The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-10-11
II Libel -AnsaUered.

To-day's sensation of the political cam
paign in this State, says the Lancaster In
teIJigencer of Friday, is the attack on the
Democratic candidate for Governor by the
Catholic Standard of Philadelphia, lead
ing journal of its Church, edited by Mr.. G..
D. Wolff, formerly lawyer Of Norristown
and minister of the Reformed Church.
The Republican managers are making ev-
ely possible use of this attack, and have
procured 100, 900 copies of the paper to Ge
circulated as a campaign document through
out the State-a use to which we believe
religions paper was never before put, and
one which we know the patrons of the
Standard and the authorities of the Church
for which it claims TO speak will deeply
regret; for the Catholics of this State,
through their venerable head, Archbishop
Wood, have time and again protested
against superserviceable friends or malig-
nant enimies dragging their Church into
political affairs, and with delicacy and
high regard for their faith, the priesthood
as body, keep themselves and their relig-
ion aloof from party contests. 1t is no i'm
pugning of the propriety of Mr. VOLTS
motives to assert that he neither represents
his fellow Catholics nor his Church as a
body when he uses his paper to demand of
political parties political favoTs for Catho-
lies. His service in this respect is gratui-
tous and ill-timed. The Catholic Church
is not political organization, and they are
not discreet friends who would seek to
make it such, We emphatically deny the
Standards allegation that the Democratic
party ''has entered upon race with the
Republicans for the favor of Know Moth
ings, avowed foes as they are to Catholics
and Catholicity.' The intelligent Catho-
lies of this city and elsewhere know to the
contrary, and it has been .he profession
and practice of the party, here and else
wbeTe, IN ibis State, and every other State
while championiug tie cause of religious
freedom, to steadfastly ignore religious
differences in the selection of its candidates
and the declaration of its principles.
With regard to the special charges of the
Standard against Mr.. Din, we republish
from the Harrisburg Patriot that gentle
mans specific denial of them. 1t covers
every point and must remain conclusive
until the alleged proof is produced. If for
that proof The Standard as is ntimated, is
relying on the notorious emissary of Gov,
HaItranft to the Molly Maguires, it will
find that it leans on broken stick.
The historical refutatiOn of the charges
is very clear. 1t is said that "Andrew II.
Dill has taken an active part in Know
Nothing conventions and public meetings,
in making Know Nothing speeches, in or
ganizing KnOw-Nolhing lodges and socie-
ties" And yet nothing of this kin6 took
place after 1855, when the Know Nothing
movement had spent its force. 1t will be
remembered tha: at that time Mr.. Dill was
a boy of 10, and even if the facts alleged
a;e true they bear not at all on his present
candidacy. We accept his word that they
aGe not true, but we Tepeat that il they
were, his boyish opinions should not be al
lowed to outweigh nor be counted against
the fact that in twenty years of vigorous
manhood, in the discharge of repeated
public trusts, in all his private relations, he
has been the consistent friend of religious
liberty, and has shown the same uniform
regard for persons processing the Catholic
faith as for that of any other. Just as it is
not to be set down to the discrediU Jf the
editor of the Standard that, whereas he
now is the champion and defender of the
Catholic faith, it has not been ten years
since he was a member of an entirely diff
ferent religious denomination and was as
bitterly hostile to the Catholics as those
who organized Know Nothing lodges. But
we repeat that the charges of the Standard
are explicitly denied by Mr.. Dill It's
proof is called for, and pending that all
classes of right thinking people can only
regret that an issue so foreign to legitimate
political discussion has been projected into
the campaign and is being used for such
purposes that the Republican managers
are distributing religious paper as an
electIoneerinu dodge.