The Rights of the People

CHAPTER IX. THE BUGLERS, THE MINERS AND SAPPERS

It is certain that there was a powerful party interested in the maintenance of the Dred Scott decision in its principle of the nationalization of slavery, and who were ready to push that principle to the utmost extent of the logic of it. ROP 180.1

It is certain that there is now in the United States two powerful combinations intensely interested in the maintenance of the principle of the Christian nation decision nationalizing “the establishment of the Christian religion,” and determined to push the force of that decision to the fullest extent of all the logic that its principle can be made to bear. After the rendering of the decision of the Supreme Court that “this is a Christian nation” within the meaning of the Constitution, it were impossible that there should not be at least two bodies anxious to put themselves upon the nation as the Christianity most becoming to the Christian nation. Let governmental recognition of religion be once established, and there will always be organizations of religion to take advantage of it and turn the power and influence of it to their own aggrandizement. And the more sects there are in the country, and the more worldly these are, the more of such aspirants there will certainly be, each one being in a certain sense obliged to secure possession of the governmental recognition and power, so as to be safe from the oppression of such of the others as might obtain it; so as to be exempt, without persecution, from doing homage to such other one. ROP 180.2

The first of these combinations, and the one of most importance practically, is the Papacy. ROP 181.1