Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1875-09-09

entitled e the Bogard q tkeir Abcks
and of mankind-eontrol the CatEs1is
vOtef Every nan of ron i ready n
say MOI for Il il . notorious . that IL
sun gives light TO the earth that III
great body Of Catholics continued "a
vote - they had been accustomed "a
vote-the democrats continued to Be
democrats, and the republicans contin-
ued TO be republicans.
Il is . little curious to hear repubt-
can speakers denouuce what they ell
the interference Of the Catholic pFisot-
hood in politics, and then turn over Z
few pages Of history and see what the
Protestant priesthood have done, mot
only with the appreciation but encour-
aged by the loud plaudits Of these same
republicans. Have you forgotten the
| petition to Congress of three thousand
Q think that was the number) Protes-
tant ministers, denouncing the policy
of democratic administration. and
with what flourish Of trumpets it was
presented and applauded?. Aud Is il
not an undeniable fact that no demo-
crat ever suggested or thought of as
sailing q Protestant church because Of
that "priestly interference in politics ?"
Is it not an undeniable fact that though
the form and language of the petition
was criticised, though il was said that
it was Of questionable propriety for the
petitioners to appear in their clerical
character, and not in their simple capac-
ity of citizens, yet no one was found to
deny their right of petition, or to Willy
their churches because they exercised
that rights
Have you forgotten the advent in
Washington of large body of Protes-
tant clergy Of Chicago, who almost as
sumed to speak in the name Of the Al
mighty when demanding of President
Lincoln the issuance of the emancipa-
ton proclamation and is not every
man of you witness of the fact that
"priestly interference in politics" occa.
stoned no democratic assault upon q
Protestant church; when, on the other
hand, it was Justify applauded BY the
republican leaders and the republican
pressp And yet these same leaders
and this same press are ready to 60
into spasms if q Catholic priest has the
audacity to exercise his right as an
American citizen, and express, however
modestly, political opinion that is not
orthodox according to the radical creed.
Fellow.citizens, I am not . Catholic,
and have no desire to draw comparisons
between the Protestant and Catholic
priesthood; but since the latter are 90
freely denounced for what is called
their interference in politics, it may
not be amiss to ask few plain ques-
tons. What man ever heard q politi-
cal sermon from q Catholic pulpit?
am sure I never did, nor did ever read
or hear of one. What man can number
the political sermons preached from Pro-
testant pulpits, from that of Henry Ward
Beecher, in Plymouth Church, down
to that of the humblest edifice whose
spire points to Heaven2 What man
eyer heard of Catholic priest making
a stump speech? I am sure I never
did, nor do I believe such thing ever
occurred. But who can tell how many
Protestant ministers have taken the
stump, from Henry Ward Beecber down
to the Granville Noodles What man
ever heard of Catholic priest being a
candidate for office? I know that
never did, nor do I believe that any of
you ever did. But how many Protes-
tant ministers have held and how
many yet hold Office, from the halls of
Congress and the State Legislatures
down to the humber Offices of the
county, the city and the town !?
Fellow-citizens, you will much mis-
understand me if you suppose that, in
anything I have said, l mean to censure,
much less condemn, any Protestant
church or any Protestant priest. On
the contrary, I stand here to defend
the rights of every church, and to
maintain that every man, be he Chris
tian or Jew, Protestant or Catholic,
priest or layman, believer or unbeliever,
shall enjoy, to the fullest extent, his
rights as a citizen; that he shall have the
rights guaranteed by our constitutions
Federal and State-the right of free
speech, the right to petition the law
making power, the right to vote as he
sees fit, the right to hold Office, and,
most sacred of all, the right to worship
Almighty God according to the dictates
of his own conscience. / stand here TO
maintain that he shall not be traduced
and prescribed because he exercises
these rights; that vindictive prejudice
shall not be excited against him because
he exercises them; that he shall be, to
all intents and purposes. what the con-
stitution makes him, free man. Istand
here to denounce the agitators scko rould
practically deprire amy man Of these rights,
to denonnce the kHosr-nothiRg spirit that
seeks to reduce Catholics aud toreign-born
eitisens to the status ola degraded class
In the community, to denoWnce the hypo-
crisy that pretends that our schools are
in danger, or that our legislation Is con-
troiled by any priesthood srhatever: and
l stand here to appeal to you, whatev-
er may be your religious belief or dis
belief, whatever are or may have been
your political affiliations, whatever may
be your calling or occupation, whatever
may be the land in which your eyes first
beheld the sun, to set the seal of your
condemnation upon the most heartless,
insincere, illiberal, anti-American and
dangerous attack upon freedom of con-
science. the rights Of the citizen, the
peace Of society and the welfare Of your
government, ever made in America since
the know-nothing banner, twenty years
ago, went down in the dust.
The passage above placed in italics is
a manly utterance, appealing to every