the Catholic Church of France is liberal, as well as hostile to the
insulting claims and pretensions of the Pope. But it is diluted still
more with liberality, and with opposition to these claims of the Pope,
among the French Creoles of Louisiana. Most of them, though Roman
Catholics by name, from being educated in the forms of the Roman Church,
have just about as much respect for Rome, and confidence in the Pope, as
we have, and God knows that is very little. They denounce Papal Bulls,
interdicts, and Nuncios. They throw off all temporal and spiritual
allegiance to the Pope--the civil authorities of the United States with
them are supreme--they are American born--and hence, our platform does
not exclude them, and consequently they were admitted at Philadelphia,
or, which is the same, their representatives.

In 1652, under Louis XIV., the Gallican clergy met in Paris, and adopted
the following point: "That the Pope has no power, of _Divine right_, to
interfere with the temporal affairs of independent States." Thus, the
Catholics of Louisiana rejecting the doctrine of the temporal power of
the Pope, are not proscribed by the American party. They constitute a
sound portion of the American party.

Mr. Lathrop, a Presbyterian Elder, and a Delegate from Louisiana, read
to the Convention from the ritual of the subordinate organizations of
the American party of Louisiana, and showed that, while it admitted
those to membership who professed the Roman Catholic religion, IT
REQUIRED OF THEM THE DENIAL OF ALLEGIANCE TO ANY TEMPORAL AUTHORITY NOT
COGNIZABLE IN THE STATE AND UNITED STATES CONSTITUTIONS; and from each
secured a pledge, UPON OATH, that they would not divulge the secrets of
the Order! He defended the Louisiana Catholics, as being true Americans,
recognizing no civil or spiritual power in their Priests, and resisting
every attempt, whether by a Bishop or Priest, to interfere with the
institutions of our country. He cited cases which had occurred in
Louisiana, of controversies between the Clergy and Laity, for the
control of Church property, and the decisions of courts over which
Gallican Catholic Judges presided, in favor of titles and control
vesting in Trustees, the Laity. He showed that the native Catholics of
Louisiana were the friends of common schools, and the advocates of
popular education. He proclaimed aloud that the native Catholics of his
State recognized no persons as proper depositaries of office, who
ac