Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-09-08
THE CATHOLIC QUESTION IN
OHIO.

| OaOllOllO uucSGlOIl, llpN 81 inuCu Jalheu
Of in Ohio, making vigorous defense
of the Geghan bill. Speaking of that
bill, it says:
This is the gorgon VIII" VII hro', and
political knaves and d, a. Do. Try
ing to Brighten the peopl - urrloto the
belief that the Pope is = to- re and
pocket large share of the school fund.
Now, we propose to show briefly
the ground upon which these "bigots
and political knaves and dema-
gogues," referred to so amiably by
Brother Charlton, have for believing
that the Catholic question is not
nullity by any means. The oppo-
nents of the Geghan bill and the
political knaves referred to by our
amiable neighbor care much less for
the bill itself than they do for the
spirit developed in its passage. In
the first place the Cutholic Telegraph
had asserted that the Catholic Church
had a prior claim upon the Demo-
cratic party. When this bill was
under consideration the Catholic
priests demanded the passage of the
bill, and coupled their demand with a
threat that unless it was passed the
Catholic vote would be withdrawn
from the party. Under these circum-
stances the bill became law. where
upon the Catholic Telebrdph came out
and pledged the solid Catholic vote to
the Democratic party 1t is unnecessary
for us to say a word about the power
of the priesthood to redeem any
pledge of this character they may
make. Coupling this demand for the
passage of the Geghan bill and the
success which attended it with, the
demands that had been made in sew
eral of the leading cities of the coun-
try on the school question, and re.
cognizing a strong public sentiment
which had sprang up in Ohio as a
consequence of it, the Republicans
placed the following plank in their
platform:
Under our Republican system of govern
ment there should be no connection, di-
rect or indirect, between Church and State,
and we oppose all legislation in the interest
of any particular sect. Upon this subject
we should not fail to profit by the expert.
ence of foreign governments, where the eff
forts of the Church to control the State con-
stitute an evil of great magnitude, and en-
danger the power and prosperity of the
people.
The Democratic State Convention
met soon after, and recognizing the
absolute necessity of saying some
thing on the subject, the following
was adopted:
We favor the complete separation of
Church and State religious, Independent
and absolute freedom of opinion, equal and
exact justice to all religious societies, and
purely secular education at the expense Of
the taxpayer, without division among or
controlled by any sect, directly or Indirect
ly, Of any portion Of the public school fund.
All Of this was we'll enough and
was an acknowledgment on the part
of the Democrats that the Republi-
cans were right, but to appease the
Catholics they added the following
sentence, which as a specimen of
hypocritical buncombe stands unex-
celled:
In view of the admirable provisions of
our State Constitution upon these subjects
which are due to the energy and wisdom of
the Democratic party, we denounce the Re-
publican platform as an insult to the intel.
ligence Of the people of Ohio, aud bare
appeal to sectarian prejudices.
And this is the way the issue was
made up, and the way it now stands.
But Brother Charlton says it is "the
gorgon wherewith political knaves,'
&c, are trying to brighten the people.
He denies that the Catholics are
making war on the public schools.
Will he, then, tell us what the
Catholic ReUie1c, published at Toledo,
means when it says:
The Catholic vote should be cast soidly
for the Democracy at the coming election.
1t is the only possible hope to break down
the school system,
And will he tell us what the
Catholic Telegraph, the paper that
pledged the Democratic party the
solid Catholic vote, meant when it
said:
1t will be glorious day for Catholics in
this country when, under the laws Of justice
and morality, our school system is shivered