The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1865-01-07
The Catholic Hierarchy and our
National Struggle.

we Fave on several recent OCCASIONS
briefly discussed the attitude of the Ro-
man Catholic clergy of this country with
regard 70 the fearful trials % which oar
country has been subjected by slavehold
ing treason. The main facts 10 &heh we
have from time 10 time called attention are
a. follows:
|. IN all that portion OF ou- country
wherein the Rebellion now bears, or has at
any tine borne sway, the Roman Catholic
clergy, from highest 10 lowest, have, with
out a known exception, been among the
earliest, most eager, most determined. most
persistent champions.
2. In that portion of our country which
is predominanily loyal, or practically un-
der the sway of the Federal Government,
the great body OF that clergy are just as
hostile 10 the struggle for National integ-
risy and authority as they safely can be-
discouraging enlistments in the National
armies, and training their fiocks, 50 far as
possible, into casting q solid vote for the
Opposition tickets.
8. The Roman Catholic clergy, with the
voters whom they influence, have stub
bornly resisted the progress Of Emancipa-
ton in the Border States. They largely
swe,led last month tie majority against It
in Kentucky, turned the scale against it in
Delaware, and did their utmost lin vain) to
defeat it in Maryland and Missouri.
4. When the Rebellion was trnmphantly
inaugurated IN the South, the Catholic
priesthood promptly adhered to It on the
ground Of obedience TO "the powers that
be- viii IN are ''ordained Of God" but this
rule Yves not permitted 10 opera to either in
the Slave States which adhered to the Un-
ion or in those which have been recovered
to it. On the contrary, though New Or
leans has been restored to and firmly held
by the Union for nearly three years past,
her Roman Catholic Archbishop and his
clergy are still virulent Secessionists.
Now these, and many more such, are ell
ther facts or else we are grossly misin-
formed and are misleading others. Ifthey
are not facts, we wish to know the truth
and proclaim it. If they are facts, they
are Of grave moment, and eminently de-
serve general consideration. They are not
overborne by railing accusations directed
| be stigmatized as fanatics and "negro-
worshipers." To falsely accuse us of per-
scouting Catholics, or seeking to excite 9
crusade against them, subserves no good
end that we can imagine. To state the
fact. never denied by us, that there are
Catholics as loyal to the Union and as
brave and self-sacrifioing in her defense, as
any Protestants, is equally wide Of the
mark. We know and honor many such
but we know also that thegeneral influence
of the Roman Catholic priesthood does not
tend to increase their number; and this
fact seems to US quite worthy ofpublic re-
gard.
The New York 7ablet-which is by far
the least disloyal Catholic journal pub
lished in our city-thus opens upon our
former structures on this subject:
III violent persecution do not come
upon the Catholics of the United States.
they certainly need not thank tho fanatics
Of the New York Tribune As though the
very spirit OF Nero, Dioclesian, Trajan,
Decius, or some other noted prosecutor OF
the early Christians, had passed into the
themselves by every means at their com
rnand to stir up the worst passions Of the
American people against their Catholic
fellow citizens. Ost.nsibly, these mis-.
chievous Efforts of tie Tribune are a..
rected against the upholders Of slavery, il
which character that journal chooses tc
represent. American Catholics, as body.''
OF course, one writing with such sublime
contempt for facts may just as well til .