The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1894-04-07


not allow their "angry passions rise" while
attending the discussion.
THE CATHOLICS IN POLITICS.
The Chicago Tribune of last Sunday
contains an editorial under the caption
of "The Roman Catholic Church in Poll
tics" and says it was suggested by re-
cent address of Archbishop Ireland in
which he inveighed against Irish nation
atty in American affairs as one of the
causes of A. P. A. hostility to the mem
bers of the Catholic Church who seek
political preferment at the hands of their
fellow citizens. The Tribune thinks
that Archbishop Ireland did not go far
enough and that he should explain why
it is that so few of the members of his
church are anything but Democrats.
1.-THE Republican parity" says the
Tribune, "has always been the very em-
boliment of liberty in all matters per
tanning to religious conscience and Sec
tartan creed; and it's ranks are made up
of portions of all the Protestant scots,
and non members Of any church, together
with a small sprinkling of liberal minded,
intelligent and American1zed Catholics
of the Archbishop Ireland sort. But if
that fraction of Republicans were ton
times as numerous as they are they
would still be handful as compared
with the almost solid mass which acts
with and runs the Democratic party in
the North"
The Irish alone are not the oaly Gath.
olics, according t. this Republican Or
gan, who cast their lot with the party Of
Jefferson and Jackson, but in point of
fact they are about the only foreign
Catholics who act with the other parties
into which American citizens are divided.
The Poles, the Bohemians, the French,
the Germans, the Italians, the Austri-
ans and the Swiss, who belong to the
Catholic Church, act solidly with the
Democratic party, while on the other
hand the votes of Canadian, English,
Scotch, Irish, German, Danish, Norwe-
gian, Swedish, Hollandish, Bohemian
and other foreign Protestants are divided
among all the parties. Why is it? asks
the Tribune.
The IRISH STANDARD is at a loss to OK
plain the matter satisfactorily. 1t knows
why Irish men have adhered with fidelity
to the Democratic party since the early
days of the republic and it also knows
that the Catholic Church has not influ~
enced them to vote one way or the other.
If there is any body of religious teachers
in this country who scrupulously re.
frain from talking politics to the mem
bers of their congregations it is the Irish
Catholic clergy. They never mention
politics in their pulpits, and rarely, if
ever, attend caucauses and conventions.
They may or may not vote on election
day, but none of the members OF their
hocks know how they vote. They are
simply American citizens who exercise the
right of suffrage as they see fit, and they
never dictate to laymen how they are to
vote We do not know how the priests
OF other nationalities deal with the mem-
bers of their church in political matters
but we know that Lutheran ministers
have appeared in this city and state in
the role of political mentors and that the
ministers of the other Protestant denom-
nations have frequently spoken on poll
tics from their pulpits. The Tribune is
mistaken when it insinuates that the
Catholic Church dominates the Demo-
cratic party for the purpose of ruling
this country and clutching almost
monopoly of official patronage. The big
gest man in the Catholic Church in Mn
nesota is Archbishop Ireland and he is
an ardent Republican from political con-
viction. If the church of which he is so
distinguished prelate is dominating the
Democratic party why is he Republic
can?
The antecedents of the two great par
ties in this country have undoubtedly
much to do with the political allegiance
of Roman Catholics to the Democratic
party. In former days, and even at the.
present day, the Democratic party has
been the party of tolerance and the rights
of man, while the Republican party in
the past and now has beer the party of
intolerance and the friend of the priv
legged few, to the detriment of the masses
OF the people. So far as the Catholics
are concerned it's members may be any
thing they please, politically. They are
at liberty to change their politics at any
tune and divide themselves among the
other parties whenever the policy OF the
Democratic party does not suit them.
Each Catholic citizen can vote with that
party which most nearly represents his
-. Il,<a ~, l,1so