Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1888-01-14
DE0 GRATIAS FOR A POLITICAL
CRUMB.


The Presidents Jubilee gift is
printed on vellum in white and red,
with Illuminated EUglisb characters,
the whole resting in purple plush
case with golden hinges. On the
second title page is an American
eagle in golden colors. and beneath
it The words: 1.-The Constitution of
the Z. s., adopted Sept. II, 1884,"
1t was not presented by the Amerl
can Minister, Mr.. Stallo, for the
reason that be stands with papal
Rome in about as much i'll favor as
Mr.. Kelley stood with the Italian
government.
The title page of the Presidents
gift bears the following inscription
in his own handwriting :-"Pre-
scented to his holiness Pope Leo
XIII, as an expression OF coDgratu-
lation on The occasion of his sacer
dotal jubilee, with the rebound re-
gard OF Grover Cleveland, President
Of the United States, through the
courtesy of his eminence, Cardinal
Gibbons, archbishop of Baltimore"
We never believed that The Presi-
dent owed his election to the cour-
tesy of the CardInal-archbishop OF
Baltimore but our humble opin
ion has always been that the arch
bishop of New York contributed
largely TO that end, LIST, by his open
friendship for Tammany Democra-
cy and its chiefs and sub chiefs I'd,
by throwing cold water on Blaine's
clerical friends and suppIessing
them on ecclesiastical grounds in the
heat of political campaign; Sd, by
giving his archiepiscopal sanction to
the distribution of the cursed Bur
chard circulars at Cathedral gate
and chapel door, not only himself
but ais fellow ecclesiastics from the
East to the West, for there is not a
single instance on record where any
bishop or pastor protested against
or condemned this surreptitious use
of church platforms for the dissem.
ination of campaign documents.
But all the same, he will go down
into church history as an Ambrose
or Leo who bravely confronted a
great social heresy and throttled it
by bis heroism in danger and bis
fortitude in adversely. The truth
is he squelched Mr.. Pastor Polisicas
who, but for the prominence given
him by the antagonism of his super.
Tor, backed by the support OF all the
power behind the throne, piteously
begged for, would have fallen into
oblivion long ere he did i'm fact, Of
himself he could not have risen tC
the notorlety he did. In doing the
church a service the archbishop ser
we'd his party, let the historic re-
member that. If more evidence is
wanted of worshiping at the shrine
of Cleveland Democracy, it will be
found in the resolutions passed at
some of the Jubilee Services in this
country, notably at Wheeling
thanking President Cleveland fol
his courtesy to Rome, courtesy he
could not have denied to the King
of the Sandwich Islands under siml
lar circumstances. The pubic ear
look at it in two ways only,-eithel
as an extraordinary courtesy, which
it is not, for christian and heather
friend or toe, extended the same OF
a rare one, which again it is not, fol
it is common in the history Of the
Papacy. 1t may be taken as a poll
cal crumb, the benefit OF which the
personal friends of the donor anC
the donee cannot afford to lose il
this jubilee year of American Demo
cracy.