Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-05-23
Biaine's Sister-in-Law Goes for the
Scalp of the Editor Of the Chi
Caco Trihune
can Hamiiton in Neie Tork Tribune

SIR Inc 1Ourtn portrait which i
propose to hang in my Rogue's Gal
lery is that of TIE CHICAGO TRIBUNE.
l cannot give the exact date of the
photograph, but it was when personal
feeling was at high-water mark in
1876, and different members of the
same political party were striving to
make each his own candidate the
nominee of the approaching Cincin-
natl Convention. At that time the
CHICAGO TRIBUNE published the SUBJ
Joined statement,-published it in its
editorial columns as an absolute truth
without qualification or question,
thus putting its distinguished and,
perhaps should add, venerable edi-
tor, MIR. Joseph Medill, member of
the late Civil Service Commission, in
the very foreground as the author, or
at least the responsible indorser of
the statement. Here is what Mr..
Medill published:
"Mr. Blaine was born and raised
Roman Catholic. His parents were
Irish Catholics and decent people.
His brothers and sisters are Catholics
now. His excellent and amiable wife
is one, and his children are being
raised in that faith. Mr.. j. q. Blaine
alone of the whole family, is not an
adherent Of The Mother Church. But
he belongs to no Christian denomina-
ton and while not a Roman Catholic,
can hardly be called a Protestant.
What faith he may finally die in can
not be predicted, except by analogy,
and a consideration of the depth and
strength of mothers religious in
culcation Oh a child's mind and
heart
AT the time of The CHICAGO TRI-
BUNE's publication of all that devout
little morsel of religious biography.
Mr.. Blaine was-Eheu! Qaantuna aau-
tatus ab alio!--a prominent candidate
for the nomination of the Cincinnati
Convention. How far he was in ad-
vance of all other candidates may be
judged from the fact that he entered
the balloting with more than one
third of all the votes, and consider
ably more than twice the number cast
for any other candidate, and that dur
ing the seven ballots he received more
than the number required for nomi-
nation. How far he was in advance
of THE CHICAGO TRIBuNE's candidate
may be judged from the fact that he
entered the balloting with nearly
three times as many votes, and came
out of the seventh and last ballot with
more than sixteen times as many
votes as that candidate.
This was state of things hard to
be borne. 1t would not only Justify
but require the most strenuous excr-
tions on the part of the TRIBUNE to
bring the fortunes of its candidate
abreast of those of its formidable ri
val. No one could blame it for any
amount of ofhonorable endeavor. There
were immense odds to be overcome
and the time was short. The religious
element has already entered, and
threatens still further entrance, as a
factor into our electoral problem.
Protestants have q deep distrust of
Catholicism in respect to its assumed
| authority over civic affairs. Catholics
hold not only their faith, but their
polity, with jealous tenacity. II
Mr.. Blaine was Catholic, born and
bred in that faith, rearing his chill
dren in it, and surrounded by its ad.
herents, the fact could hardly fail to
create great objection to him in the
minds of Protestants. If he were a
renegade Catholic, it would be a seri.
GUS objection in the minds of Catho.
lies. If he were neither Catholic nor
Protestant, lapsing through indiffer-
entism from the faith in which he was
reared, but embracing no other, both
Catholic and Protestant would be
likely to become disaflected,
! A mans fitness for office is not to
be determined by his creed, still less
by that of his wife and children. In
canvassing his claims then, all discus
sion of his religious relations is i'm
pertinent. Discussing the religious
relations of his family is impertinencc
of the lowest degree. will, howev-
er, waive this point. / even admit
that the civil sovereignty assumed by
the Catholic Church NAV give the
color of right to call mans religion
in question. l will admit further. that
if even such intermeddling with the
most secret and sacred relations of
life be pardonable it is during the
heat of Presidential campaign. The
arena is vast, the prize heroic, the
contest fierce. In the glow of energy
and eagerness men NAV sometimes be
swept past the boundary line of cour-
tesy without forfeiting their right to
be named by the name which is above
every other name. A mans ecclesi-
astical affiliations are not to be hid
den under bushel, and if their pro-
mulSatlon makes him odious to q
large portion of the community, ''see
thou that" If the public refuses to
have Catholic, or q Protestant. or an
Intidel, or jew to reign over it, all
the more has it the right TO know
whether man be Catholic. Prot
estant, Infidel or Jew.
| AT any rate the Journalists started
out on a steeple chase after Mr..
Blaine's religion. Up hill and down,
over hill and ditch, trampline through
glebe and slashing through baptistry,
IN their headlong dash across the
country, rode the bold huntsmen,
madly trying to get on the track of
that unlucky faith, and with uni
form want Of success that argues any
thing put keen scent of religion on
the part OF its pursuers. Indeed, Mr..
Blaine himself could hardly fail to be
surprised at learning what devout
churchman he had been. ANY mod
est man who has gone through life
quietly saying his prayers, and laying
no claim to any more godliness than
his neighbors, may well he startled
at finding his devotions dogged by
detectives and rung out on all the
church bells from Maine to Californ-
in. If Mr.. Blaine had ever adopted
one half the creeds attributed to him.
he must have been what Kingslake