The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-01-18
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.

fIo the Editor of the indianapolis Jou-Hal'
In the Sentinel of Sunday there appeared
better signed 'Emmet" which contained an at
tack that was both able and elaborate upon the
Pope, the bishops, and the priesthood of the
Catholic Church. 1t Pleads as cause for the at
tack, the defense of Irish nationality from their
ruling influence exercised to the benefit OF
Great Britain and its felonious government of
Ireland.
In the present temper of the Irish mind, com
ing through the columns of a newspaper like the
lSentinel. whose expressions, many of them, as
sumo as authoritative, it would be quite useless
to combat the issues raised against the Church,
although each and all of them are unfounded in
fact I therefore ask place in your columns
to reply, as the majority of Irish Nationalist well
consider that the Sentinel indorses all the propO-
sitions and all the conclusions drawn from them,
and as the letter received the deserved promi-
nence of being pointed to in an editorial note,
in the Sentinel / desire simply to prevent your
readers, most of whom have warm interest in
Irish nationality from being carried away by the
contamination of that letter.
Sir, would not remain Catholic for one sin
gle hour if the contents of that letter were true
and its conclusions correct, for in the first place
it impeaches the Pope as being bribed in some
fashion to support English misrule in Ireland;
that fashion may be favors expected or favors
received in the English aristocracy becoming
Catholic. Next it accuses the bishops of being
guilty of forgetting the rights of nationality and
bowling to expediency in obeying the Pope as a
politician, and it adds insult to injury in accus-
ing dead names of the same expediency, the own
ers tongues being silenced forever. l quote:
"Were it not that John McHale, the archbishop
of Tuam, Father Tom Burke and others are in
heaven, they, too, would have to give way to
Leo on the testimony of British emissaries as
against Ireland"
If the writer of this letter directed the Irish
people to abjure Cathohcity, as the absolute ne
cessity for the recovery of their independence
required it, could understand the issue for
which it was written, but the Sentinel praises
"the Irish Catholic gentleman by whom it was
written" and wishes for more of him in order
that ''the cloud of gloom which envelopes the
Green Isle would soon be lifted. So the calumny
on CatEoleity is written by one who calls himself
Catholic. Pere Hyaeinth does the same thing
in his turn; so does DR.. Dollinger, does
'Bishop" Mcnamara [ do not. for one moment,
associate the name of Emmett in this category.
Isimply believe that he has false conscience.
Overzeal carries him away; overzeal for Ireland,
and nothing else. Overzeal is a bad guide, for it
leads to the widest prejudice
Now for his refutaton. He cuts out, first, as
MS UeXU, a Telegram lie assumes that q teIe-
gram is gospel, true as holy writ" and par
ticularly an unauthorized telegram in a news
paper. There are men in Marion county lunatic
asylum who could not do one whit more violence
to experience. But it would appear that even in
the mind Of a man as able, clearly able, as the
writer of the letter is, his prejudice carries him
away. Here is the text of his attack, without
date, may observe;
Rome Lord Errington. in interview with
Cardinal Jacobni the Papal Secretary of State and
gfartjO OH his
Ireland
This dispatch is assumed to be true from
the first letter of it by the Irish
alluded to many times in the course of the
attack-some half dozen of times. It is a
strange but true assertion that there is no Lord
Errington," no such person lives, breathes, or
has his existence this earth, at Rome, in
Paris or in London, as Lord Erringtoni
What becomes of the dispatch which is the
text for the attack the Pope, if there is no
Lord Errington, and everybody in Rome, Paris,
London, and Dublin knows there is no Lord
Erringtonl In Europe titles are not given away
as here. Ne man can bear title who does not
own it. The nature of the dispatch is revealed
in the fact that even the name of the man most
concerned was incorrect and wrong, and ludic
rously wrong. Who will prove the correctness
of the dispatch after this!
But suppose there was a Lord Errington, and
that he had said this to Cardinal Jacobn and
for it, is there any statement in the dispatch to
the effect that he was very glad to hear it on
the part of the Pope Not one word of any
statement of the kind. The Cardinal
knows that the Pope is superior
to any condemnation or commentator, and
he would doubt regard as inpertinenee
any commentator, offered even through lord
or baron, or count, in Europe, to his Holt
ness, the Pope. Even a great and able man like
Bismarck, has been forced to send the Prince I'M
of n mis- hef
Leo XIII; and to think a shadowy lord should
be summoned up to pat the Pope on the back
with Billy Gladstone's approval of his action in
Ireland is as weak as skim milk. Pope Leo for
craftsmanship, has proven by results, that he is
second to no man i'll Europe. Yet we are to sup
pose in Indiana, that he would tolerate the re
spect for his action anywhere, by man who
was officially representative Of nobody, of no
country, of no government
We can understand what happened the other
day at Washington. when Augustin, chief of the
Apeches, oiled with grease to rank-smelling
degree, feathered like a rooster and clad in buck
skins, with a delegation of his tribe called on
President Arthur in order to thank him and
seek his favor. Augustin clasped, it is said, the
President in his arms, and said, God is great
man, but you are greater" Lord Errington
the ghost flor he is not living was not even adj
mitted to the presence of the Pope and we have
no doubt if the words alleged were ever used
Cardinal Jacobini could no more prevent them
than President Arthur could prevent the hug of
the Apache.
The next point is the personal attack on
Bishop Gilmour. That prelate is most likely
very well able to defend himself if he thinks the
game worth the candle but, whilst we do not
impeach the veracity of the teller OF the story
that when in Cincinnati, he held an orange in
his hand while the st. Patricks day procession
was passing by as a contrast to the green of the
Irish banners it savours of the improbable and
unlikely. Others than the writer Of the letter
may have, and very likely have, a veracity to
the contrary.
But there is a hint about priests as treasurers
TO Irish movements. Here are the words:
Catholic ecclesastics too ready to hamper the
Irish and from presiding local societies and act
ing easurers for the same, they continue to hold
prestige and at times, too, only by questionable
MEANS"
This is plain speaking, and it would be well
to point out these treasurers, that they might
never be treasurers again, and those presidents