The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-07-30
WHAT n IL U.PUL .MARRLlGEF
From the Lansing Republican.

From the Lansing Republican.
One of the cheapest points in Mr.
Gladstone's recent pamphlet on the
" Vatican DEGREES" was that the Roman
Catholic church condemns marriages
not consecrated by her priests as filthy
concubinage.
The council of Trent in 1926 laid
down the church law on this subject,
which is that wherever said law is pro.
mulgated, no marriages are valid unless
solem nized by priest of the church or
in his presence. Although it is said
that this decree is not promulgated in
the United States or England, yet a
Roman Catholic priest in Boston, Rev
James McGlew, has used opprobrious
language, and even worse, in his public
addresses, relative to Robert G. Fan.
ming one of his congregation, who was
married by civil magistrate and not by
priest. Mr. flaming sued the priest
for SANDER, claiming $4,000 damages.
The priest spotted his own case in IA
Catholic point of view by admitting
the validity of the marriage. The jury
disagreed, ten being for the plaintiff and
two for the defendant. The first plea
of the priest was most instructive one
for all Americans He set up that by
the rules of the church the marriage
was unlawful, aud that it was his duty
as IA faithful priest to say so, and to ad-
monish or denounce the sinful parties
Thus We see the Roman Catholic
church claiming supremacy over the
state in regard to matrimony.
In Scotland there is still more in.
structive case. A Roman Catholic man
was married by clergyman of the Eng
fish church at the British legation in
Rio Janeiro. He lived with bis wife
20 years, and then, while she was still
living, professed to marry another per-
son. On suit being brought against
him by his wife, he pleaded the au'hori
ty of the Roman Catholic church TO de-
clare his marriage null aud void, thus
enabling him to marry the second time,
A Catholic priest writes to the New
York Times that the lady should have
known the condition required at Rio
Janeiro to make her marriage legal
That is all the comfort sac gets for the
cruel imposition on her.
Perhaps the people of Protestant coun-
tries are ready to submit to Roman
Catholic rules about marriage, and have
all our laws nullifed. Perhaps the state
is to come under the yoke of the church.
Bat we guess not, just at present. The
Adrian Times, in commenting on the
case Of Rev. Father McGlew, says:
Our laws recognize marriage as a
civil institution, prescribing certain per.
sons as authorized to perform it and
parties observing the requirements of
the law, are duly and legally married
and no priest bishop, or pope has the
power to declare that marriage null and
void. 1t does not matter how the
church of Rome regards marriage, the
pope does not dictate laws that are bind
ing on American citizens in their civil
capacity, nor can be make null and void
any law of our states touching the In
stitution OF marriage. Looking at the
verdict, one cannnt help wondering what
sort of men those two jurymen are who
believe that Catholic priest may, in
the presence of his congregation, de.
nounce man and wife as adulterers,
and their children as bastards, and yet
not subject himself to the penalty of the
law for libel.