The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-03-20
TWO VIEWS OF PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS.
Father Mulligan Thinks
Catholics Demand Only
Their Due as Tax
payers, and De-
nounCes BigtorY.

The parJchial school bill was the theme
OF Father Mulligan's discourse at ST.
Mary's Hall. Hoboken, last night. About
eight hundred adults were present, one
third of whom were women, and all par
ishioners of the Church of Our Lady Of
Grace. The object of the meeting was 10
more fully enlighten the parishioners on
the aims Of the bill introduced In the last
Legislature affecting the parochia
schools. and which the Attorney Genera
declared uncon stitutional. That those
present We're in sympathy with the priest
was evident, as both Fathers Corrigan
and Mulligan were frequently interrupt
ed by applause. Father Mulligan was
formerly one OF the assistants of Our
Lady of Grace Church.
FATHER MULLIGAN'S SIDE.
Father Mulligaa sal q he was one of the
authors of the bill. In looking over the
Constitution of the State he saw that lib
eral provisions had been made for the
education OF all children between the
ages Of five and eighteen years. I'm
looking over Statistics | saw that there
were 400, 900 children in the State between
the ages of i've and eighteen years. and
of this number not more, on an average,
of 175,000, were taught il the public
schools. Looking over the reDorts of the
The State and the trainers Of
the Constitution evidently supposed
these were included. and questioned ed the
reason for there not being so. There was
at one time great deal of bigotry in this
State, but that is all dying out. We all
know that Almighty God mas given par
al r. + hQ irh In oAI fn n
and for that reason man has sacred con
tract to perform. Parents have right
to educate their children. Every nation
acknowledges this right. This State
acknowledge this right. The parents of
these 47,000 children have built schools.
They are not all wealthy, in fact the great
majority of them are poor. They main
tain these schools and educate their own
children. Yet the State makes provision
and allowance for them all. Why don't
these parents accept the States offer and
send their children to the public schools,
You may ask. Because, l answer, the
State adopted system they coulu not
use. IL was controlled by men OF narrow
views. Therefore. we educate our own
children, build our own schools, and sup
port them till bigoSry is not SO blind. We
will wait till people are more enlight-
ened, till they grant us justice. We will
bear an injustice, rather than cause
trouble.
"rhe public school system is isapparently
fair, but where was the inland town or
city that O Catholic could be trustee.
or even teacher in? 1t was this that
drove Catholics to build their own schools.
Men believed they had this right, and the
State acknowledged it by freeing the
schools from taxation"
Father Mulligan then went into an ex-
haustive explanation of the State school
r.. -A..sf l.
that all persons were taxed, and that the
Constitution intended all children be-
tween the ages of five and eighteen years
should have tine benefit of it. He said
the bill provided that the trustees of
corporation would only receive the per
capita for the children they actually
taught, the city would get the rest; the
teachers would be selected by the corpo-
ration trustees and must, Of course,
qualify according to law.
THEY PAY THE TAX.
1--WE don't ask for aims" continued
Father Muiligan. I'VE merely ask for our
own. We pay every year tax. 1t comes
from your pocket aud mine. We are able
and willing TO support our own schools,
and we will never yield them unless we
can have voice in the selection of the
persons who will educate our children
If pay tax | expect to enjoy the bene-
fits thereof. Ii mau has child he
ought to have some rights in the sub
ject Of his or her education. | do not
say the public school system is wrong,
but in arrangement it is defective We
have never objected to pay tax for the
education of children. None love edu-
cation and have done more for it than The
Catholic priests and the Catholic Church.
We came here, many of us, from the Old
World without means, but determined to
pave our ways to success. We built our
churches. and looking around at tine in
stitutions Of the country, we saw we
could not send our children to the public
schools, not because the system was bad,
but because we would have no voice in
their management. aud sooner than sub
nit we built our own schools and sup
ported them. MusE we continue this way
without demanding our righusf"
POLITICAL TURN.
Father Mulligap then referred to the
action of the late Legislature in reference
to the bill and the fear of Democrats Of
the measure that 1t would hurt ths party
He said eight men seemed to be The party
in the State, ana what they favored went
through and what they did not favor
was smothered. The Democratic party.
he said. WAS tough. A coal combine bill
couldn't kill it, he didn't think the race
track bill would kill 1t. but he thought
the bill that gave to one monop-
oily the right to nearly all the
streets in the upper part of the State for
electric cars would hurt 1t, as monopoly
could dictate the price of transit to the
poor man, while competition would bene-
fit him. AT all events. he said. he didn't
think the school bill would have killed
1t. He abhored and denounced such
democracy, and said it wasn't democracy
at all. II was demagoglsm. I'VE pay
taxes and we demand some return" said
the speaker We will not yield our God
given right to any State or any country.
The Constitution of the United States
and of the State guarantees us this
right"
At the conclusion of Father Mulligan's
address he was applauded. Father
Corrigan then stepped forward and
thanked those present for their warm in
terest in the matter The papers repre-
sented him as roasting some politicians.
but nowadays he thought it was the pol
iticisns who roasted the people. He said
he didn't speak disrespecttully of any
member of the Legislature. but thought
some Of them were weak in the knees.
Caniez of the hill were 6istribut ed