The New York herald., 1879-10-31
Religion In Politics.

''A Liberal Catholic" reOpens in our
columns this morning the question pro-
pounded in the San as to whether John
Kelly is running his canvass upon the in
teresting domestic fact that he happens by
marriage to be nephew OF His Eminence
Cardinal McCloskey. When the Church
and State touch in politics it is never for
the good of the Church or the State, and
the wisest men in the Catholic faith are
those who have gratefully accepted the toler-
ance shown to the Church under the insti-
tutions Of country where Professionalism
predominates, and avoided even semblance
of sympathy with our political parties.
This being the case, and Mr.. Kelly, what
ever his eccentricities in politics, having
always shown conservative good sense in
religion, we are inclined to think that the
writer in the Sun is North American
Protestant, and not North American "Cath-
olic." and that his purpose is to unite the
Protestant vote against the Catholic by
appealing to religious sympathies. We
have seen such expedients in politics be-
fore.
Our own view is that Mr.. Kelly is wronged
in this matter and that especial wrong is
done to the Cardinal. Cardinal McCloskey
is of gentle, retiring nature, whose hap
piest hours are those spent in the closet over
his breviary; who has opposed all burning
issues in the Church, feeling that under our
free institutions Catholicism would grow
naturally, in silence and at the same time
in vigor. He does not foster antagonisms
and has none of the turbulent genius of
Archbishop Hughes, who believed the
Church never fourished SO we'll as in a
storm. Under the Cardinals rule the
Church has had peace. When Arch
bishop Hughes was on the archiepiscopal
throne there were anti-Catholic, Know
Nothing, anti-Popery parties without num-
ber For this reason the suggestion that
the Cardinal would raise finger or turn the
glance of his eye, even to advance the for
tunes Of a favorite relative, is absurd. 1t
would be doing violence to his whole
career. There may be some willy and am
bilious priests, as we frequently have in
New York, who busy themselves in the
election, as they have done in other matters
that do not concern them. But the Cardinal
does not know OF such intrigues.
| We will do Mr.. Kelly the justice to say
that he has always shown proper respect
to his Church in his dealings with
politics. A devout man, unbending
in his piety, foremost in all works
to advance the Church and with the
advantage of high and ilustrious connec-
ton, he has never yielded to the temptation
of using Catholicism as he uses Tnmmany
Hall. We think Mr.. Kelly is too sincere in
his faith to degrade it by trying
to tie the Cardinal, the clergy and the
various institutions OF the Church as so
many bobs TO the tail of his kite. SO far as
we can see he is making his grotesque and
eccentric Canvass tor Governor entirely
upon his own personal and secular merits,
as stubborn, pg-hcaded, revengeiul man,
giddy with power and blind with ambition,
and not as the nephew of the Cardinal and
devoted follower of Rome. Unfortunately
he is willing to run any risk with Tammany
Hall in his mad experiments, but he has
never degraded his Church by dragging it
into the arena.