Steiner and the blood-stained criminals who
steered the Papal machinery.
Cardinals Bedini and Antonelli wore the
real representatives of Papal law. Papal aims,
and Papal methods —and a more infamous
pair of crafty, unscrupulous, and merciless
scoundrels never lived—not even in the ranks
of Papal “statesmen.”
In the days of Mr. Stephens, the Roman
church was not strong enough in this Union
to enforce her own laws, in contempt of ours.
Now, she is doing it. The Ne temere decree
insolently overrides our marriage laws, and
the motu proprio, forbids Catholic citizens
to proceed in our courts against any priest
why ?
Because, in Papal law, the priests are not
citizen subjects of this Republic, but are the
sworn vassals of Rome.
Tn the days of Mr. Stephens, the Roman
Church had not gained control of the Army
and Navy, by working the chaplains into the
authority of officers, and by thus compelling
Protestants to worship according to Roman
Catholic ceremonial.
The destruction of religious liberty, by
means of military and naval discipline, had
not been dreamed of as a possibility.
Even the Know Nothings never imagined
that such a revolution could be quietly
effected, without attracting the slightest op
position from Protestant churches.
Tn the days of Air. Stephens, there wore
no Catholic secret societies, openly at work,
sworn to boycott, persecute, and even murder
Protestants who agitate offensively against
Papal encroachments.
No Romanist riots, brutal assaults, and
dastardly assassinations had been systemati
cally encouraged by Roman priests, in their
determined campaign against freedom of
speech.
No rancorous Knights of Columbus were
in Congress, demanding that freedom of the
press be practically annihilated by the closure
of the mails to Protestant literature.
