The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1892-11-26


& Is there any one g. ainnple exclaimsg
Eour scandinavian neighbor, that Ia Is
mot convinced that the arm of the Roman
Catholic church has been lifted clan
destinely against the governor-elect?"
The IRISH STANDARD is simple enough
to believe that the Roman Catholic
Church either openly or Gland stinely,
through it's bishops or prieste, exerted
no influence Tor or against the guberna-
torial candidates in this or any other
state during the recent campaign. The.
concerted action" which can be taken
by the Catholic Church ID political at
fairs because Of its perfect Organization"
is all in the jaundlced Imagination Of
our Lutheran friend of The North. He
has not a particle Of fact on winch to
base his silly insinuatlons. We presume
the canting editor OF The North means
the "ConfessionaP when he speaks of the
secret channels at the disposal of priests,
whom he falsely accuses Of entering
politics in clandestine manner. All
the rigmarole about prelates issuing their
mandates to the priests on anything ex
cept church matters does not deserve q
moments consideration. The North
would make of the priests subservient
political machines to be used at the
sweet will of their ecclesiastical superb
ors. The priests owe obedience to the
bishops under whose jurisdiction they
are placed on in matters pertaining to
faith and morals, but in politics and
other secular affairs they are at liberty
to differ from their prelates and from
one another. They. are as free in this
respect as the Lutheran ministers, but
unlike the latter they never dictate
either openly or clandestinely to their
flocks how or for whom to vote.
Our Scandinavian neighbor goes too far
when it boastingly claims that the Luz
theran ministers owe no allegiance to
anybody but to God and their own con-
science. Don't they owe, allegiance to
their hocks in preaching to them the
Lutheran doctrine as prescribed by their
church? If they wander in their Prot
estant way from Lutheran orthodoxy,
can't they be expelled as heretics from
the Lutheran communionb 1t is not
true that Protestant ministers Of other
denominations do not owe allegiance to
their prelates, but we are not surprised
that The North makes such foolish as
sertion. 1t is in perfect keeping with
everything else proceeding from orr
Scandinavian neighbor when it blindly
misrepresents the Catholic Church.
Another blunder that The North I'M
Willingly commits is the following, which
is based on false premises: "When,
therefore, a priest addresses himself to
the public, it is not the Individual who
speaks, but the church which speaks
through him. The discipline OF his or
der and church is so we'll understood
that he is held responsible by the public
in general not as an individual, but as
the mouth piece of the whole church."
That sort of nonsense may be accepted
as truth by the unsophisticated patrons
of The North, but we assure it's pharisai-
caly editor that he is egregiously mis-
taken if he believes what he says in this
sweeping style of argument. We repeat
what we said in our previous article and
say that the Scandinavian ministers
should attend to their religious duties
and let politics severely alone as Catho-
lie priests do. They are not now IN the
old country whore the mass Of the peo-
pie, according to Samuel Laing, is in
state of pupilage, and religion Is a super
stitious observance OF church days,
forms and observances, with blind
yeneration for the clergy. Their med
ding in politics shows what they would
do here if they had the power.
They would establish state church and
every man not belonging to it would be
outlawed. So.
During the recent campaign the Luz
theran ministers both openly and clan
destinely urged their religious followers
in foreign jargon to vote against Dan.
w. Lawler because he was a Catholic.
They told their deluded focks that if
Mr.. Lawler was elected, Archbishop Ire
land would practically be the governor
and that the Catholic prelate would gan
control Of the public funds for parochial
school purposes. That is the unbecom-
ing work in which Lutheran ministers
were engaged, and any race or national
ity that allows itself to be bamboozled
by such unprincipled tools OF corpora
lions is scarcely fit to exercise the right
Of suffrage in q free country. II such
tactics are practiced in future elections.
III 10 IN, -