Gazette Of The United States, & Philadelphia Daily Advertiser

BY THIS DAY's MAIL.
NEW-YORK, November 8.
PERSECUTION.

The English government has ever been censured
for requiring a test of her citizens, as a condition
of eligibility to offices. All liberal men reprobate
the English test law; justly, or it is a flagrant in-
fringement of the rights of conscience, and of no
more consequence to the security of the government
than whether the English wear cocked hats or round
hats.

The French, though they join in reprobating the
English oppression, have fallen into the same error
under another shape. By an order of the Direc-
tory, citizens of France are not to be employed in
public service, unless they say citizen instead of mon-
seur; and by a notice of Mr. Adet in this country,
no Frenchman is entitled to the privileges of French
citizens, unless he wears a tri-coloured cockade.

Now matters stand thus. An Englishman can
not enjoy the advantages of office in Great-Britain,
without wearing a certain oath, and subscribing
certain articles and taking the sacrament. A French-
man's is deprived of the same advantages, unless he
says citizen, and wears a cockade with three co-
lours. The two cases are exactly similar in princi-
ple. It is as much an act of tyranny to compel a
man to wear a cockade, as it is to compel him to
repeat certain words. Both are oppressive, and
tend only to make hypocrites without the smallest
security to Government. The pretences in both
cases are the same--to keep out of office all who
are not friendly to the existing government either
in church or state. The result is, that an external
badge, and not principle, becomes the test of a good
and faithful citizen. One is ecclesiastical tyranny,
the other is political republican tyranny! Quousque tandem?