Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-08
SECULAR SCHOOLS.
A League Formed to Maintain
Their Purity.
ENCROACHMENTS OF THE POPE
First Address Issued to the American
People-Tesas Schools in Danger.
Efforts to Check the Influence OF the
Church of Rome Upon the Civil and
Political Institutions of the
United States.
:NCROACHMENTS OF THE POPE
Special to the Gazette.

Special to the Gazette.
SAN ANTONIO, Tex, Oct. 2-This eve
ming at the Odd Fellows hal on Houston
street, in this city, a meeting was held Of
the washington League" the newly
elected president. Mr.. G. Q. A. Rose, il
league adopted the following address to the
people of the United States, which sue
cinctly describes its aims and objects:
WASHINGTON LEAGUE.
Address to the People of the United States.
We American citizens and Others, com.
prising the council and advisory council OF
the Washington league, an organization re-
Gently formed in San Antonio, Tex, for the
objects herein stated. do issue this. our
first address, asking for it the profound and
studious consideration of the American
people.
The following seven propositions we de.
clare to pe true:
l. 1t is the policy the church of Rome to
combine church and state wherever prac.
ticabe.
9 1t is the purpose of the church OF
Rome to join religious and secular educa-
tion in the public schools of the United
States, and to divert public moneys to its
use and control for sectarian ends.
3. If the Sisters of Charity, a we'll
known religious order of the Roman Cath
Ole church, wear their religious dress, ro-
saries and crucifixes while acting as
teachels in the public schools, they are
teaching religion by object lessons, and are
there for that purpose. And if they divest
themselves of their religious dress and
symbols they are, by their vows, still COM
PEELED to assist in the propagation of the
doctrines and dogmas of their church, and
are therefore ineligible as teachers in the
pubic schools.
J. 1t is the intention of the state of Texas
in its system of public school instruction to
supply secular education only.
). Organized opposition is necessary to
remove the question of sectarian religion
from American politics and to combat sue
cesSfully the encroachmentS of the church of
Rome upon the civil ana political inStitu-
tions OF the United States.
6. 1t being American. consistent with civil
liberty and good government, religious and
all other institutions of the United States, of
right should be open at any time to the in
spection and supervision of the officers of
the government, appointed for that pur-
pose
Z. That as the United States guarantees
liberty in matters of conscience, one denom-
nation or sect, equally with another, is ell
titled to the full protection of the laws in
following their religious belief.
In accordance with the fifth proposition
we submit the following:
PREAMBLE.
Whereas, the pope of Rome, Leo KILL,
claims temporal authority aud Jurisdiction,
not only in Italy. but in the United States
and all over the world; and,
Whereas. such claim antagonizes the first
principles of American civil and religious
liberty, and is constant menace TO Ameri-
can institutions: and,
Whereas, Washington. the father of our
country. in his farewell address to the
American people, warned Americans to re-
main free from all foreign entangling ALI
anceS; therefore. be it
Resolved, that we, as American citizens
and residents of the United States, without
respect to place of birth. creed or religious
opinion, hereby form defensive society to
protect our institutions from the agrees
sions of the church of Rome, aud we pledge
ourselves to endeavor to secure legislation
to prohibit any and all recognition OF the
pope's temporal power and dominion in the
United States.
In agreement with the foregoing PROPOSE
tions and preamble, we have formed for our
government the constitution of the Wash
ington league, the objects of which we de-
clare to be:
The preservation of American civil and
religious liberty and the prevention of all
foreign entangling alliances.
1t is not our purpose to misrepresent in a
single particular the policy and purpose of
the pope and his agents and representatives
in this country Such policy and purpose
have been frankly avowed time and again,
and, on the line with both, attempts have
been made in Boston, New York, Pittsburg,
St. Louis, San Antonio and many
other cities to introduce into the public
schools Roman Catholic teachers, as such,
whose compensation was to come from the
state.
We maintain, therefore, that the policy
and purpose of the church of Rome, in the
particulars recited, are subversive of the
most cherished and sacred prerogatives of
American citizenship, namely: The right
to choose in all matters of conscience, and
to remain free from taxation for the sup
port in America of sectarian religions.
Believing, then, such ticaon as we have
taken urgent and necessary, we alcl upon
Ill Americans and others who are op-
posed to foreign interference IN purely
American affairs to join hands with us
and speak in no uncertain
Rome will respect, large, patriotic and
powerful organization, determined TO make
effective resistance to claims which, if sue
,essful, would mean the throttling of
American civil and religious liberty, the
overthrow of our institutions, and the set
ling upon American soil OF tyranny
which has rendered noxious and sitting
many of the fairest countries of earth.
Challenged by the Roman Catholic church,
which has made an attack in Texas upon
,ur public schools, to come to their defense,
his is our answer. And as the church OF
Rome Is seeking in all the states to supplant
he American system of free school educa-
ion with her own, should there not be, in
Ill wisdom, an advance ali along the line
against her arrogant and intolerable preten-
'ions2 What say you, American citizens?
Are you not with US in this movement af-
Getting interests of incalculable Importance,
lot only for to-day, but for generations
lencel If you are we earnestly urge upon
rou the extreme value of cooperation with
is at this time. in the task we have under
AIKEN of severing, once and forever, all
between the church OF Rome
md the public institutions of this our fav-
,red, free and beloved country.
G. O. A. ROSE, Chairman,
o. B. LOVE, Secretary