Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1869-01-21
Roman Catholic Supremacy.

Father Hecker, a Roman Catholic
clergyman of powerful oloquence, is
going through the country lecturing
on the "Religious condition of the
country" Father Hecker is frank
in his utterances, and says things
which a more cautious propaganda
ist would consider it prudence to
conceal. In. his lecture at Chicago
he said: .......
The increase of Catholic popula
ton over that of others is 100 per
cent. He believed the dominant in
fluence of the country, at the close
of the century, would be on the side
of Catholics. They stand in this
country as a Macedonian phalanx,
bound together by truth, while Prot
estanism is disintigrating itself and
dwindling away. The result, he
predicted, was founded on figures
and logic. This great Republic is
bound to be great Catholic nation.
There will be no reason to fear Cath
olicism if it does predominant; it
will not be inimical to Intelligence.
1t is educating more people than
anv other denomination. There will
be no danger to our liberties, be
cause the Catholic Church is found
ed on the natural order which OBJ
tains in republic. Catholicism will
refuse a religious enthusiasm into
the energies Of the people. The
question is now pressing on the
American people of determining
their religion as the fathers proclaim
ed its determined destiny. In a few
short years it will proclaim irself
Catholic.
Here is something for Protesants
and politicians to ponder over. Faith
er Hecker has the imprudent zeal
and frankness of most converts, but
it is very improbable that he speaks
without warrant when he makes sc
startling a declaration as that the
Roman Catholic Church aims at po
litical supremacy in this country
He merely proclaims what his coad
tutors hope and labor for in silence
He predicts that there is, ere long, ,te
be State religion in this country
and that State religion is to Ebe Ro
man Cath olic. His statement tina
there will be no danger to our liber
ties. and that Roman Catholicism il
founded on the natural order which
obtains in Republic. will but ex
cite smile in those acquainted will
the political history of that churcl
1 in the past half dozen centuries. l
so founded, the builders of the su
perstructure departed widely from
the original plan. -
Unhappily Father Hecker is no
wide of the truth when he says tha
the adherents of the Roman Cath oil
Church in this country stand as
Macedonian phaianx, while Protest
antism disintegrated and therefor
at disadvantage. Not only ar
Protestant churches at war with, o
secretly Jealous of, each other, bu
there are influences at work within
! the ranks of Professionalism inimics
. to Professionalism itself. Whethe
Intentional or not, Ritualism i
breaking down the defences an
2 making an easy path for the assault
. of the Roman Catholic Church.
! Against Roman Catholicism as
| religion we have nothing to say
e We believe in liberty of conscience
n, and hold that man has as muc
4 right to be a Roman Catholic as t
be Presbyterian Unitarian. Br
8 when it is openly proclaimed, by
leading Champion of the Roma
e Catholic Church, that the purpose
to convert it into political powe
8 and to make it dominant in the a
fairs of this country, it is time
call attention to the dangers thu
| N