Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-06-11
AN INDIGNANT ARCHBISHOP.


Archbishop ireland Indignant at the At
tempted Interference of Foreigners With
American Catholics.
ST. PAUL, Mimi, June 5.-Since the
publication of his interview regarding
the cable reports of the petition to the
pope for the districting of foreign inn
migrants in America on national lines,
Archbishop Ireland has had many tele-
grams and letters of Endorsement of his
views Yesterday he took up several
points not heretofore touched and ex-
pressed himself very freely and en-
phatically.
The prelate said that as the details
of the plot were unfolded to American
Catholics or Protestants the feeling
could not but grow in intensity. The
whole proceeding was an insult to
American nationalism and revealed the
fact that certain Europeans imagined
America to be a sort of African Congo,
without autonomy of its own and in
capable of life without a constant ap-
plication of European galvanic bat
teries. Catholics were mortified that
their religion should be made the occa-
sion and the pretense for this in
solent foreign intermeddling. eff
things are allowed to go much
further" he continued, I'VE may
soon expect a cablegram announc-
ing that Herr Won Schloezer has
claimed, in the name of the Kaiser, a
right to veto our appointments to a
dozen episcopal sees in the United
States Archbishop Kalzer, 1 am sure,
is personally innocent of alliances with
the representatives of Prussia, and will
take an early occasion to warn this
gentleman that his cordial approvals'
of American matters must be dispensed
with In the future. But the audacity
of the Prussian is to be noted all the
same as an indication of foreign thought
and action in our regard The con-
tagion spreads, and to an extent that
compels smile of amusement in the
midst of our indignation and anger.
So long as the church in America is
fit only to be portioned off to
the care of foreign countries, why
would not any foreigner, however
small he be, ask for a piece? Hence
we have NJ. Mercier, minister of the
province of Quebec, a mere colony of
England, who happened to meet in
Rome Herr Cahensly, running to the
vatican and praying in the name of his
little constituency that a Canadian
bishop be named for the see of Ogdens-
burg, in the state of New York. NJ.
MERCER, we must say, is modest He
should, when once started, have aimed
at higher game and asked that the see
of Boston or New York be handed over
to his patronage.
''But appetite comes in eating and
who knows what monsieur might at
tempt another time. We can easily
picture a further extension of this for
eign mbition to rule Catholic officers
in America In a few years the ecclesi-
astical map of the country would show
the fingerings of every foreign prime
pality whose emigrants chose to touch
our shores. New Orleans, we imagine,
would suit Italy; Bohemia might be
satisfied with Chicago; Detroit. as a
matter of course, would go to Posen
and Gnesen in Poland, ETC., etc.
Possibly few sees, James
town or Charleston, would be left to
Americans This attack of foreignism
upon the church in America is killed by
its audacity. So long as it worked
stealthily by secret embassies and back
entrances, it was dangerous and doing
harm. 1t has now entered into open
combat The outcome will be most
favorable to church and to country.
Catholics in America, whatever the
race from which they spring, will be
more vigilant in the defense of their
rights both as Catholics and as Ameri-
cans.
81 have seen the official denial of the
representative of the Deutsche Ameri-
kanischer Priester Verein or German
clerical society of America disclaiming
all knowledge Of or cooperation in the
Cahensley memorial What this repre-
sentative will not deny is that the Ca
hensley memorial is nearly word for
word the document which the St Louis
German priests, the founders of the
verein, sent to Rome in 1886, by Rev.
Abbelen, of Milwaukee; nor will he de-
ny that few days ago the Amerika, a
paper which is fed on verein food, de-
clared openly that it will ceaselessly
work for Cahensley's programme"