The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1875-09-02
Gov. Noyes made speech short time
ago, in the course of which he said:
THE CATHOLIC ISSUE

ago, in the course of which he said:
THE CATHOLIC ISSUE.
| An issue not of our seeking has been
| forced upon us by the Democratic party
and the Catholic clergy. And LET me
here say that we wage no war upon the
Catholic Church. We recognize the
rights of every man and woman in this
| land to worship God as each may please,
or not at all. Our fathers contended for
the utmost religious liberty, and we
main tain that for which our fathers
fought. But it will be remembered by
you all that last winter Mr.. John j.
Geghan, Catholic Democrat, introduced
in the Lower House of the Legislature a
bill entitled IAN act to secure liberty of
conscience and equal rights in matters of
religion to inmates of State, county, and
city institutions in the State of Ohio"
This is well-sounding title, and seems
to be very innocent in its scope. The
bill was drawn with all the adroitness
which is characteristic of Catholic strate-
gy. For this bill substitute was agreed
upon and passed, which reads as follows:
matters of religion to persons impris-
oned, or detained by authority of law.
SECTION l. Be 1t enacted 6y the General
assembly of tie State of Ohio, That as lib
erty of conscience is not forfeited by rea-
son of conviction of crime, or by reason
of detention in any penal, reformatory,
or elemosynary institution; or any house
of refuge, work-house, Jail, or public asy-
lum in this State; no person in such in
stitution shall be compelled to attend re-
ligious worship or instructions of form
which is against the dictates of his or her
conscience; and it shall be the duty of
every Director, Trustee, Superintendent,
or other person having in charge any
such institution, to furnish ample and
equal facilities to all such persons for re-
ceiving the ministrations of the author
lied clergyman of their own religious
denominations and persuasions, under
such reasonable rules and regulations as
the Trustees, Directors, managers, or Su-
perintendents shall make, but no such
rules shall be so construed as to prevent
the clergyman of any denomination from
fully administering the rites of his de-
nomination to such inmates, provided
such ministration entail no expense upon
the public treasury"
The following words, upon final pas
sage, were omitted from the bill
"Or only an equal amount for all, ac-
cording to time consumed and the num-
This act was passed March 80, 1875
and took effect from and after its pas
sage Now, what do you suppose this
act was intended to accomplish, and why
was such remarkable interest manifested
in its passage by the Catholic press and
Church? l have examined the Statutes
of Ohio with some care, and l fail to find
any law which discriminates against the
Catholic Church, or which gives to the
Protestant churches any superior rights
or advantages. As interpreted by the
Catholic Telegraph, the official organ of
Archbishop Purcell, the act had this eff
feet:
"By the Geghan bill no Chaplain can
be employed at salary in any of the in
stitutions of the State. The Chaplain of
the Penitentiary and others will now
have an opportunity to labor with disin-
terested zeal
Pending the passage of the Geghan bill
its author writes a letter for publication
in which, among other things, he says
THE Democratic party has pandered to
the interest of the whisky dealers by re-
pealing the Adair law, thereby gaining
about 10000 votes. Let us see if they
will pay attention to a demand (just and
equitable) coming from $4,000 citizens
belonging to their party, If the plan is
But as the bill hung fire, and its passage
inforced by the Catholic Telegraph,
which admonished the Democratic Leg
islature in these words: "But $4,000
Catholics in the State, and $4,000 Catho-
lies in the city of Cincinnati, exercising
their rights of suffrage have very
strong claim upon political party which
it will not be safe for political leaders as
aspirants to political office to ignore or
despise. A period arrives when patience
and submission under political wrongs
cease to be virtue. The political party
with which nine-tenths of the Catholic
voters affiliate on account of past services
that they will never forget now controls
the State government. Withdraw the
support which Catholics will give 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 par
ty is now upon its trial; Mr.. Geghan's
bill will test the sincerity of its profes
sions."
Under this impudent and indecent
threat, one would have supposed that
the Democratic Legislature would have
rejected the bill with indignation and
scorn. But, on the contrary, they passed
it, under the lash, and thereby gave their
assent to the presumptuous interference
and dictation of the Church in State
affairs. Against this union of Church
and State we enter our solemn protest
We do not care to deny the spiritual ju
risdiction of the Catholic clergy. We
would allow them, and all to whom they
minister the largest possible liberty of
conscience. But when they step outside
the spiritual domain, and undertake to
dictate the laws of the land, we warn
them that they are tresspassers upon ter
ritory which does not belong to them,
and where their presence will not be
tolerated. Gladstone, in England, Bis
marck, in the German Empire, and Vic
tor Emanuel, in Italy, are making brave
battle against the temporal pretensions