The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-06-24
Interesting Debate in the House.

$25, 900 for building for the Women's
Christian Association. The Senate had
made an amendment giving like sum for
the Little Sisters of the Poor, but the
House Committee on Appropriations rec
omended non concurrence in this amend
ment, whereupon the following interesting
debate occurred:
Mr. f. r. Hoar advocated the amend.
ment. He said that objection had been
previously made TO this appropriation on
the ground that the property would be un-
der charge of the Bishop or of the church
authorities. He had inquired carefully
into the matter, and found that no such
thing was true. This was a corporation of
the District of Columbia. and under no &C.
cesiastical authority whatever. Although
the Sisters were Catholics the property
was held in trust for sacred use-as a
home for aged persons-and it could not
be diverted from that use by any authority,
without the Intervention of the courts. In
the administration Of this charity there
was no discrimination on account Of sex,
color, or religious belief
Mr.. Garfield, Chairman of the Commit
tee on Appropriations, stated the grounds
on which the committee recommended non
concurrence. lie agreed to what Mr..
Hoar had said as to the worthy charity of
these Little Sisters of the Poor. He
agreed that they administered their char
ity without the slightest regard to denom-
national differences. The only ground on
which the recommendation was made was
that this was an organization exclusively
OF people OF one denomination. The char
tered members were wholly Of one reli-
gious sect, and OF one society within a reli-
gious sect. Tie assumed that there was
not non Catholic woman in America who
could be one of the corpOrators of that
home. At any rate, he assumed that the
society would not act in conjunction with
any 3orporator as q joint controller who
wac not OF that sect, The Committee on
Appropriations had, therefore, made the
point that Congress ought never to COM
NIT itself tn the aid Of an exclusively sec
tartan institution. He would take the
same position in regard the Protestant
church or TO the church to which he him
self belonged. He held that the divorce
between church and state ought to be alb
solute-so absolute that no church prop
erty anywhere, in any State or in tie ma.
ton, should DC exempt from taxa
ton. Ii church property were exempted
from taxation there would be to
that extent a church Of state over the
whole country. Having said so much, if
the House thought the point not worthy of
consideration, he would be glad to see these
Little Sisters of the Poor helped. If the
amendment for the Women's Christian
Association were in favor Of any one sect,
he would have voted very quickly to strike
II out.
Mr.. Butler, of Massachusetts-Do YOU
believe there is single Catholic woman
in the Women's Christian Association?
Mr.. Garfield know ofno reason in the
world why any woman, Catholic or other
wise, cannot be in that association if she
desires, and simply because 1t is not cor
p0ration whose c0rporators are Of any one
religious sect
Mr.. Butler-Is there a single Catholic
woman in the association?
Mr.. Garfield do not know that there
Is, but there is nothing exclusive init.
Mr.. Butler-ls there any more exclu-
sveness in the one corporation than in the
other?
Mr.. Garfield Y cry much more.
Mr., Butler-Iu what?
Mr.. Garfeld-Iu this, that the associa-
ton known as the Woman's Christian As
ISOLATION does not assume to belong to any
church, but here is an association whose
very title, Little Sisters of the Poor" il
descriptive OF an order within the Catholic
Church.
Mr.. Cessna want to know whether or
not Protcstants as well as Catholics receive
the benefits of this institution.
Mr. (IgrGpld.-T understand tbot ;ts hon
efciaries are taken without regard to re-
hgious denomination.
Mr.. Cessna-Thcn these Little Sisters
ought to have the money.
MIR Parker lof Missouri) expressed re-
greet that Mr. Garfield had put himself be-
fore the House and the country in the atti
tude he had assumed to. day His speech
had led him Parker 10 the belief that
there must be ranking somewhere 10 the
gentleman breast, and prejudice against
these Little Listers because of their reli- |
glOus faith. He himself was not a Catho- |
Inc and not much of Protestant laughter
but he would call the attention Of the
House, and the attention especially of the
gentleman lGarheld) who led a division of
the army during the war, to the fact that
when these Catholic nuns were on the bat
tie fields gathering up the wounded and
dying and bringing consolation TO their
minds, and when they knelt before the dy-
ing, none stopped 70 inquire what their re-
ligiOus faith was. The white bonneted nuns
were seen carrying consolation TO the gal
liant soldiers of the Republic on every bat
tie field, and now refusal to give them
this small aid must be based upon reli-
gious prejudice alone.
Mr.. Butler, Of Massachusetts, recalled
the fact that when in New Orleans hun
dreds of his command were dying Of fever
and malaria of the swamps They were
cared for by the Sisters Of Charity and the
question what their faith was had never
been asked. The only question asked was
were they sick and dying, and they were
taken into the hospital of the Sisters of
Charity and treated as carefully and
as well as if they had been of
their faith. With that knowledge and
with the remembrance of how glad the
soldiers used to be to see these white bon
netod nuns come near them, on the field
and in the hospital, he would cut off his
right hand before he would strike down
this appropriation, from any religious pref
udice against the Catholic faith AS to
Mr.. Garteds statement that none but
Cathollcs could belong to the corporation,
that was true in this sense that none would
undertake the selEdenying vows, that en-
tire devotion to charity and to the good of
their fellow men, but those who were driv-
Gu to it by that stern religious faith; but
when they had once taken their VOWS thew
were the almoners of all mankind without
regard to religious faith He hoped the
Senate amendment would be concurred in
even without division.
Mr.. Randall and Mr.. O'Brien also smoke