The Leavenworth weekly times., 1873-10-23
CATHOLIC CONVENTION.
What the /. G. B. L Propose TO
Do This Time.
It's Origin and Past History

Tie fith annual convention of he Irish
Csiho.e Benevolent Union il now in session
10 s.. Louis, ard az We have large number
of the BeneyoIen.s in ihi- city We quote the
foiloxirg from the Missouri Deraocrat:
70 tha, portion o; the population through
out The country that are of Irish birth or
extraction snd R0nsn Catholic in belief, the
c,nventio-. is one of immediate concern. In
IL interior effects il il. 10 all classes OF our
citizens, OF especial interest, in this day OF
Evangelical Alliance snd religious combi-
n,tions for political asrandisement, since
o1esrions are directly involved in the objects
Tor which the Convention is assembled, re-
lated On the one hand 10 the Irish Catholic
Benevolent l. MON, and on the other to the
general interest Of the Catholic Church in
the United States.
In explanation of the objects Of the Union,
and the advantages j. affords to the members
of the various societies connected with 1t, an
address has recently been issued by the ofi.
csrs of the order TO tie Catholic benevolent
societies Of the United States. The address
se,s forth that the L Unicn was founded, in the
language OF the constitution, ''to create and
foster feeling of fraternity and fellowship
among the variou, Irish Catholic benevolent
soeieties'1 o:the United States, and ito aid
in sileyiating the sufierings Of such members
Of said societies as are by sickness or other
misfortune unable 10 pursue their usual svoca-
tons"
To accomplish these lsudabie purposes,
constitutional provisions has been made for
.be admission of State and local benevolent
o,gsniz ,.ions into the National Union. upon
the conditions, lat, that they are esta5l'shed
upon Cstholic basis; 81, that they pay
.m.ll initiation fee. and tritling per capita
tsx-.he former being So fer each individual
society, and the latter not to exceed an annual
assessment of twenty-five cents upon each
member. The assessment for the current
year il only ten cenis Per capits.)
any member removing from one Stale OF
rity 10 another will aiso he admitted to mem
bership in any other society OF the Union,
end be entitled to all the privileges that he
epioyed 10 the society Of which he was for-
merry a member.
The idea Of forming an Irish Catholic
Ranevoient Union was tir-s suggested At an
informal meeting of few Irish-American
citizens. gsthered at Pigus, Oaio, on the h
Of Jane. 1869, but the design then was 10
embrace only the societies of Ohio aud Ind
isos. The movement, however, met with
81 much favor that the oiber sOcitiss beyond
,b. limits Of those States expressed desire
to become indentifsd with il, and on the
Io.l, of August, 1869. the hrs: convention
vas held at DAYTON Ohio, and the Union
formslIy established. Since then three an
puaI conventions have been held, one at GIN.
c;nnati, Ohio, another at Louisville hy.,
and another at Philadelphia. and the h
apnna! convention will be held at Vt. Lonis
Oc'obsr l5.h next. The reports of these
conventions impart the gratifying iniorma-
ton that within The past four years the Un-
ion has progressed with rapidi'y, and es-
tended the area OF its usefulness with fscii-
ity far bevon! the most sanguiDe expectations
of its founders. and the little germ planted
NJ P;qna has become a eplendid growth,
whose branches, ladened with precious fruits
nov. srread afar over the land, and shelter
thousands under their bright foliage.
In the light Of the events which have sue
ecesie,i the las, meeting Of the Convention at
philaaeIahia, these words Of hope and con-
ldence of success ssem almost propheiic. IN
the small space of fifteen months the order
has increased $4,000 members, and no@
numbers 80. 900 souls-an increase as sndden
as il ia unaccountable, for all inquiries
among the officers of the Convention merely
elicit the opinion that il il due to an almost
universal recognition Of the tenetls to he
derived from the Union. To this Union be-
long 2i9 Irish Catholic Benevolent Societies.
scattered in different parts Of the MON, and
of more or less numerical strength in pro.
portion to the preponderance OF that clsss oil
ibe popniatinn. Although the idea OF the
movement originated in the West, with Jud se
Dennis Dgyer, Of Dayton, Ohio, II Is be-
lisyea. il il in the East that the conception
has been more generally grssped, and its
sIccess the greatest. Pennsylvania takes the
had. filing of with the sevanty-fve sccieties
belonying TO the Union within her borders.
New York follows, succeeded by Rhode Ia
land. Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts.
and the District Of Columbia. Maine and
New Hampshire, OF the New England States,
are the only ones, We believe, not represent
cd in the order so far. In the Southern
State. the Union has extended itself only
though Maryland. Virginia. West Virginia,
Kentucky and Tennessee. delegate appear
ing from their more Southern neighbors. All
,hrourh the West are scattered societies be-
longing 10 the order especially in Missouri,
llinois. Indiana. Ohio, lows, Wisconsin,
Kansas and Minnesota. If the order is TO
eniend it4elf thus rapidly in the mex. few
vesrs. it is evident that lis proportions Will
he rather national than local in their chsrsc-
ter.