The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1875-08-31
The School Question in Poll.
tics.

Gen. Garfield, Of Ohio, IS reported as
having, in recent interview, expressed
the following views on the school ques.
ton, which is so prominent On issue in
Ohio: III am sorry that the Catholic
question, as connected with the public
school system, is rapidly becoming an i'm.
portant element in our politics. In Ohio
the Catholic clergy are trying to show
that our public schools are goddess and
worthless. The Democrats have practi.
caly Endorsed this position, and are thus
striking blow at the basis of our funda.
mental liberties The issue, which should
never have been made in this country,
seems to have come. l have been look.
ing over the literature of this question,
and it seems to me that it is one of the
greatest issues of the age. The batteries
that are levelled at our school system are
planted on the Vatican. The history of
the last fifteen years in Europe and this
country shows this. Look at the sylla-
bus of 1868. 1t is an 'anathema. maran.
atba, against all modern civilization. 1t
declares that all men are not equal. II
denies liberty Of conscience. 1t insists
that allegiance to a foreign, religious and
would.be temporal sovereign is superior
to fealty to our national life. 1t declares
that the doctrine that all men shall have
the right to worship God according to the
dictates Of their own consciences is PERM.
cious and urchristian. 1t makes procla-
nation that liberation Of non-popists is
displeasing to the Most High 1t is a
bull against modern thought. 1t is de.
6ance of modern progress. The vice.re.
gents Of the Pope seem everywhere try.
ing TO do homage to the encycical
am surprised and alarmed to see how loud
the papal anathcmas are sounding in the
midst of our American commonwealth
The contest which for seven years bai
been waged in the Old World, has come
to the New, The ground that papal au
thority has lost in Europe, it is seeking tC
regain here. Austria has abolished the
concordat but the red hat has been ele
waited in America, and the doctrines Of
the concordat have been placed il the
Democratic platform in Ohio. The TEN
poral power has been abolished in Rome
but the papists in America are reaching
out after the school fund Ia Switzer
land the same contest is goiuh on. The
only important thing that our good frienC
CASTELAR, has accomplished in Spain il
to call attention 10 the inroads Of ecclesi
teal dominion. In France the Pope
is gaining ground. 10 England Glad
stone is engaged in contest similar t,
that of Bismarck in Germany. In Ger
many the iron handed Bismarck is fight
ing against the power of the Vatican
with the most relentless hand. He fount
the emissaries Of the Pope trying to OBJ
tain possession OF university, church anC
state. He is proceeding against then
with that iron hand. He could TOLERATE
in the empire of the Hohenzollerns n,
foreign power. He denied the right o
contemporaneous sovereignty to the de
scendant of the Pepins He found tina
modern thought demanded higher honor
than to have its banishcd name hang OF
St. Peters door in the hlder Eapurga
t0rius. He saw that the enclycical ant
the nineteenth century made a sorr,
brotherhood, and he has made successful
war against it. Driven from Europe, thi
power seems to be coming hero. 1t is il
our campaign in Ohio this fall"