The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-05-29
A RIGHTEOUS REVOLT.

The German Catholics of Wisconsin are
up in arms against the BENNETT law which
proposes to take the education of their
children out Of their control and give 1t
in charge of the state. In other words,
the law makes it obligatory on parents and
guardians to send their children and wards
to the public schools. The purpose of the
act is plain enough. The design is not to
encourage and enforce education, but to
prevent education in the Catholic church.
The statute is direct attack upon
Catholicism, and strikes in vital spot. 1t
would take less than a generation OF the
law TO destroy Catholicism so far as
American born youth were concerned,
leaving the church to die out except that
it could import members or con-
vert people through a system OF
PROSECUTING. The German Catholics
protest, and by resolution they make the
question one of politics, banding them
selves together to oppose all candidates for
the legislature who will not pledge them
selves to work for the repeal Of the obiec-
tionable statute.
The Catholics are right, and all true
Americans will wish them success in their
efforts. They are right in the attitude
they assume as to the law, and in their
determination to employ their political
power to overthrow the act. They are
right in carrying the church into politics
ON this question, and the church will be
right in taking hand in politics.
The state has a certain right or interest
in the individual. An educated people be-
ing regarded as q better and safer and
more law-abiding people, the state has the
right and it should exercise its power tc
see that Its future citizens shall be edu
Gated; it has the right to say that children
shall be taught those things which viii
have a tendency to make them good mer
and women, respectful towards the law
and a source of strength to the govern
ment. The state has the right to insis
upon the incubation of moral ideas. and tt
demand proper physical training. Blu
when it comes to teaching religion or to
denial of religious teaching, the state.
moral and legal right ends, and its power
should terminate as well. That is to say
it cannot teach Catholicism, or Methodist
Ism, or Shakerism, or any ether ism, with
out overturning the corner stone of tn,
republic, and violating the first principle
underlying the structure of American
society. And If it cannot teach these isms
it has no right to prevent thei
being taught. Both these proposition
have never before been denied
though both are fatty denied in tn
BENNETT law, which says that the children
of Catholics must be trained in no religion
or in infidelity and denied instruction il
the religion of their parents If the stat
can go TO this length in dealing with Cath
olic children it can, without proceodin
further on the same line, name religio
that shall be taught to all children.
The proposition is monstrous. 1t woul
be obnoxious in any civilized country, an
is especially revolving to the America
mind which cannot conceive that the stat
has any right to interfere with the rel
gions beliefs Of the individual, and whic
recognizes that ROBERT G. INGERsoLI
Cardinal GIBBONS, an Episcopalian bishop
modest Quaker and drum-banging Sa
vationist stand upon exactly the same lev,
in the matter of citizenship, as to the right
of the state over them and their ailegianc
to the state.
We are glad the Wisconsin Catholic
have taken stand, and hope they will r
ceive the encouragement and aid necessar
TO success in the fight. Their defeat woul
be national disaster.