The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1873-03-06
TIE cAEHo1Io ORPHAN ASYLUM
A Catholics Reply to the Protest of
Alderman Gage.

Il
The protest OF Alerman Gage before the
City Council against The appropriation fol
the Catholic orphans in charge et the Sisters
of Mercy, which appeared in your paper Of
yesterday, seems to be the product OF amind
lsborlDg under some strange hallucinatIon.
The matter was argued from the economical
point of view, under the administration OF
Mayor Pillsbury, and admitted to be a just
claim. The present Mayor and Council, for
the past two years, with the single exception
| of Alderman Gage, have viewed the matter In
the same light, and Catholics were beginning
| to believe that an era of justice and fair-deal-
Ing had dawned upon them. BY what pro-
ceas of ratloclnaton has the gentleman per-
| suaded himself that one hundred and ten or
phans could be supported for one-third of this
wicked appropriatIon-two thousand dollars
We are ready to show him and the communl-
ty that the arguments which induced the City
Council to grant 1t stlll hold good, and can
be made even more convincing to any reas-
cornell 'ss but evsyt6as Sfns R1RRR 6 as dQRa
style, In the broad light of day. Let us hear
his reasons for his opinions. But really the
economical view ls, to his mind, scarcely
worth arguing, because, presume, he must
know that he cannot argue 1t without suffer-
Ing the humiliation of defeat. But the truth
is that the liberties of the people and the
principles Of their government are endan-
gered by this appropriation of ak thousand
dollars, or. at least, by the principle upon
which It is granted, although that principle Ia
admitted to be Just. We most emphatically
deny this assertion of Alderman Gage, and
call upon him as q gentleman either to prove
1t or to withdraw 1t. The Catholics CT this
community have proved themselves In the
past to have been law-ablding citizens, and
firm, conscientious upholders OF the princi.
pies OF government that guide the legislators
of this country, aud they will not suffer any
man, whether he be native southron or an
immigrant from the Icy regions of the North,
{, falsIfy their recocd by reckless assertion.
The appropriation Is not unjust; on the con-
trary, Its Justice has been proved and ad'
mitted even by the silence of Mr.. Gage him
self for over two years, ard consequently II
cannot be illegal. But the alderman must get
hearing somewhere, and In order to obtain
1t be knocks at the doors Of the public schools
We have the gravest objection to the system
of public schools as now established IN this
country, which are not Of Southern origin,
but an exotic transplanted into our land from
New England. whence many other evils have
come to US. History attesls that the Catholic
Church by her schools Of every grade has
Civilized the world; how can the principles
which che inculcates eDdsnger true liberty
We ask that Alderman Gage will condescend
to eulghten US. The many other cogeni
reasons which he holds In the secret OF his
own bosom he had also better bring forth, u
he wishes to prove to others that his convic
tlons rest upon solid basis. But you are
sectaran, says the alderman. We assert thaf
even In the sense In which he uses the term
we are not more 80 than the public Orphan
| house, In whose favor he Is willing to e1heus
his energies; and, moreover, we have goot
| reason 10 believe that there Ia not another
alderman In the City Council to whom thi
truth can be more easily brought home thar
| TO Mr.. Gage himself.
Messrs. Editors, the Catholics OF this com
muulty are not at all deslrous to disturb Ii
peace by the agitation of religious controversy
yet, they will have 1t clearly understood by al
that they have no thought Of shrinking from
1t, II 1t be forced upon them. They are con
vinced that they can make their claims goot
to even.handed Justice In all matters that con
Germ the community in which they live; the!
ask no more, and they will never be satisfied
with less.. CATHoLlo'