The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-11-25
TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION.
DAILY.
CATHOLIC AGAINST pROrEsTANr.

CATHOLIC AGAINST PROTEsTANT.
The Latter Taking Alarm az the Rapid
Strides Made by the Former.
New York TINES.
It is well to have a candid foreigner as
sumo now and then the friendly Office o.
pointing out the perils that lie in our way
as nation, and pry gently into the weak
places Of our armor, Just to show that we
are not invulnerable. We are apt in oul
complacency and confidence to overlook
orto underrats dangers that appear quite
formidable TO the distant looker.on, or Il
may be that our insidious enemy is so en-.
tangled with us in relations OF friendly al.
lance that We have not the moral indie.
pendeuce to grapple with him. In the
December number OF the North AInerjcun
Rcrisp, Just Issued, we find in the opening
pages q somewhat startling contribution
by Mr.. James Anthony Froude on "Ro-
manism and the Irish Race In the United
States." Il is more startling, however, in
the suggestions which the title raises than
In Its actual substance. It is to be fol.
lowed by at least one more article on the
subject, and we may hereafter be treated
70 q sensation Of genuine alarm; but co
far We find 1t impossible to be scared by
any prospect that Is set before us.
Dir. Froude assumes, rather than states,
that the Irish race and the Roman Catho.
lie religion are making such strides in this
country as seriously to threaten the in.
tegrity OF our free institutions. Some
things which he does state as basis for
dlsquietlng. interenCes are undeniably
true: We have now SON ching like six
millions OF Irish citizens, all acquired in
the last thirty years or SO. Owing to their
faithful devotion to the Roman Catholic
authority and the vigilant care Of the
Church TO keep them in a state of ODE.
dtenee, they have failed TO fuse into the
mass OF citizenship. They stand as dis.
tlnctly defined in the body polite as
though they were separated from the rest
OF the nation with actual territorial limits,
L Is equally true that the Romanish
Church, whose authority over them is
stronger than that OF any secular authori.
ty, is hostile to free institutions. or this
there can be no question, for the Church
makes no secret Of her pretentions, and
they are in terms contradictory to the
principles Of freedom on which our. ma.
tional fabric rests. The Ultramontane
doctrine which now prevails through all
the vast hierarchy OF Rome, is that the
Pope should have supreme authority in
the domain OF conscience. To that the
action Of nations as we'll as Of men should
be submissive. Allegiance to no earthly
Government can come athwart the obliga.
ton to submit to Gods vicegerent. The
subsection OF the national power 10 the
head OF the church is q principle never
abandoned. Essential to our Republican
institutions is freedom OF worship and be.
lief, liberty OF discussion, and the indie.
pendence OF the individual in all that per.
lains 10 his personal interests and claims.
All these the Romish Church denies, and
never fails to suppress where it has the
power.
While this is true, are we really in
danger from Romanism and the multipli.
cation ofthe race IN our population which
Is its obedient instrument2 The Irish con-
stitutes less than one.seVenth OF our popu.
lation even now, and Mr.. Froude himself
says that, from various causes, "the i'm
migration from Ireland has almost ceased"
Increase Of population from foreign sources
certainly has not ceased. Germans come
to US in greater numbers than the Irish,
and are scarcely less prolific. They are in
little danger OF being used to promote the
designs Of Rome upon the Institutions of
freedom. We are drawing sturdy ele.
ments from Great Britain aud Scandinavia,
and the small number Of immigrants from
the Southern Catholic countries and little
or nothing to the organized power Of
Romanism. The bulk Of our increase in
population, which goes on with q steady
pace, is now nou.Irish and none Catholic,
and it Is not easy to see hew it can result
in increase OF peril in that direction. The
English writer's remarks about the ten.
dency toward conversion from Protestant.
settling Of faith and a lack Of unity and
positive authority among the opponents
of the latter, are far more applicable in his
own country than in this There is little
indication here Of the disposition of the
unhappy and perturhed souls to seek re-
pose in the bosom OF Rome.
But we are reminded that our own
principles make US powerless 10 contend
against an organized and aggressive minor
ity. We believe in liberty, and must al.
low 1t, even when used against the very
life OF free institutions; while the enemy
we have 10 deal with does not believe in It
and is under no such restraint. We can
not resort 10 repressive measures, and the
diviIaI and IannnFuIiyaI Fnpca - Drnkas
tantism have not the faith and the zeal to
pursue the conflict in the arena Of senti-
pent and opinion. Just here is where
the alarmist argument will fail. The fact
is that American sentiment and opinion
will persist in regarding the contest Ss
purely political and not religious. The
people may agree in any we'll defined re-
ligious belief, or accept the guidance OF
any single religious authority, but they
have an abiding faith in political liberty
and the authority OF the National Consti.
tuition and Government. They may not
resist Catholic encroachment because oil Q
burning zeal Tor Professionalism, but they
will defend the stronghold OF their 'liber.
ties, which has cost them so mach. Mr..
Froude speaks OF the Irish vote turning
the scale among political parties, but the
TACT is that one party enjoys pretty much
all the accession Of strength that it can
give already, but does not use it for the
promotion OF the designs which there Is
supposed to be SO much reason TO dread
The moment it attempted to do so it would
find itself in hopeless minority. What
Te have TO fear from the Irish vote Il
rather the Encouragement and corrup
ton in cities that comes from the control
Of the ignorant and vicious by unscrupu
lous demsgogues for their own purposes
than the supremacy over the nation or thu
people ot''the woman Of the seven hills.