The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-02-25
Gard from Mr.. Dayies.

HELENA, Feb. 24.-To The INDEPENDENT:
/ don't know what may have been the OBJ
ject of your reporter in making the follow
ing statement in your paper yesterday:
Mr.. X. &. Davies thought that no foreign
er should hold a public Office, and foreign
immigration, he thought, WIS a menace to
the country and shouldb be stopped. lie had
recently read a controversy in a New York
paper, on the subject Of religion and ig-
norance. which pleased him very much, be
cause it stated that the Catholics wsre in
the majority in this respect. he dscried
the growth of ROmanism as a coming great
evil. but found satisfaction IN knowing that
very few of them were elected to coDgress."
There is not one word Of truth in the
above statement. ! did not say that no
foreigner should hold office. ! never
thought of such a thing.
did not say that foreign immigration was
a menace to the country and should be
stopped. ! did say that We were receiving
a large number of undesirable emigrants,
and that it should be restricted.
did not say that | had read a contro.
yersy in a New York paper on the subject of
religion and ignorance, which pleased me
very much because it stated that the Catho-
lies we're in the majority in this respect.
What ] did say was that the New York
World of Feb. Sth contained All article and
interview. evidently written by q Catholic,
with Bishop Ireland and Cardinal Gibbons,
in which they are reported to have stated:
.'Ihe church advances in consequence of
emigration and by the bringing up the rising
generation III TIE faith. Itcannot hope to
change the constitution which is essentially
! Protestant, nor to win al! the offices at
once, seeing that the major part Of its
army is composed of newcomers, and II
does not comprise within its ranks any of
49, -x.k ntA ~ Me-. .-1-I
about the school question Cardinal Gibbons
said. 1T is 4 very delicate question. / have
given it my most careful consideration
and confess ! am not prepared with IL soiu-
ton. IL is difficult to answer the argn-
ments of the partlsanB OF the neutral
schools: who sag I'VE annot teach one re-
igiou without doing harm to the DtherB;'
there is danger of our intentions being mis-
understood, and the question becoming en-
Filtered. 4 solution of some kind IL IndIS-
spensabie. but ] really cannot as yet see it,
did not attack tue Catholic church.
Still quoting from the same article, | stated
that ut the beginning Of this century there
were only 1900 Catholics in the United
States: that since they had increased to 49,
000,00, principally from immigration; that
both Cardinal Gibbons and Bishop Ire
land were Americans aud thought that the
church must recede and could not answer
the arguments in favor Of neutral schools
fEht All any one sEouiu hsh was I'll elua
Chance IN public schools. l spoke in az
! complimentary terms as / could Of thest
two men. aud / have as great q respect fol
the Catholic religion as any other, but n.
Cardinal Gibbins SAYS IN the report, "un
fortunately .he church il still ruled
by canons, and rules geyera
centuries old, and altogether incompatible,
with the rules of to-day. We. the American
clergy, living IN II new laNd. without tradI
| lions and in the midst of people young. &C
tive and enterprIsing, utterly unable to un
derstsnd anything Of these relics Of til,
past. which has nothing in common will
US. have suffered and continue to suffe
from these narrow rules
The article Ia full IL HI able discussion
of the orly question between the Catholi
church and orr organization. and that IL j
IS the true statement Of the belief Of tn
cardinal and ths bishop that the Catholi