which great frauds were practised by 
 the Roman Catholic priests, he says : " This traffic, (for siich it was) bccarne so frequent, that, even 
 in limes less ancient, the Church of Rome found it necessary to publish a TARIFF, or BOOK OP 
 RATES, which I have seen in print, wherein the price is set over against every sin, lest purcha- 
 sers should be imposed upon." Thus, it seems the term "tariff was first used to designate the 
 ' BATES,' or 'riUTiEs,' which the Roman Catholic Church levied upon sins.' ♦ * » * 
 
 But the particular kind of duties levied under this tariff, devised to regulate the exactions of the 
 priests, was, undoubtedly spccijir. That is to say, the Church permitted the priests to absolve, or 
 let the ofTender off, for so many dollars or pounds sterling, (no matter what the denomination) eo- 
 much for murder, so much for robbery, so much for theft, so much for adultery, &c., &c., &c. — 
 Such was the original meaning, and such the first authentic application of the word tariff", in ite 
 modern signification."— [A'^o. 1 of "Bunddcujid" — Waf:hington Union^ Oct. 13, 1846. 
 
 Tbus we have it semi-officially, that if the Catholic wishes to rob, to steal, Xo 
 
murder, to cornnait adultery, or any other sin kr.owu to the decalogue, he has only to 
 deposit "so many dollars or pounds sterling," with the priest, and then with a clear 
 conscience, — do the deed, however infam.nas or damrriiig ■ 
 
 But these are not the only instances, in which the Catholics of this country hare 
 had their religion denounced and their feelings wounded, by the subordinates of a 
 Democratic Administration. The Washington ZJ-iion, has permitted others besides 
 its favorite "Bundelcund " to try a hand at the same kind of scurrility and detrac- 
 tion. We allude more particularly, to a communication in the Union of the 25th of 
 September, 1846, signed "A Marylander." The main object of theauthor seems to 
 have been, to glorify th« annexation of Texas and to declare for the acquisition of 
 the "whole of Oregon.''' He gave himself a wider latitude, however, and spoke 
 eloquently of the causes which produced man's debasement in former ages, and led 
 afterwards to his social regeneration. The first, he attributed to "the spiritua] 
 tyranny" and "clerical despotism" of the Catholic Church, and the second to the 
 agency of the Reformation. It is not of course our province to discuss these topics, 
 consequently we shall have subserved our purpose, by laving his vieAvs before oui 
 readers. We quote a single extract as follows: 
 
 "Rome, which had long bowed all nations by her temporal power, Mas in the course of time, lo 
 enslave ihir.i hij ktr spiritual poucr; nor teas Pagun Romz szirpa^nd by Christian. Ro-r.s, (so called) 
 in wealth, and in crimes thai debase.d humanity for centuriej. The :::hoh irorld groaned tilde}- 
 ■>\oiriiuo!. bondage, which, destroying in vzan liberty of conscience, ds-^'rorjed AL50 kia "ights as a citi- 
 zen of ihi general co.nmonKealih." 
 
 In this then we are told, that Pagan Rome, drunk with the blood of nriartyrs and 
 sunk in an abyss of crime, was not surpassed by Rome bowed to the gentle yoke of 
 Christianity; that the reign of a Caligula and a Nero, was better than that 
 other system of Government, which laid the foundation for modern civilization; and 
 that the brutal tyrants called kings and emperors, were preferable to that Power above 
 them, which enforced tlie right? of the people, scourged their oppressors, emanci- 
 pated the slave, and proclaimed the great doctrine of man's equality to mar. But 
 let hi.'^torians and others think of these things as they may, the inquiry, "Why ths 
 official Organ has been made the medium of Catholic condemnation and abuse.'" is 
 none the less interesting. That the Administration showed proper consideration 
 for the Catholics by sending Catholic chaplains to attend the Catholic soldiers in the 
 field, may be the judgment of many, for aught -we know. We, too, might give 
 them due credit for this their first act of grace, did we not know tUat the niotive 
 which induced it, was anything but just and honorabls. They would not have be.sn 
 sent had not the Administration doubted the loyalty of the Irish soldiers, and be- 
 lieved the presence of ch:ip]ains of their own faith necsssary to keep them in sub- 
 jection, while they fought against a Catholic Power. That these were the m- 
 tluences which governed th iir conduct, we have never doubted, and lest we may be 
 charged with yielding to an unjust prejudice, we shall let Mr. Polk's own friend.s 
 speak in his behalf. We, therefore, copy the following explanatory article from the 
 Hickory State Journal, a Democratic paper published at Joneshoro, Tennessee. 
 That print, under date of July 11th, 1S46, said: 
 
