The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1875-10-08
WHAT Is THE DUTY OF PROTESTANTS
IN RELATION TO THE ENCR0ACH-
MENTS OF ROMAN CATH
OLICS!
By REV. WI. wHITTINGTOS.

ference, ana sent JOT lJttOtlcdJlOI IN
accordance 1Cith O resolution Of the
same.
That the Roman Catholic Church is
an intruding, mischievous, intoleranr,
and prosecuting Church, there is no
doubt. We have the most abundant
proof of this from her past history; and
doubtless she is true to herself and her
history TO day; nay, we have recent facts
10 prove this from her doings in Mexico
and South America. And think shall
be able to show i'll this paper that their
object in this PrOtes ant land is eitherto
rule or TO ruin.
We claim this fair land for Protestant
ism; it belongs to us. Divine Provl-
dence gave it to Professionalism as home
for the oppressed. Its first settlers were
sturdy Protestants who were driven from
their native land by the rough and ruth
less hand of their prosecutors, where
much of the spirit and principles of the
Papacy remain, to seek and enjoy here
that freedom to worship God according
to the dictates of their own consciences,
which privilege they were denied IN their
own land, and also to lay here the foun-
dation of n strong Protestant common
wealth. The freedom given to religious
worship in this country has drawn to
these shores every class of worshipers,
and among the rest a large population
of Roman Catholics, so much so, that
some of our large cities are more or less
under their influence. The growth of
this influence is constant and steady;
and in order to serve a political plan,
they have thrown into our cities, by i'm
migration, a large class of uneducated
and uninitiated foreigners, and have
made citizens of them as soon as pos
sible, in order 70 give them the right to
vote at our elections, and to cast those
votes under the leadership and dictation
of their intriguing priests. l suppose L
need not tell you, that Catholicism can
prosper in this country, no more than in
any other, only as it can control its pol
itics; hence this large Catholic immigra-
ton is for this purpose; they hope to
promote the interests of their Church
here by a combined political organiza-
ton. The priests themselves might as
well cast so many hundreds and thou
sands of votes into the ballot-box, as
these hundreds and thousands of igno-
rant Catholics, who know little about
our politics, only as their priests teach
them.
The Catholics have evidently made up
their minds to make this Catholic
country by one means or another, and
hence, have attacked some of our dear
est and most cherished institutions. In
the first place they attacked our public
schools by making a stir about the Bi-
BILE being used in them, and with the aid
of Jews and infidels, and compromise
on the part of Protestants for the sake
of peace, have succeeded in banishing
the Bible out of our city schools. Yet
even this did not satisfy them, but en-
couraged them TO increase their demands
and to attack our institutions more saw
agely. They are now contending for one
of three things, and are bent upon the
accomplishment of their purpose. Their
present object is to keep their share of
the public school tax for the support of
their sectarian schools. or TO be free from
taxation for public school purposes, or,
otherwise, to split up our excellent school
system into sectaTian schools.
This being their plan, they have look
ed around for the most available politi-
cal party with which they can ally
themselves in order to effect their plan.
They have, therefore, Joined their influ-
ence with the Democratic party, and
have chosen this, the State of Ohio, as
the battle ground upon which this great
question is to be decided. They have
chosen the Democrats, not that they care
for the principles held and advocated by
that party aside from this issue, for they
have no real sympathy with any politi-
cal party, but only as they can use it as
a stepping-s stone to power and controll-
ing influence. They have not come out
to an open and fair fight with Protest
antism, they dare not spread the ban
ner of the papacy, but they aim to fight
Professionalism, and to subdue it, under
the banner of the Democratic party,
hoping to secure for their ends a large
number of Democratic Protestant votes
BY this combination they expect event
ually to come into possession of part of
the school funds of the State for their
Church purposes, to teach a religion to
which we are opposed, and to train their
children to hate and oppose the liberties
and laws of this country.
In order to show that | am correct in
my premises, that such an alliance is
formed, | have only to refer you to what
the Catholics themselves say, and which
the Democrnts cannot truthfully deny.
When the famous Geghan bill was be-
fore the Ohio State Legislature, the au-
thor of that bill, writing TO Mr.. Murphy,
of Cincinnati, urged him to whip up all
the forces he could muster, so as to make
the bill a success, advising him to get
the people to send up petitions largely
=.
upon the Democratic party in Ohio.
The elements composing that party in
Ohio to-day are made up of Irish and
German Catholics, and they have al
ways been loyal and faithful to the in
terests of the party, hence the party are
under obligations to us, and we have a
perfect right to demand this of them, as
a party, inasInuch as they have the con-
troll of the State Legislature and State
government, and were by both our
means and votes placed where they are
to-day, and that they should as a party
redress our grievances" This bill was
afterwards passed by a strict party vote.
Archbishop Parcelrs paper said of that
bill, by way of threat held over the
Democratic party. "The political party
with which nine tenths of the Catholic
voters affiliate on account of past ser
vices that they will never forget, now
controls the State. Withdraw the sup
port which Catholics have given to it,
and it Will fall in this city, county and
State, as speedily as it has risen to its
long lost position and power. That
party is now on trial. Mr.. Geghan's bill
will test the sincerity of its professions" !"
I,a l.; 10 10 hr-
oeratic votes, this same paper says, "The
unbroken solid vote of the Catholic cit
izens Of the State will be given TO the
Democracy ct the Fall elections" But
of them who voted against the bill it
says, "They have dug their political
graves. 1t will not be our fault if they do
not fill them. When any of theR eppear
again in the political arena, we will put
upon them brand that every Catholic
citizen will understand" The Toledo
Reoieo0, Catholic paper, says, THAT
every Catholic will vote the Democratic
ticket as moral certainty; the one who
does not do so would be false to himself
and his own best interests. The Repub-
lican party has never done anything to
merit the confidence of any Catholic.
The only political favor or justice that
Catholics have ever received in this
country has come from the hands of the
Democratic party, and the only justice
they ever need expect 10 obtain must
come from that same party. It is pre-
sumption for the Republican party to
ask Catholic support, and that if any Is
entitled TO the undivided vote of the
whole Catholic people it is the Demo
cratic party"