The examiner., 1886-08-21
J. B. KELLY GOES FOR j. F.
BRAY.
Swinging n CudgeI in Defense OF the
Catholic Church ". $. the X. of L.,

|
! Catholic Church W. $. the K. of L.,
| Mr. EDIToR-In a recent issue you pub
lished letter signed 81. F. Bray Pontiac,
Mich" ON the ''Catholic Church and the
of L., in which he refers to the war in
Canada between the Church and that Or
ganization. "
He says: "The Catholic Church in Can
ada has declared war against the Knights
of Labor openly, on the ground that they
are secret society and therefore beyond
the Church and may be led into wrong
| doing The war has commenced in Can
ada because the people are more servile and
ignorant than in the states and more under
Church CONTROL Perhaps, Mr. Bray
| means the common school education the
people get in the United States makes
them wiser than the officials of the Catho-
tic Church who have spent lifetime in
study; or perhaps he means that Catholics
are as rule an ignorant body of people.
This wise man goes on to state that the
Catholic Church is ''secret society, with
it's graduation of officials, which the people
have nothing to do bat obey" Does the
the faith, without at first teaching them
its doctrines If Mr.. Bray can show us
where the Church is a secret society, in the
sense meant, we would like to have him.
His next paragraph goes on to say, eff
secrecy stands in the way (of Catholics
joining the order) it ought to be abolished.''
We certainly agree with him there. "The
of haS oiv fn 1oa {1o;,
ciples ond objects, and there is nothing
within the or FER that is in conflict with the
outside" Nevertheless, [ have been
asked to join the K. of L., and the person
who asked me to join said that he could
not tell me any of the rules. How differ
ent from the Church which tries to teach
the applicant all its rules and doctrines.
''It'' (the Catholic church, ''claims des-
potic authority over all it's members, and
will not tolerate independent thought Or
action On any subject" Yes, with the
same "despotic authority that the shep-
herd shows when he drives the sheep into
the fold at night to keep them safe from
the attack of the wolves. Pope Leo XIII
did not put the decree on the K. of L. until
he had thoroughly examined it's rules; and
not then until after he had given it much
thoughtful consideration.
Ecclesiastical domination is out of place
in republic like ours" Perhaps we had
better not have any religion, and join the
standard of Bob Ingersoll, and have done
with it. If the X. of L. is trying to under
mine religion it is time for honest people to
know it.
''The spirit of Professionalism is every
where protesting against this or that
wrong, this or that outrage, this or that
evil. Black slavery went down under its
assaults and white slavery is on it's last
legs" This statement is as foolish as the
one that says that there We're no Demo-
Gratis of any account in the Union army.
Every one knows that Catholics as we'll as
Protestants were in it fighting against
slavery. Then again, look at the case be-
tween Catholic Ireland and Protestant
England. The people in Ireland are for
the most part almost as badly off as slaves,
and the Protestant Church, as religion,
is making no effort to abate the evil.
"Surely Catholic has the same right to
If the K. of L. leads to this, why should
the Church denounce it, and virtually
deny the right of men to elevate themselves
from poverty and misery to ease and COM
fort" A Catholic has the same right 'Eas
any other man" to elevate himself. But
is it eleVating to a mans nature or social
position to be put in Jail for boycotting as
of 10 no Lotto
been? A man. can join the Free Masons
and possibly elevate his social position,
and the Catholic Church denounces that
organization and if any similar evils exist
in the K. of L. they must be denounced
just the same.
every man should insist on his indus
trial rights Church or no Church, Tear
down the churches as was done by the
Knownothing party not many years ago,
because it was not in with them on their
idea of social advancement. If Mr.. Bray
thinks to build up the K. of l.. on the
ruins of the Catholic Church, because it
cannot see things in the same light as he
does, l am afraid he will be sorely disap-
pointed. Because there are some Cathol-
Bray must not think that the Church is on
its last legs. Personally have no enmity
against the K. OF L., and before the decree
of the Pope, was trying to make up my
mind to join the organization; but after
Mr.. Bray's expose of the inner workings
of the order when he says ''Church or no
Church, will undoubtedly refrain. If
the K. of L. wish Catholics to join their
order they should keep such writer's as Mr..
Bray from getting beftre the public. 1t
will damage their cause more than any
other two reasons combined. Is it not the
three r speech of one man to which Mr..
Blaine lays his defeat in the late Presiden- |
tial campaign? Others will find things |
just the same if they make the same kind |
of speeches and writings.
Yours Truly,
j. B. KELLY.
Oak Dale, Aug. 's6.