 '•Tho.^b Mkxican Chaplains.— What has so suddenly stiliod the sliout of alinn that resounded 
 through the country upon the first annoancemc:u of their appointir.ent ? Haa the indignation mto 
 which many a holy spirit chnu-d hiiiisell" subsided ? Did s'.ich r;villy feel any strong emotiona o. 
 righteo'.is vengeance against th' Pr'"sident ? We are much disposed to believe that it was sei^ad upo;i 
 by corrupt and d.v.ia^ogueical spirits, not I'roni religious motives but to gratify their contemptible 
 malice against Mr. Polk. , , . 
 
 .\i)d noy/ that I \t facts ars br'jv.j^ht to li-^hi, which hidiiced thc'r appointment; facts that perfeeily 
 justfy the President: facts founded in the'dut:; and de.sim of the Govsmvienf to prevent dsseriicn^ 
 ■'from the Army of C ATHOLIC SOLDIERS on ac:oun> of reHgicus disco:'.tent the '=watch dogh 
 "of faction" who orowled th'ir impr.dent rnutterings of preti^nded and hypocritical disappro- 
 bation, have suddenly tucked their tills and retired in sneaking silence to their kennels. How pioiia; 
 
 From this it will be seen, that our opinion is fully confirmed by one who ought to 
 know Mr. Polk's motives; we shall therefore leave the matter as it is. 
 
 There are, however, other facts in connection with the Mexican war, into wmcli 
 it is proper to inquire. It will be recollected, that it has been frequently de- 
 nounced as "a war of religion and races," and, very justly so, as we shall present!-,' 
 demonstrate. We have before us a letter o\ tne Secretary of War, Mr. Maroy, 
 
to Gen. Taylor, dated Washington, July 0th, 1646, and marked '^cotifideidial.''^ 
 
 From that letter, we nriake the subjoined extract: 
 
 ''You will [said Mr. Marcy.] also readily comprehend ihaf in a co-.;ntry so divided into races, clas- 
 see, and parties, as Mexico is, and with so many local divisions among departments, and personal 
 divisions among individuals, there must be great room for operating on the minds and feelin!.'i< ol' 
 large portions of the inhabitants, and inducing them to wish success to an invasion which has no 
 desire to injure tin ir country; and which, in overthrowing their oppressors, may benefit themselves. 
 Between the Spaniards, vrlw iv.onopclizc th-e wealth arid power of the cuMilry, and the mixed Indian 
 race^ who bear iis burde7}s, there must be jetiiousy and aniviosity. The same Jeeiircgs must exist bc- 
 iiccen the loictr and higher orders OP THE CLRRGY; the latter of irho;r. hare the di;-;:itics and 
 iiicrcrcniic::, -.chiie :hc forme- hiTeporc-iy ar.c labor. In fact, the curates were the chiei authors of 
 ihe revolution which separtted Mexico from Spain, and their relative condition to their superiors is 
 not much benefited by it."— [£j-cc. Do-. So. 60 — \si. Scss. 2Qtk Cong. pp. 333--4.] 
 
 A more infannous proposition — to which we are glad to find Gen. Taylor 
 gave no encouragement — we dare to say never originated in the Cabinet of a civi- 
 lized Government. What was it r Stripped of all verbiage and pretence it was to 
 exterminate, by rapine and bloodshed and murder; it was to create discord and 
 divisions in a Christian Church; to array the clergy in deadly feud against their 
 bishops; and to reward the Ibrm.er for treachery and violence, if any could be found 
 ■base enough to become the instruments of such a system of villiany and corruption ! 
 And yet this was deliberately planned by the same Administration which instructed 
 the generals in the tiel.i to preserv^e "a just and honorable conduct towards the 
 people, their property and religion." 
 
