The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1875-05-07
Free Discussion.

fTee UlSCubsIOHs
To the Fremont JOURNAL,
Mr.. EDITOR. The editor of the "Fre-
mont Messenger, in its issue of the 29th,
makes quite an onslaught on my criti-
cism of his article on the "Geghan bill. )"
He must feel his position untenable and
perilous, or he would not dash into the
fight with such desperation and clown
ishness. Perhaps he thinks of crushing
me with an avalanche of foul aspersions;
but abuse is not argument, nor low vul-
garism sound logic. Yet the Messenger
seems to be very proficient in the use of
both abuse and vulgarism. Can he
prove that 1 am q crusader l"-and if
this be true, it is no disgrace-that 1 am
'fanatic," a ''liar," an "egotist" and
"bigot." Now, it is easy enough to call
names, but not so easy to prove them,
but this is a characteristic Of Democrat
ic journalism.
[ will ask the Messenger if the Cath
olics had not equal privileges with other
denominations, before this Geghan bill
was passed? And if not, in what partic-
ulars Docs not the solicitation on
the part of the Catholics for the
passage of this bill, say, that they were
not satisfied with being equal with
others, but that they must be supreme 2
Is not the whole history of Catholicism
one continued effort for universal su-
premacy2 Can the editor deny that the
Catholics are seeking to establish them
selves as the State church of this coun-
try or why do they ask for State pay
for their schools. Has any other de
nomination asked for that patronage 2
Does he not know that the Catholic
church, in every country, is trying to
control its politics, and that the Pope,
as we'll as the church, believes that his
Holiness should rule Princes, Presidents
and Governments2 andis not this united
interference, on the part of the church
of Rome, with the Governments Of Eu-
rope, the cause of the present agitated
state of the continent and can he deny
that the same spirit actuates all the
movements of that church in this coun-
try p? How can it be otherwise, when the
same infallable head rules the entire
body in every land. We claim therefore,
that it is not equality but supremacy
that the church of Rome is aiming at in
this country; and this Geghan bill,
though carefully gotten up, has some
thing at the back of it that manifests
this spirit. This bill, and the effort made
to divide our school system, to give them
governmental aid for their denomina-
tional schools, is the entering end of the
wedge, which is designed to split up and
destroy the cherished institutions of
our country.
The Messenger charges me with say
ing "that when a government is CON
trolled by church, that the people are
not compelled to pay taxes for its sup
port?" Now this is false; Nothing of the
! kind was said and no intimation of the
sort was given in any former article.
say again, such an idea only has its ex-
istence in the disordered imagination OF
the editor.
| L have not contended for church and
State, but on the contrary am bitterly
OF posed to the same, and so l believe i
every Protestant in the country, there
has been no such wish expressed. But,
the Messenger says they do desire it.
and lest he should deny it 1 refer him tc
what he said in his former article, as
follows: 'eThese bigots, who are SC
much alarmed at the passage of this bill
seek to establish a union of Church anC
State, with their church recognized AZ
as the one entitled to control and which
is to be sustained by law, and eventual
ly compel the people to pay taxes for tn,
support of their established church.
Who are these "bigots" that this edito
says are seeking to compel" the peo
pie to pay taxes to support an estab
; iished church? The Protestants in thi
country, including all good Democrats
who belong to that faith. / ask the ed
itor to prove this assertion, and give M
and others the desired light and infor
nation 1 asked for, last week, ON thi