The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1890-11-11
SENATOR GEORGES SPEECH.
Catholic Schools.

speech on the lnul6n Appropriation
dill. We now give the speech of
Senator George. of Mississippi, on the
same subject. Ii is brief, out strictly
to the point.
Mr.. PREsIDENT:-I rise principally
for the purpose OF endorsing, i'll all
its length and breadth and depth, the
very fine argument made by the
Senator from Texas Mr.. Reagan III
opposition to any scheme by which
the money of the people of the United
States, shall be appropriated to any
particular denomination of Christians
for the purpose of educating, civiliziug,
and Outstanding Indians | believe
that the Constitution of the United
5 ates is violated in spirit when that
IS done. The First Amendment says
that, Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment Of re-,
iigIon." | believe we do our duty to
the Indians, II the way of education,
when We DO for them what we do for
,Le While people, and the black PEG
pie of this country, giving them State
edu :ation without reference to religious
tenets. Whenever the government
emharks upon a scheme Of that sort,
we have, what has so manifestly ap
peared to day, a contest between the
various religious denominations of
this country, as to who shall get the
most. l am opposed to the whole
scheme.
There is a denomination Of Chris
lians in this land, a very large de
nomination, probably as large rs any
other, who believe that the interior
ence by government with tae teach
ing or establishment of the doctrines
Of any particular religious sect is
wrong, 8"d who therefore, from con
scientlous scrupIes refuse to receive
any money Of the government to
teach any Indian school, or to 60 into
the business a. all. That denomina
ton is the B4pUIs5 denomination. |
think we shall do we'll when we ad
here strictly in practice to that line Of
&C ion.
At this point Senator Call, Of
Florida, spokt, endorsing the action
Of the government in giving money to
the churches, and attempted to make
it appear that the opposition to the
appropriation was only opposition to
Catholics, to which Sena.or George
replied, as folIows:-ED.
Mr.. PREsIDENT:-I do not intend to
allow the Senator from Florida to
state Ia his WI way the position Of
those Of Us who oppose the a~ppropria-
ton money, out Of the Treasury of
the United States, for the purpose OF
keeping up these schools. He stated
that our opposition was based upon
the ground that the Catholics had the
schools. | repad.at that sentiment,
sir, entirely; | DO not are whether
the school is kept by Catholics o" any
one OF The Protestant denominations,
it IS no pa Of the business Of Con
Sress to take peoples money for the
purpose OF having UNCONVENTIONAL
schools. DenominaCioDal schools ought
TO be kept up ~ the denominations
which own them, and they are kept
up in that way all over the UnIted
States, for all the population Of the
United States, except only, for the
Indians.
desire simply to say that much.
The Senator from Florida, wholly
misjnterprets the views and the senti
ments OF those who oppose these ap
preparations. | woul / as 500 vote
for an appropriation for one sort of
a denOminational school as for another.
| am opposed to all of them. Not
to the school, but to heir being sus
tanned by taxes collected from the
people of the United States.
Again, he said of the Bureau of
Catholic Missions, these words:
"They have been on the ground
here for the las five years pushing
Catholic schools upon the government
as earnestly as was in their power, and
largely to that influence is attributed
this great increase which has come to
be three titths of all the appropriations.
They are &C i've still"
Our Constitution, for which u
forefathers fought bled and died, is
thus violated. Fathers and mothers,
think Of it! Our National taxes are
Sc As for every man, woman and
child in the United States; and while
your children are hard at work and
can scarcely feed and clothe them
selves, our Nv makers are engaged in
appropriating the government money
to Roman Catholic schools Congress
has recently appropriated $500, 900 to
the Roman Catholic C1urcn to educate
Indians, and calls it the Indian appro
%priatiOn.
1t is high time that both Represen-
tatives and Senators we're made to
understand that there are some peop'e
whose sentiments are to be thought of
beside GOmanists.- Chr .styGn I.0u1rpr