The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-05-19
TIE CATHOLICS AND THE COMMISSIONERS OF
EMIGRATION.


TIE CATHOLICS AND The COMMISSIONERS OF
EMIGRATION.
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD
In one OF your contemporaries Of May and 8
articles appeared which were malicious lbels on the
Commissioners of Emigration.
In the first article-an edtorial-Mr Wallach was
mentioned as being the only ''conspicuousy honest
man" on the Commission, and specially recon-
mended him for reapp0intment. Now in what does
the honesty par excellence OF Mr. Waach consist
Why should he be 80 distinguished above his COL
leagues, many Of whom are well-kn0wn benefac-
tors OF the poor and destituteS And why is 1t that
this newspaper has been the lucky discoverer Of
this wonderfully honest mans
1t is asserted that Mr.. Wallach has been named
on the new Commission at the express desire of
Protestant societies, who have even taken the
trouble to go to Albany about it, and hence the dis
covery of 'conspicuously honest man in New
York"
The respectable PrOtestants. it would seem, have
hitherto been satisfied with the representatives
who have so long been In and so literally
represented the Board, and why Mr.. Wallach
should be chosen is at least strange. Most
people consider him to be Jew, although,
indeed respectable and orthodox Jews utterly dis
claim him, and he has distinguished himself lately
by taking active anti-Cathoc part in the school
controversy at Long Island City, and Is now leading
attack the Catholic interests of the emigrants
in charge OF the Commissioners of Emigration This
newspaper asserts that ''the ignorant Roman
Catholic prejudice Injuries the interests fthe orphan
children of emgrants." There is no truth in this
charge 1t has been long-estabshed rule
of the Commissioners OF Emigration that the
orphan or deserted children should be, at
the proper age, given in charge of responsible
parties who must be well recommended as such to
the commissioners. Catholic children are always
given to Catholic families, who must promise to
bring them up in the faith OF their parents. Pro-
testant children, in like manner, are given only to
Protestant families. No exceptions were made to
this rule by the several Protestant and Catholic
gentlemen who, for the past twenty-five years,
have been Commissioners of Emigration, and 1t re-
manned for Mr.. Wallach to be the first to break this
rule. Within a month Mr.. Waach has sent an
agent Of the Childrens Aid Society to Wards Island
to select boys to go West, irrespective OF their rei
fact been accidentally discovered to be against the
rules, these poor boys, who all happened to be
Catholics, might now be in the West IN fair way
been proved that under the auspices of this same
Protestant Aid Society brothers and sisters have
been found who were actually married to each
other. Such is the danger to which Mr.. Wallach
would expose these poor emigrant children.
been taken or adopted from Wards Island of these
twenty-five were taken out by order of the German
Commissioners, and probably were all Protestants;
the remaining eighteen were taken on the order OF
the Irish Commissioners, and principally given
to Catholic families. With this arrangement little
parents should turn up they can always be directed
where to find their Children and this exhibit GER
tainy shows no Ignorant Roman Catholic preju-
dice.n
Again, in this journal Of the 9th, is o report of
meeting of the Commissioners at which the doughty
champion OF Professionalism, Mr.. Walach proposed
Roman
Wards Island should also be used for the service OF
other religious denominations. This Is specimen
OF his hberaity, for he has already done all in his
power to prevent the building Of this church. For
years the Catholic emigrants at Wards Island
have had for church the attic OF three story
frame building. How many poor cripples and old
people have been deprived OF attending their
stairs The millions OF Catholic emigrants who
have landed at New York, and whose
Refuge and Hospitals, are certainly entitled to
have a church of their own, and the Commission
ers, recognizing this fact and seeing the over
crowded state OF this attic very properly resolved
to build proper church edi1ce on the island, and
now again Mr.. Waach comes in and does all the
injury he can by proposing to make this church
Kind OF omnibus. To be sure he says the Protestans
use ward for church, while the fact Is the Pro-
testant church Is very elegant little building and
1t Is well known that when the Committee on
Building visited the island during church service
hours they found ten people In the Protestant
church, while they found five hundred huddled and
Catholics.
Inc CatnOHc cnapiAn, herman, ~ also cOfn-
planned of for minding his duty too well, and while
for him parttioned garnet room is a good enough
residence, with a parish OF two thousand
people, the Lutheran minister, who has TO drum
up his congregation has an elegant villa residence
to himself and family, with every accommodation
he requires.
This journal also accuses the Commissioners with
being Tammany men and OF wasting the cmigrants'
money. Mr.. Waach and Mr.. Van Schaick are not
Tammany men-they belong to the Committee of
Seventy. Mr.. Lynch, the President Of the Irish
Society, Is no politician; neither is Mr.. H0guet; and
the pamphlet which the Commissioners have just
printed entirely disprOves the assertions made by
the Investigating Committee from the Legsla-
ture, and all charges made against them
have no foundation; they may, indeed
be guilty OF having made at least
one foolish appointment, and this entirely at the
suggestion OF the ''consplcuousy honest member
Mr.. Wallach,o who has had appointed as Physician
to the Emigrants' Insane Hospital German infdcl
and who enjoys the sinecure, spending not half an
hour in the day with his poor afflicted patients
Finally, the same paper wilfully misrepresents
facts In its Issue of the 9th by stating that the CON-
missioners OF Emigration were salaried officers u
Is well known that they never have been, ana tnat
there Is no em0ument whatever attacneu 70 tne
ofce-an Office which has been filed by verplahck'
Dillon, and Others OF the most charitape anu us.
tinguished citizens Of the State, who nave coIuay
devoted their valuable services gratuitousy IN Tue
cause OF the poor emigrant. FAIR fLAi'
NEW YORK. May Ia, 1872.