 But this is not all. It was evidently the intention of the Administration, at one 
 time, to seize and sequester the church property in Mexico. The Washington 
 Union of May the 11th, 1847, directed public attention to the fact, that the Mexican 
 Church had volunteered to supply funds for the prosecution of the war. And upon 
 this the Union remarked; — 
 
 "It is not as a religious body, but AS AN ENGINE OF STATE, that the Catholics of Mexico 
 look upon us with a hostile eye. It is for their own special political purposes — to retain their vast 
 possessions, which impoverish the nation — to sustain their own hierarchy, which lords it over the 
 people — to preserve their p ov.'er, which weighs down the rest of the community into a slough of 
 ignorance and slavery — that they are thus so licentious and active. It is a zeal for THE MAMIMON 
 OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS — not for the welfare of souls — wiiich inspires and animates the 
 Catholics of Me.\ico." 
 
 This wholesale denunciation of the Catholic Hierarchy of Mexico, which is as 
 false as it is malicious, was followed by a proposition at once profligate and sacrile- 
 gious; to sequester the Church property, to convert the sacred vessels of her altars 
 into the coin of our war chest. Such was the meaning and intent of the annexed 
 extract oi the same article: 
 
 "In this aspect of the case, it n;ay become a matter of grave'consideration, if the church con- 
 tinues to oppose a peace and furnish the fuel of war, v/hether the immense revenues of the church 
 in Mexico shall be left untouched — whether thev shall be sufiered to remain at the disposal of Jhe 
 enemy, and to be applied to sustain the war against u.s— WHETHER JUSTICE AND POLICY 
 DO NOT EQUALLY DICTATE THAT THEY SHOULD AT LEAST BE SEQUES- 
 TERED during the continuance of the war as a legitimate means of cutting oft' the enemy's 
 supplies." « 
 
 "A matter oi grave consideration indeed!" whether the Church property should 
 not be sequestered, because forsooth the Mexican priesthood, true to their people, 
 did not abandon them in the hour of trial, did not heap infamy upon themselves by 
 the ba.se desertion of their country! Patriotism then was the sin for which they were 
 to suffer, and for this their religion was to pay the penalty! It is true the Union 
 avowed the sole authorship of this suggestion, and positively declared that it was 
 made witiiout the sanction or consent of the President or any member of his Cabi- 
 net; but it is somewhat remarkable, that the disclaimer as to them, did not come 
 until the nation was shocked at its enormity. Nor do we believe public credulity so 
 great as to be content with such a lame attempt to shield the Administration from 
 responsibility. What is the Union., and who is its editor.? It is the "Organ" of 
 the President, established by him within two months after his inauguration, and its 
 editor is the mere creature of his will, selected as the keeper of his counsel and the 
 herald of his opinions. Can any be so demented, therefore, as to presume, this 
 "ofEcial Organ" of the Government, living upon the public Treasury, would dare 
 to have started a questicta of such grave consideration, unless after previous consul- 
 
■ Li c-n tk,f Ka5" Is it credible for an instant, that such a war 
 
 ;x:^ulJ^c^w^a^:e]:unlei^;L'^:^an'M.d 
 
 L wav for its adoptlonf The faithful partisan who bhndlv conhdes m ^vhate er ,. 
 announced for the ^ood of the partv, will doubtless be satisfied in any ejvcni, u 
 happens there are- some, not quite "so easily misled, who questioned the sincerj^ 
 of this official disclaimer. The Washington correspondent of the ^ev. lo^_^ 
 F'reeinan''s Journal and Catholic Reginter under date ot May '24ti., ' 
 
 wrote to that paper as follows : 
 
 "Your leader of last Saturday, reviewing ihc. atrocious proposition of the govemmc-nt organ, -^ 
 Union to sequester the Church property in Mexico was generally received with approbation u, 
 vnnr reiders here. I don't know a single persori who has expressed his dissent from it. m inu 
 *^^y, t; wi^ too mild and its belief in the possibility of such an article findin- a place in the 
 ™t 'I nfth^^S without either the knowledge or consent of the Cabinet, IS .\N EGRE- 
 GIOUS MISTAKE-rhe disclain.er of the Union to the contrary notwithstanding." 
 i Tn further vindication of what we have said, we consider it proper to pre.^ut our rea- 
 dei^with the following view of the subject, from a source emmently entitled to respect 
 From Iht Catholic Obscrrcr of May 29, 1847. 
 
