The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1875-08-05
From the Columbus Journal.l

In another article we. have disposed of
the false claims of the Catholic Tele-
graph, that until the Geghan law was
passed Catholic priests were alone exclu-
ded" from our public institutions. We
have shown that Catholic priests were
not only never excluded, but were admit
ted the same as any other priests or min
listers willing to work without pay from
the State; more than this, we have
shown that Catholic priests received
greater privileges than any other persons
who visited the prison, lay or clerical in
being permitted to see Catholic convicts
secretly and alone, away from the pres
ence of an officer. We now propose to
dispose of another fancied grievance
The Democratic press, both Catholic and
pagan, has made great outcry about
the prison library, excusing the recent
purchase of Catholic books on the ground
that Republican officials had entirely
neglected to supply Catholic books at the
public expense, while supplying the Ii
brary with Protestant sectarian" books
and "St James's translation of the
Bible is instanced by the learned war
den as book of such Protestant secta-
rian" character Now, it is true that
Republican officials never expended any
of the States money in Catholic books,
penditure is strictly and expressly for
hidden by law. 1t is forbidden to pur-
chase any books of ''sectarian" charac-
ter; and the Republican officials, (sup-
posing in the innocence of their hearts
that, as all sects, Protestant and Catho-
lie, pretend to derive their religion from
the Bible, it could not be called "secta
riat' book,) purchased not only 'St
Jamess translation" but Douay Bibles
and Testaments, for the Library All
other sectarian books were vigorously ex-
oluded from the States contributions to
the library. As the law did not forbid
the prison authorities from accepting
presents of books for the use of prison
ers, however, large numbers of distinc
lively religious" books, Protestant or
non-sectarian in tone, were presented by
friends, and these books are the ones
which the Warden and others now refer
to as Protestant sectarian" books pur-
chased by the State They were not pur-
chased by the State but presented by
Jealous otestants-among others the
Y. NJ. G. A. of Columbus. The Catholic
sect might have been represented in the
prison library, without breaking the law,
if Catholics had done as these Protestants
did-buy the books and present them to
the library. Nobody under heaven
would have objected to that. We do not
object now, that Catholic books have
been added to the prison. library. We
object that the express letter of the law
has been violated by these Democratic
officials in slavish sycophancy, because
of the threatening claim that the Demo
cratic party owes its ascendancy to the
Catholic vote, and that the party must
continue to favor the Church or lose the
vote. We say and can prove that these
Catholic books are the only sectarian
books ever purchased with the States
money for the prison library, unless the
Bible is "sectarian" book; and we de-
mand that Democratic officials shall not
make the State pay, without law and
against law, for the votes these officials
expect to carry by subserviency and un-
lawful partiality to religious sect. II
the Democratic party wants to buy these
votes, let it pay for them out of its own
pocket, and not appropriate money from
the State Treasury for that purpose, in
this indirect, sneak-thieving manner.