New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-11-23
THE CATHOLIC EXCITEMENT Ar HARTFORD
IS The POWER OF BISHOPS ABSOLUTE
History Of the Case and State Of the Controversy

In order TO keep our readers aware of the po-
,iton in hich the interesting controversy in re-
gard to the Catholic Church at Hartford now is,
we lay before them the following statements
taken from several of our cotempOrartes:
From The Journal Of Commerce
BrspoP O'REILLY And FATHER BRADY.-A few
months ego the asoDishmeDt and Indignation OF the
community were excited by the announcement OF the
accommodation Of the Trustees sf ST. Louis Church,
Buffslo by Bishop Timon. The question was one of
property. No Issue on any distinctive dogma was III
volv.d, and Bishop Timon did not pretend that tue
prescribed individuals had swerved from their attach
mebt TO the Roman Catholic faith. They simply re-
futed to transfer property, Of which they we're the
legitimate tusteel, to the Bishop, VINO possessed no
Lex a. rights over it whatsoever. The natural gentle
ness Of Bisbop Tmon made il evident that the severe
messures taken by him, and in which he still perse
yeres was not spontaneous, but the result OF sys
tenn intended to concentrate the entire real estate
properly OF the Catholic Church in the United States
in the hands of The Bishops The evident result of
this system which has been resolved by the last two
Roman Catholic Councils Of Baltimore Is to reduce
TO slavery both the clergy ana laity OF the Roman
Catholic Church, i'll a manner unprecedented hith-
ero in the apna~ Of that urcb itself ,ch church
coffee becomes after the provisions Of the Councils
Of Baltimore have been fulfilled part of the legal
property Of the Bishop and he Is then vested with
the right to make aha Of 1t he peases, and there
il DO existing jurisdiction beyond his conscience,
10 prevent hs dlvertiDg to private purposes the
vaft estates which he msy someu times bold, Tor inc
benefit Of the communities over whom he is placed
He nav Of course exclude priests of the diocese from
one church them to another, or prohibit their
entrance ino all without assigning any other reason
than his sovereign pleasure. In like manner, as
all Catholic cemeteries would thus and in most
actually do constitute part Of the Bishops domain,
the right of burial therein is dependent upon his ex
elusive judgment and will
Thus bias arisen the hgh-haDded oppression which
has fly ken ula Al al.
ly, who formerly rs Father q Reilly made himself no.
tOrious by style of controversy with Dr. Lord. Of
Buffalo, which showed little Of the character Of a
Christian or a gestlemAn has since that time been
placed At the head of the diocese OF Hlrtford,
which yIinciuded within the Jurisdiction
of the Bishop Of Boston. Upon taking up his resi-
have peculiar Episcopal church-that Is, cathe-
dTal. He found this ready made at his hani. The
quoDdam priest Of the place, Father Brady, had,
through twenty years Of panstakDg, and, 1t is said,
exemplary peiy and industry, erected beautiful ed
iice, upon which he had not only expended all the
money he could rsise from his people and the chart
table of other places but also exhausted his own pat
Tmopy. Ii appears that $50, 900 of the money ex-
pei ded for the church had been advanced by himself
end was secured TO him by bond and mortgage.
Twenty Year, sgo the number Of Roman Catholics in
Hartford extremely small. A large coDgreg cation
had eIOwD up around the pastor, who represented
10 have been as devoted to him as he to them. Had
Bishop Reilly been any other than of the
mott willing instruments of despotism
that fsttered his pride while it gratIfed
bis love of ease, he would have shrunk
from "reapng where be had not sown'-from
robbng man every way better than himself, of the
fruits of the labor OF quarter Of century. la
Europe, such proceeding would have been i'm
possibility There is no Catholic country, governed
by Canon law, where Bishop could deliberately
have presented decree at the head of an innocent
pastor, ard summoned HIN TO deliver over property
or be accommodated. Yet this was done in Hart.
ford. Without any other pretense than that he c4s
The Bish0p-without shadow of a subterfuse beyond
tie DEGREES Of his mitred IRISH brethren, who cons
tut, the nsjority 10 Btimore-tbe first act of juri.
diciion Of Bishop o Reilly was to demand deed BY
which Father Bradys property should be transferred,
not TO the Trustees, but to himself John Reilly, the
Dew made Bishop. Father Brady very properly re-
fustd TO submit 10 such an infamous robbery. He
would have been fool, had he not declined to be.
come psuper and TO eat the bread OF dependence in
tie household d at the table of Uninsured supe
rior, by whose envy ard petty anbOyanccs be would
have been worried into bis grave and bis good name
destroy ed. But he oOrld lot escape his superiOrs
vengeance There is better proof Of the ex,re nifty
To whi,h the "beggar.on- horseback school of for
eisn Catholic prelaits dare 70 cary their presump-
ton, then is afforded by the first step of retaliation
on the part Of Bishop q Reilly. Not c0ntent with
employing purely spiritual eensures, he engages the
services of the sexton OF the church IS his hired
bully 70 exclude the MISTER from entering nto his
own house which be had built" Father Brady, |
Gun moDtd on an errsnd Of charity, sought in the |
ehuIcb, those material means of ministry which are
ustd by priests Of his communion. He WAS met AZ /
.le ooor by the Bishops satellite and denied admit.
nLce' HE Bishop naturally took the psrt Of sn
SteIi VINO han simply obeyed his orders ia her
pao. vas formally suspended from the use of all &C.
ctsssucsi iaou lues, and within few DAYS fell vic.
I'm 10 ehSirra, induced is supposed by the d.
lrs.slen OF mn d natural under the circumstances.
we 60 Dol '2,s ID 10 follow the Bishop further ia
De Nrh9h!' he burial affair ia an outrage uoon ia
c.Dcy, humanity, Christspity-upon .ysrv ins,iHc,
that Is not absolutely brutal. The infamy II tbe a.,
" Il folo~ the man who ptrpsfraied n 10 hi. dsin,
iay. Catholics As well as Protestant. Iai,1 ~
'ltrgy, s nifed their de,sfstion Of ~
hicb followed It's victim beN ond the grave srS ~
III sins Of Father Brady rect 10 the spot he ba5 40
ignstsd, without daI ger Of their being removed
But shat must The System be .hieh eau produce