The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1877-04-05

Herr asker. In feeling terms he answered
; the Catholic spokesman by tho assurance
that for his part he deeply regretted the
abeence of an agreement that would pat an
end to the legislation of which the Catho-
lies complained. There can be don bt, sal
. Herr Lssker. that the rights Of the Ca
tholics are violated in various respects.
i" The debates which have occurred in this
House have filed me with the conviction
that your ense of Justice, your convictions
| as citizens, and your inmost religious sem
| timents are engaged in this matter, and
aimee there can be no gainsayipg the pro-
| found excitement of all Catholic minds, the
conflict will only become more and more
| violent, and here, accordingly, a solution
must be sought, and must be found. Ispeak
only in my own name, but you will GER
tainly find among US many ready, by sui
table revision, to remove from the laws such
provisions IS are really calculated to in
| trude into the inner sphere of religion and
couRcence." The deputy Schroeder of
Lippstadt added the special reason for q
revision of the prosecuting statutes, that
now there is no longer any pretence Tor
regarding the Catholic clergy as State ofac
lals, subject in consequence to State regu-
lation. From the moment of the passing
of the law dispensing with the necessity of
baptism, and religious marriage, the priest
and bishops have ceased to be in any way |
at the disposal of the Government in their |
religious capacity, inasm uch as the State has |
abolished the need of their services. Why |
does not the Ministry recognize that, by the |
extGQsion of the clergy from the pub ic ser
vice, every ground ID removed for keeping |
them bound to a set Of regulations that pre-
suppose the clergy to be a constituent
part of TIE State mechanism" Such in
brief, was the reasoning which met the
Government from the most opposite quar-.
tiers. The narrow and pedantic chief of the
Ultra Rad cal party, Professor Virchow,I
chose to illustrate the reality of his Libe-
raj professions in the Sly lie of a Fawcett de-
nouDcing the grant of educational liberty |
to the Catholics of Iceland bnt uhstan-
TALLY the Government was left unaiil d to
reply, if IL could, to the double battery
of Catholic remonstrauce and Liberal
pr testation. Wat was the course under
such circumstances of the representative of
Prince Bismarck
Dr.. Faick rose to explain the attitude
of the Cabinet in face of tho represen.
tati"ns which had just been made. and h g
explanation was au empathlc re-affirmatiGn
Of all the insults and all tue mi astices of
which the Prussian Government has made
itself guilty. He repudiated entirely the
theory that the abolition of the indispeusi-
bility of baptism and carriage should cause
the Government to altar its treatment of
the Catholic clergy. Though the priests
the Government was resolved to grant them
as little liberty as before. 'The fact wss,n
said the mouthpiece of Bismarck 'the clergy
were the guides ofthe people, and the Gov
ernnent was therefore determined to see
that these guides were themselves subject to
the proper education and proper guidance
to secure that their influence would be ex-
erted on the side of the State" In word,
the insoleDt scheme was once more max
edlv announced of converting the clergy
of Germany into sort of Russian " Ortiz
odox Popes," who, as mere creatures of the
State, would necessarily be incapable of
being Christian ministers in any true sense
TIE whole scene, however, is not without
consolation for Catholics. The ranks off
the Liberal maj ority are evidently divided
Ia presence OF the formidable danger of
Catholic discomfort, aud still more IN pre-
sence OF tue magnificent unanimIty of Ca
thOi!c sentiment. Another base aud cruel
persecuuon IL plainly on it's way to be nun
oered with the ten thousand former at
Temps To break tho oneness aud inJepen.
deuce of the Catholic community. Let the
persevere but a little longer,
ADD the = CRISIS" against which 1t has been
80 solemuIy warned, may be upoc 1t when
it is ton late tor 1t 10 make amends.