 ^.W.K o. th.Mkxka. CKC«CH.-We .ad .idi p-nn^if^ot^ ^^^^P^ 
 
 of the 11th inst., an infamous proposition '» ^^^^fi^^'^T^ (W. is the official organ of the Ad- 
 
 SSS ^. n^^X^^ -p--^ ^^ p-p-^^^- '^^ -^^- ' -'' ''' ''• 
 
 termination, of the Government. nirtiil disavowal of the proposition in the I nion of 
 
 "We are confirmed in this conclusion b> a partial alsa^o\^al "^ 7; r f , , ade ^^ith- 
 
 the laih msiant. The Union says the proposition Mas a mere speculatioii, tha. it J f J^f/;^ "'^ 
 out the knowVedgc of the Government, as it understands, contrary to Us wishes, and it is autnorizeu 
 to say— what? Thut the policy of the Government avowed in the proclamations ot our Uenerais 
 in Mexico, remains unchan<^eil. Very good; but this i,s no disavowal of the infamous policy sug- 
 gested by the Union. 7Vto vroclajunlums of our Gencralv do not r^yich the case. They merely 
 forbid the desecration and pillage of the churches, but give no pledfiie against the sequestration of 
 the property of the church. Consequently the assertion that the policy avowed by the Generals re- 
 mains unchanged, contains no pledge of the Government against the proposition of the Union. 
 
 "The fact that the pretended denial of the Union, does not deny the proposition, must be taken as 
 a confirmation of it. Nobody is simple enough to believe that tht* Union was formerly authorized 
 to make its infamous proposition, nor is any one silly enough to suppose it would make so impor- 
 tant a proposition irithout knowing that it ico^ proposing what ac-ordcd with the Sintimenis of 
 the Adrniyivitrativn. The article was written and thrown out as a feeler, but so written as to be 
 disavowed in case it should be found to shock public opinion too much; and we hare not the least 
 doubt that the Adininhit ration entertained the proposition, and was prepared to adopt it, if it ap- 
 peared that it could do so wi/h safety to itself. Whether, therefore, the Government now intends, 
 adopting it or not, we hold it responsible for "having made it. 
 
 "Moreover, it is worthy of note that no press, so far ai ire hare seen, J'riendly !o the Admirti^s- 
 tratiuT. ha.: denounced it. This fact is exprsesive. Such a proposition made in the official organ 
 of the party should have excited a universal burst of indignation from one end of the country to the 
 Other: but no opposition has been inanif.sted out uy the party opposed on other grounds to the Ad- 
 ministration . with the exception o( one or two of oi:r Catholic presses. There is something alarm- 
 ing in this silence, this acquiescence of the friends of the Administration." 
 
 We have now performed, imperfectly we admit, the duty we undertook in the 
 outlet of this narrative— we have vindicated the friends of General* T a vlor 
 from the charge of being hostile to Catholics. A Catholic hilelf th^ 
 who n?f" T^"" -ly - the spirit of trtith, and with no wish pre udcethot 
 who p.otes.s the same faith, against the Democratic partv, to which he is awarP 
 rnany are attached Irom an honest confidence in the justnes of the^ p/ncinies and 
 the wisdom ot the.r measures. To these he has onlv to say, that a,^ 3h 'coa- 
 oolitic.? t-' ^-^/f termination should alone be the 'basis oVpolitica Z ^ t a"d 
 political action Let them remain steadfast in their devotion to what thev view as 
 Democracy ,f they will; still he conjures them as thev value their ownLppires 
 and security, not use the elective franchise as Catholics but as Americansfdeep- 
 ly interested in all that tends to preserve the national honor, prosperitv and alory 
 In the name of the friends of Gen. T.vvlor he asks nothing uf them as Cath'olics 
 
 P'kn TON, print. Waahington, D 
 
 W46 
 

 
 
 
 
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