The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1871-08-10
COMMUNICATIONS.


seems to me to stray away from the subject
I suppose We ought to feel very grateful to
him for trying so hard to open our eyes to the
"priestly intolerance - and "ghostly one
man power" whatever that means, to which
we are such very slaves. We are very sorry
to outrage his sensibilities but must claim
some indulgence il we prefer to hold to our
own opinions and respectfully decline his adj
vice. must certainly refuse to be drawn in
to religious discussion here, because it can
only lead to bitter feelings. His letter in re-
ality needs no reply as it does not touch the
| subject. But suppose we admit all his state
ments in regard to ignorance, stupidity &C.,
and also admit that he is a whole constella-
ton of wisdom, and..can tell just how st. Paul
and the Apostles would act in given case,
what has all that to do with cemeteries He
says it is in accordance with our free insti-
buttons to have the control of oar cemeteries
SO tar removed from the control of ghostly
one man power as possible" and in former
letter speaks Of the necessity Of 'loyal enact
ments " in relation to the matter. If by "our
cemeteries he means the city cemetery, of
course he is all right, But if he should see
fit to set of portion of his door yard for
burial place for his family, I think he would
be justified in refusing to receive the bodies
Of strangers, and do not see how our free
institutions would suffer. Now the Catholic
burying ground is as much the property of
Catholics as his door yard is his private prop
Az nd OF o1i 6 To boz, for f11a
exclusive use of members of their denomina-
ton, am certainly "too dull and stupid"
to see how loyal enactment could be passed
to compel them to make it free to all. This
desire of having our dead buried by
themselves in conscrated ground may seem to
him silly or superstitious, but if we have such
a belief and carry it out at our own expense,
it is simply piece of impertinance in him to
interfere and attempt to dictate rules for US,
with such show Of superior wisdom. He
says Catholics have no more right to refuse
respectful burial to worthy citizens of any
other sect than the sect has to refuse services
of Protestant physician to Catholics. I
cannot quite get the meaning of this but SIM
ply say that we help to support city ceme-
| terry where any one can receive respectful
burial, and hever heard of any Catholic ma
king any objections. Again he says I have a
right to have lot consecrated in the city
cemetery and fence it in for my exclusive use.
Now if 1 may have one, why may not have
two, and why may not half dozen persons
have lots consecrated, or why may we not
have an acre consecrated so that we DO not
take more than we pay for? Since he admits
the right, how can he justify the action of the
council in refusing to sell portion for that
purpose, and if he means what he says about
''humanizing tendencies and opposition to
the clanehip of seetarianism, and as he SO
scornfully denies being bigoted why did he
allow that lawyer with whom he is so init
mately acquainted to threaten legal proceed
ings in case the Council made the sale. 1t
could not be because he thought the priests
would refuse burial to non-Catholics in the
part consecrated because he says that decay
ing flesh IN one place will be as bad as in an
other, and tries to ridicule the idea of conse-
Grated ground altogether. I wonder if the
infalibility dogma has anything to do with
| it. His whole action in reference to the mat
ter proves my statement that there is dispo-
sition in some persons to think thai Catholics
are only tolerated. He just saw a notice of
something that took place at Madison and
Immediately rushed into print with a letter
abusing in the strongest terms in the lam
guage, Catholic priests in general and the
Madison priest in particular, calling for legal
enactments etc., and then when he found he
was little mistaken about the facts made
an attack on the whole Catholic church from
the nth century down, and because ven
tured few remarks on the subject, he takes
up a column to tell me that am ignorant,
the slave of priestly tyranny, too stupid to
see the point, etc., together with some other
choice religious expressions, and closes by
rolling up his eyes and telling Sus that this
sectarian strife is the curse of the country.
There is not the least particle of bigotry or
intolerance In his letters, because he, gays
there is not and he ought to know. Catholics
have as good rights as anyone else as long as
their beliefs do not run contrary to his infalli-
BILE opinions in which case the subject needs
| discussion and reform.D 1t is always safe
to abuse Catholics, but not so safe to write
against the Masons IS perhaps the writer dis
covered about a year ago; in either case 1t
would be better to make use of a little of the
Christian charity with which his letters are
so full. I hope we may never see the day
when we will be under the control of such
philantropists. o,~3't@ @.1' = ++A's'A
Very Truly Yours,
CATHOLIC.
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