The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-05-31
Catholics Don't Need Any Die
tation From Europe.
ARCHBISHOP IRELAND ANGRY.
Church in This Country Is Not Con-
trolled by Any Nationality.
The Next Presbyterian Assembly tn re
Held I'm Portland, oregon-DeIeEates
st Detroit Celebrate Memorial Day
by steamboat Excursion.

ST. PAUL, May S0.--The recent memor-
ial OF the Catholic emigration societies to
the pope. requesting the following Of na-
tional lines in the work among emigrants
in America has attracted great attention.
A Pioneer Press reporter today called upon
Archbishop Ireland and asked for state
ment regarding the matter. After indors-
ing.the truth of the Associated Press dis
patches from Rome. the archbishop said:
SO far as Mr.. Cahensiy. the bearer OF the Lu-
cerne petitions and DEGREES TO the Vatican, and
his friends and co-laborers are concerned, they
have well defined the object In view. They
mean 10 work for IL with might and main. IL 10
10 harness the church in America into the serv-
ice OF recently arrived emigrants from Germany,
the other Catholic interests In the country heing
spparenlly looked upon as quite secondary. Their
demands are based on the supposition that the
bishops and priests OF America are Irish, and
neglect the Germans.We have tolnote here the sr-
tuai or assumed ignorance of Cahensiy ~ 70 the
condition of German speaking Catholics In
America. In asserting that they are neglected
he does most positive injustice to the bishops
OF the country, whose constant effort has been,
and Is, to provide for all Catholics of forei gn
tongues priests of their own nationality.
This is simply unp ardonable, and all Amer
lean Catholics will treasure up the affront for
future action. We acknowledge the pope OF
Rome as our cheftsin in spiritual matters, and
we are glad TO receive direction from him, but
men in Germany or Switzerland or Ireland must
mind their own business and be still a. to ours.
Nor fs this the most irritating fact in this move
ment. The inspiration of the work in Europe
comes, the dispatches tell us, from q clique in
America Even II the dispatches had been silent
on this matter we would have known that this
is the truth For the last five or SIX years there
has been determined effort on the part OF car
tain foreign born Catholics In America.
priests and layInen, TO obtain con-
troll of Catholic matters in America The
Poles in the West, the French Canadians in the
East, and the Germans in the West have each
been at work I'm this direction. The Germans
sent in 1886 representative TO Rome to obtain
pro-German legislation. They have since
formed societies, notably the Deutsch- -kmeri-
kanischer Priester-Vereln. for this same pur-
pose. ! am quite sure / am right when
j bring home 20 this verein the
whole prompting OF the Lucerne proceedings.
This foreign movement in America is, it must
be well understood, confined TO a comparatively
small number. The great mass Of German
speaking Catholics, iaymen and priests, are to-
tally opposed to all plans and intrigues to retain
foreign ascendaney, and are most heartily
in sympathy with everything that 10 American
There is singular malice, too, in the attempt
to represent the Catholic church in America as
Irish. As q matter OF fact, bishops from Ireland
are few in the American hierarchy, aud those
few have spent nearly all their lives in
America and are thoroughly identified
with the country and its institutions
The bishops OF America are in heart
and soul Americans. They have no more idea
of making the church Irish than they hare OF
allowing it TO be made German. The mass Of
our Catholics today have been born In America,
and, whether their fathers were Irish or Ger
man, they are Americans, and they resent with
indignation any effort TO class them into Irish
or German or foreigners of any stripe.
What is the strangest feature in the Lucerne
movement is the impudence of the men in
undertaking TO meddle under any pretext In the
Catholic affairs of America We have Catholics
from all the countries OF Europe, yet they all
work together with signal unanimity and are
all united in patriotism as Americans as they
are in faith as Catholics. The promoters
of German foreignim in America are certain
journalists whose trade is gone If the German
language loses its hold, and certain priests, who,
coming to America in advanced years, never
learn much English, and scarcely know thss
there is in America country outside the Gel
man village or quarter surrounding their par.
sonage. OF course, when these men ara allowed
to work they have following who. mis-.
guided and misled, clamor againt
fancIed inferiority and fancied pesecution.
There is not the slightest possibility that any
result will come from this Iucerne conference,
except that it be this result to lead to the utter
extinction OF all foreign animus among.us. The
bishops of America are fully able to ward OF
all foreign invasions, and 10 maintain the
church on thorough American lines.
After speaking of foreign domination in
civil affairs as an excuse for this petition,
the archbishop concludes:
When we are more American in civil and
political matters there will be few petitions
l..
Lucerne for the foreignizing Of the Catholics of