The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-10-30
Civ 9@ailg Arsns,
Governor Dix and the Catholics.


Although no religious denomination
can compare with the Catholics in intensi
ty of belief. regularity of discipline and
obedience to church laws, few are less
united and vindictive in politics. Thous-
ands of cases are on record in which aspi-
rants for political pretern.ent have been
tabooed and black balled because they
were Catholics while such is Catholic lib
erality that not one Protestant has lost Of
fee because of the religious hostility OF his
Catholic fellow citizens The Democratic
aspirant for the governorship of this State
at the last election lost thousands OF votes on
account of his religion. Strange, too, such
is the broad spirit OF some of our Catholic
citizens that they elected his Protestant
competitor in spite of his well-known bgo-
try and preiudices What commentary
on the charge SO often made by the Eng
lish agents OF the British Government who
, control the New York Times that the
Catholics are priest ridden, and that the
priests are political intriguers If the
priests were intriguers, aud if the people
we're as bigoted as the narrow minded
Times, they would not have cast over fiji
teen thousand votes in this city for Gov
ernor Dix. For surely no man ever de-
served a Catholics vote less. When the
Pope was in distress, Governor Dix re-
joiced when the Pope was robbed, Gov.
Dix sanctioned the robbery; when Cath
olics all over the world we're in sorrow at
the spoliation of the Pope by Sandman
brigands and their debauched king. Gov
ernor Dix was found on the side OF the rob-
bers, applauding the royal debauchee, and
insulting by pen and tongue and by partic
pation in disgracetul Italian Unity"
meeting against his Catholic fellow country
men. Yet in spite of all this. he got his
share Of the Catholic, especially of the Irish
Catholic, vote; such is Catholic vindictive-
ness and Irish unanimity. The remem
brance of the political leaders OF the Irish
faction who in this city cast their infu |
ence for Dix, in spite Of the religion and
the Celtic blood of his opponent, Ker
nan, is still fresh in the minds OF all our
readers.
Now, we are no fanatics in politics. We
do not believe in tying the Catholic vote
to the tail of either the Democratic or
Republican kite. We are glad that in
questions of national or state polity Catho-
lies haze been divided, as they always will
be, like the rest Of their fellow citizens.
Such division refutes the calumny so often
uttered that the Church interferes too
much in politics, and that the Catholic
laity in this country are controlled in their
politics by the clergy. This charge, if
made against the Methodists or the Pres
byterians, would have much more weight
for, as matter Of fact, we have now
Methodist government of the United
States-it is true, in very mild form.
But there are certain political questions
and certain acts Of political aspirants in
Judging which Catholics cannot but be I'M
animous il they fully realize their mean
ing. Certainly no Catholic with particle
of manhood in him could vote for the
slanderer or insulter of his creed or his
ecclesiastical superiors. Think of Cath
Ole voting for the editor of the New York
Times or for base hearted panderers to
Protestant bigotry. No Protestant could
respect such a man, or suppose that he
was actuated by any but the lowest and
basest motives in the disposal Of his vote.
Aspirants for political honors should I'M
derstand that although Catholics have
never yet opposed a man on fair religious
grounds, they must, or be recreant to their
manhood, oppose the maligpers and insu-
ters of their creed and its hottest prac-
tees. Nor need Republicans so much ad-
mire, therefore, that the great body of
the intelligent Irish voters is not in sym
patty with their party, when they consid-
err that the chief Republican organs in
this city haye been for years malignant
revilers of the Irish race and the Catholic
religion.
Our readers will recall the manly act of
Thomas Darcy McGee. who, when the
Democratic members Of congress refused to
condemn one of them who shot down in
cold blood the poor Irish waiter in Wash
ington, threw all the influence of his name
and his newspaper on the side of the Re
publicans in order to bring the Democratic
to a sense of their infamy.
This is the example which we desire to
see initiated in regard to both parties. At
present. the Republicans are the iLsulters
and before they get Catholic vote in
this city they should apologize for the
SANDERS of the Times and atone for the {
insults of that bigoted old gentleman who
goes by the name of Dix-N Y. Tablet ,