Los Angeles herald., 1890-05-28
THE BENNETT LAW.
Catholic Societies Demand
it's Repeal.
Church and State at Variance
in Wisconsin.
Fiery Speeches Made in the COnven-
tiOn at Milwaukee.
German Catholics Up in Arms Against a
Measure that Restricts Their
Religious Liberty.
Associated Press Dispatches. |


MILWAUKEE, May I'm the conven-
tion of the German Catholic societies
this morning several speeches were
made. H. j. Spanhorst, of st. Louis,
said the Bennett law presented a politi-
cal question the Catholics could not
ignore, because it directly affected the
welfare of their institutions.
Bishop Walsh, in an address, referred
to the Bennett law. He upheld the
right of the church to go into politics
when its interests were attacked.
He was followed by Bishop Katzer, Of
Green Bay, who attacked the Bennett
law in the bitterest manner. He said
the law practically denied the right of a
child to obey it's parents, by putting it's
claims before those of the parents. "The
friends of the law" he said, "tell us that
child has rights which the state must
see accorded it, but the parents have
more interest in the child than the state
The governor and his little German boys
viii be as we'll taken care of by their
parents if the state will let them alone"
AS the bishop proceeded he warmed
hearers to their feet by the intensity of
sarcastic, by turns. "The matter of
teaching English they tell us is what
we are fighting" he exclaimed, "but
this is not so. English is now taught in
our schools, but if the state has the right
to tell US we must teach English, it will
soon be telling us what we shall eat and
what shall be on the table for the family
dinner. They are all of class, these
laws, whether in Wisconsin, Illinois or
Massachusetts. They attempt to inter-
fere with personal and parental rights,
and, carried out to their logical conclu-
sion, would be very dangerous to the
church and society.
"This Bennett law" the bishop con-
tinued, "was conceived in the minds of
free-thinkers and those opposed to the
Catholic church and her schools"
He was told recently, he said, by
Mason, that the Bennett law was first
suggested by Masons. The man said,
81 could prove it to you if did not put
so high value on my head, that the
Bennett law was first agitated in the
grand lodge of Masons in the state of
Wisconsin,"
The applause which followed this
statement was deafening, and the bishop
had to stand fully half minute before
he could continue. In closing he urged
his hearers to oppose measures like the
Bennett law, to the best of their ability,
and stand firmly by the church.
At the afternoon session the following
resolutions were unanimously adopted :
In view of the attacks upon the most
sacred rights of parents, which have re-
Gently been begun by nativists and ad-
herents of paternalism, we are COM
PEELED to present to the people OF this
state the following declaration:
l. By divine and natural law parents
are entitled, and in duty bound, to pro-
therefore we claim for parents the right
to select such schools for the education of
their children which they are convinced
will best promote the welfare of their
children.
2. In case parents neglect this duty
the state is justified in compelling them,
by appropriate legislation, to discharge
their duGy. The state may also, when
parents are unable to provide for the
education of their children, assume this
duty. From this results (a) The justi-
fication of compulsory school attendance
under the aforementioned conditions
(b) the necessity for public schools; (c)
the right of general taxation for their
support.
3. We declare that though we make no
claim upon the public schools for the
support of parochial and other private
schools, yet, as citizens and taxpayers
we insist on our right-even at the risk
OF being decried as enemies of the public
schools-to protest against any misuse
and waste of this fund.
4. AS we make no claim on the sup
port of the state for our parochial and
private schools, we deny the state the
right to exercise any control over our
schools; we only, then, grant it the
right of interference with the manage
ment of private schools if these collide
with public order or the law of morals
5. Because the so-called Bennett law
violates the above mentioned principles
and unnecessarily and unjustly curtails
our religious liberty, we hereby declare
ourselves for the unconditional repeal OF
the law. Whatever good there is con-
tanned in this law has been long age
offered by other laws, and therefore, we
cannot recognize from it any other in
tention but this: To compel citizens
who provide for the education of their
children to adopt the methods of those
who hate their religion and nationality
6. We, therefore, also declare that
without regard to former party connec.
tions, we will only vote for such candi-
dates who pledge themselves to work
for the repeal of the law.