The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-04-11
CIRCULAR TO THE CLERGY OF THE ARCH
DIOCESE OF OREGON.
cposs VIOLATION OF RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Archbishop Blanehot on the " Indian Policy"
INTOLERANCE ALIVE.
por.,ora Dear Collaborators /:

sion of the most important document which
Won have signed conformity with the Cathoi,c
clergy of the province of Oregon, and ad-
dressed to the Catholics Of the United States,
on President Grants Indian policy IN lis
bearing upon the Catholic interest at large. |
You deserve great credit for having 80
courageously put forth and exposed before
the eyes of the world the hostile and dis
graceful conduct of the government win
regard to the religious liberty of our Cath,
olic Indians throughout the country, and
shown the dangers that threaten them I'M
der the workings of the new Indian policy
for their liberty of conscience is at stake, |
their faith is exposed to the greatest dan.
ger, they are lost to the Church forever II
prompt, timely and speedy assistance is not
afforded them. The facts therein referred
to are so grave and 30 heinous as to appear
an exsggeration, and to be almost beyond
the reach OF belief; but they are unfortun-
ately, at the same time, beyond the reach
of contradiction was one of those who,
in 1871, viewed the Presidents new policy
as being humane, philanthropic, Christian,
sincere and we'll adapted to improve the
condition of the unfortunate lndians. But
the intolerant and cruel policy which has
been inaugurated against them, has brought
doubts into my mind that it was really go
Surprising, then, for the honor of our Chief
Magistrate, that it was truly so, it's working
evidently proves that it has been wretched
ly and malicionsy perverted, and made
scheme aud powerful lever of propagan-
dism to snatch from us our helpless Cath0
lie Indians. Before tue Inauguration 1.-THE
new policy, the Protestants claimed Il, 1000
Indians as Protestants, and the Catholics
LOG 600 as Catholics If, therefore, the
agencies had been distributed according to
Justice, we should have had the control of
more agencies than all the Protestant
churches together. Aud combining our
anavaa nplu fD fhoaa WI ich of
time the new policy was inaugurated, were
in the possession of our missionaries and
where our missionary work was in full
operation, we had right to the control Of
AT LEAST THIRTY AGENCIES
How many have been given us out of
that number? Only eight. Such has been
the illiberality of the Indian Bureau, in
spite of our just right, the remainder was
passed to it's friends. Thus, thirty agencies
which, under the Presidents new policy,
belong to Us by right, have been, at a sin
gle blow, suddenly, summarily and IN
scrupulously wrested from our hands and
turned over to the control of various Pro-
-testant churches that had no right to them.
Thus missions that had been for hundreds
of years exclusively Catholic (such as those
of New Mexico, founded in 1851, OF Cali
fornia and Arizona) and Indians who pro-
fess the Catholic faith to the number of
been by single stroke, violently torn from
the possession of their owners, and unmer-
clfuliy handed over to the charge of dis
sentiug religious denominations in whom
they have no condolences, and whose cleeds
they dislike and abhor. And tire new
policy has been carried out as IL great Pro.
testant evaugelizaton scheme. Thus have
our Catholic Missionaries been driven from
their labors thus have our Catholic Indians
been
DEPRIVED OF THE LIBERTY OF CONSCIENCE
But other sad and lameutable crnse
quenCes spring also from this uuhallOw we'd
operation, viz: thereby the Government
becomes gnilty of great pr"varication, III
violating the divine law " Thou shalt not
steal" "ThOu shalt not cnvet thy neigh.
boris goods" And what of the Reverend
readers of the Bible IA receivers and holders
Of the stolen goods they ARE as guilty, i
not more 40, aS the Tobbcr himself. Aud il
this not initiating til" two Iubhcr king
Ahah and Victor Emmanuel, aud also tH,
Turkish rulerP Thereby, again, the Gov
eminent, in violation OF orr glorious Cuu
stitution, iuterferes with the sacred libert,
of conscience, in forcing these poor aut
helpless Indians to abandon and chang
their religious convictions. Is not thi
shamefully initiating also the cruel autocra
of Russia, who forces the Catholic United
Greeks, even by shooting them, to aposta
Liberals of Switzerland, the Grand VIzie
and Prince Bismarck, in their persecution
and robberies of The church, Thereby, il
fine, the Government, in violation of til
Constitution, establishes, in our free Re
public, State religion, . State Church, b.
favOriDg one creed, and supporting it be
hind the 9gis of the State, armed wit
Government funds and Government pres
tige. But who gave the Government
THE RIGHT TO PRosELYTIzE THESE INDIAN
to dozen different creeds, and allow thel
to be forced or bribed into accepting them
If our Government has right to persecut
tie Indians in their liberty of conscienc,
why not in like manner the white citizen
Ii civilized and sensible man could nc
bear such an outrage, why should an India
suffeI it 7 Protestant ministers aud editor
of non Catholic newspapers often declait
and inveigh against some rare, private an
solitary cases of intolerance, either real, q
exaggerated OF imaginary. Now, here is
Protestant Intolerance, practiced by learne
and intelligent white men, equalling, if nc
surprising, that of the few ignorant an
misguided Indians of Acapulco. WLeI
then. shall they Taisp thpir Unicah