Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1875-06-24

From the Philadelphia Bulletin.


The introduction of sectarianism
in any form into the politics of the
country is an event to be regretted
by every man who knows from his
tory what have been the conse-
quences to other nations of political
contests in which questions, of reli-
gious faith were involved, and who
is aware of the carefulness with which
the founders of the republic strove
to make such strife impossible here.
But we are to-day compelled to face
the fact that the policy and the ira
ditions of our government in this re-
spcct have been rudely disregarded
by denomination which, more than
any other, has an interest in respect
ing them, and which owes a debt of
gratitude to this nation for giving to
it here such freedom from persecution
and oppressive legislation as it pos
sesses in few other countries in the
world. In the State of Ohio the
Catholic Church has resolved to make
the division among the various de-
nominations Of money raised for pub
lie school purposes by general taxa
tion an issue in the coming cam
paign. Bishop McQuaid, in re-
cent address at Cincinnati, declared
to those who, with him, oppose the
present public school system, that
they must 90 in the political field,
that they must use "the power of the
ballot box" and that ''power rests
with organized numbers" In pur
suance of this theory the church has
virtually made an alliance with the
Democratic party, and it is bold and
daring in declaring its sentiments
and in revealing its attitude, and it
is confident that the Democrats, be
ing in possession of the State, will
be able, with the numerical strength
given to them by this alliance, to win
the election. The Catholic Tele-
graph, the organ of Archbishop Pur-
cell, has openly promised to the
Democracy ''the solid unbroken vote"
of the Catholics of the State in the
struggle, and we have no doubt that
every effort will be made to secure
that result.
In Ohio the Republican party has
given no uncertain sound concerning
its views of this subject. In its
platform it has declared in the
strongest terms against the scheme,
and it enters the canvass as the
champion of the public school sys-
TEN and of popular enlightenment,
against the adversaries of both. 1t
never committed itself to more i'm
portant policy, and it never more
clearly proved its claim to be the par
tv of progress and the defender of
pure American principles. The
country will remember against the
Democratic party not only that ii
has consented to strike blow at free
education, and to attempt to intro
duce to this country theories which
obtain only in the most bigoted and
degraded of foreign nations, but that
for the sake of gaining few addi
tional votes, it has dragged sectarian
ism into our politics, and joined it
self with a powerful church in a po
litical contest, in violation of one o.
the most honored and distinctive
principles of this government
Such an act ought to condemn any
political organization to destruction
and we confidently hope that thu
unholy alliance will be repudiated by
the people in the present, and will
serve to rob the Democratic party il
the future of what little prestige i
has remaining.