Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-03-27
A GROWING POWER.

HERETOFORE in this country the
policy Of the Roman Catholic
Church has been one Of stealthy,
silent aggression. There has been
nothing snowy or demonstrative
about its methods. 1t has quietly
worked its way into power ami
prestige by building large anu i'm
posing edifices devoted TO education
aud religious worship, and estab-
fishing and operating missions.
This course was most sagacious.
Had that powerful organization
been ioId aud demonstration in it.
operations and pre-umptive in its de-
mands in its dag OF COM
pIrative weakness, IL would
have awakened a spirit #
antagonism toward It that would
have prevented its march toward
the goal OVERWHELMING influence.
Now it claims ten millions Of ad-
herents in the republic, or about
Oue-sixth Of the population. AS
consequence 1t senses its hold upon
the nation, and who dares even to
attempt to slacken its GRASP? Here
ami there q spasmOdic attempt is
MADE from some sectarian quarter,
but it Is like the yelping Of q poodle
At the approach Of An elephant,
and amounts TO nothing. Fag-
mentary filings are directed
nj it from agnosic sources, but they
have no more eEect than the blow-
ing Of feather upon the back Of a
FhinOcer0us. No assault or even
protest comes from rulers or poll
icians, because Of the fear that they
might be crushed under the grow
ing power. The votes Of. Catholics
are SIS potent as those Of any other
class Of citizens. Let q prominent
publicist open his head with regard
TO the encroachments Of ''Roman-
ism" and he is Political provendes
for the Catholics.
tits felt 70 be no longer necessary,
with this power in its grasp, for
Catholicism 10 wear a subdued Is
pect. During the last few years i
has assumed an aggressive attitude.
and has been assumptive In its de-
mtnds. We have already cited the
extraordinarily assertive positioi.
taken a. h Bsl.imore Catholic
cOufzr n = few mouths ago, When
the doc'rins OF th- suprema y OF tn,
Pope over secular governments was
virtually enunciatei. It Is an old
cardinal point OF Catholicism, but il
has not heretofore been pushed
Prominently forward in America.
1t was also announced that the
Catholics were ready to Join with
ether bodies against the mormon"
Church, and take part in any advis-
able measures looking 10 It's annihi- |
lation.
The latest symptom OF the growt h |
OF an aggressive Catholic policy |
is the action Of that Church In the |
courts of Wisconsin to prevent the |
use Of King James translation OF the
Bible in the public schools. The
Plaintiff Catholics related that The
St james version of the scriptures
differed from the Douay version.and |
that the use Of the former was con-
traTy to the guaranteed rights Of
conscience under the constitution.
As has been heretofore published
the courts sustained the plaintiffs.
We have nothing TO say
against the Judicial decision in
regard to the question, as it was
ro5ably constitutional, but merely
cite the incident as contributing I.
prove the general fac,s that tn,
Catholic Church has attained de
gree Of power which leads it to pre-
sumo that it can become actively
aggressive without danger to it.
Interests, anu that it is rapidly in
augurating n policy Of that charac.
er. The effect Of its stronger polio,
appears inevitable; there being
Practically none tn say it nay.
tlis combative tendency will he
N 'intau ed. Success and merely
DIerile opposiuon wiz cause it to
press forward until the milton will
nave a church and state question Oh
its hands that viii be zealand tangi-
Die, and one with which It will b.
iifticult to grapple. In view Of the
r0n grip Of "Romanism, - the ale
cations about the danger falsely as
'erted to exist in the Church Of Jesus
christ Of Latter-day SIints are far.
zeal and homogeneous.