, 1875-07-17
Religious Warfare I'm Ohio.

The republican party Of Ohio. desperate
under the overweight it has 20 carry. and
reckless IN its despair, has raised for its cam
| paign-cry The shout: No Poperv." A
more vivid illustration of the debasing aud
| demoralizing tendencies for the scramble-for-
office system into which party politics has de-
generated could not be found
What Is this cry supposed to signify? Do
We understand that, In the estimation of the
Ohio republicans. as q party or ss individual
,neu, tde CathOYIS GbnEOO L. q powes militant
against the institutions of the countryP Ara
We 10 infer that danger of the supervisor Of
our liberties is in the sir2 Shalt Ho On.
elnde that the religious organization known
the Catholic Church must be subjected 4
political control or political restraint through
the agency of the republican party2 We
U&ue 70 understand this " no popery" " busi-
ness thoroughly. II II is r0thing more than
buncOmbe yell for special use in WhoOping-
mp the descendants of the Connecticut Blue
law Puritans who populate the Western
Reserve Of Ohio, very well. We can under
stand II III that light; only. We think it well
that a general understanding should be haC
10 the same effect. But If the cry Is raised q
"a dogma OF republican doctrine and If it is &
be made permanent issue, we should be per
mitted TO understand that fact. As TO tt
Catholic Church, Its attitude in the preInis,
'H2s1 depend eatirciy nPon the nature Of n
assault Hnd the purpose OF the assailant
No man who Il not steeped III bigotry and
saturated with denominatiOnaI fanaticism
can ever be made 10 believe that the Catholic
Church Is r menace TO our institutions OF an
enemy of our civilization. howl the republi-
,su organs never 80 loudly. But there are
'nOugh men STEPPED in bigotry and saturated
with fanaticisrn to give the cry of "No
Popery some force In certain quarters.
The only question with us is how to make
he rule work both ways; and, if the Ohio
,epublicans think they can profit themselves
" turning their local political contest into
-ellgious war, their brethren in other States
hould be prepared to meet the consequences
where the same policy may have the effect of
l boomerang. The Catholic Church Is thus
orced into an attitude of defense forced to
become an involuntary political agent for its
1wn protection; prosecuted because certain
political bummers require an object of attack,
and select it as the most available. The
Ohio republicans should remember that there
is IN this country vast and increasing mass
Df men who think Independently and who do
not sympathize with any religious denomina-
tion, but whose sympathies will very nstur-
ally drift toward any denomination that
may be persecu'ed, not because they are
friends OF that denomination, but because
hey are the foes of persecution. The Repab-
lic@' speaks as the representative of the indie
pendent thinkers, not OF the Catholic Church
We deplore the policy of the Ohio republicans
In turning their canvass into !, religious war.
But hey can do so if they want to; only
they must not whine at the consequences.
They must not complain if, having sowed
the wind, they are compelled 10 reap the
Loais Republican,