The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-05-10
WHAT is THE A. P "A?
Evangelist Leyden at City Hall Last Eve
ming.

Hall last evening to hear Evangelist
Leyden speak on" What is the A.P.A. ?
Is the Roman Catholic Church a safe
educator for Americans?" The audience
included many ladies. Many of our Ro-
man Catholic citizens were present.
After reading of the Psalms by Rev.
l. Luce and prayer by Rev. Mr.. Samson,
Mr.. Leyden began his address. He began
by calling attention to the fact that 119
years ago the United States were small
struggling country of about three mil
lions of people; that the country had
grown and prospered under the blessings
of good institutions, until now it en-
braced a half hemisphere inhabited by
a prosperous people numbering sixty
millions. 1t has q government of the
people, for the people, by the people.
The principles that had made all this
possible were the principles that had
been brought here by the Pilgrim Faith
ers, who fed from religious tyranny in
order that they might worship God free
and untrammelled, and that their child
ren's children might enjoy equal bles-
sings.
: Mr.. Leyden then went on to show why
in his opinion, the Roman Catholic rel
igion was ininical to these principles
and civil and religious liberty. He had
been priest and he knew, he said, all the
mechanism of the church, and that it
was impossible with the restrictions
made by the church for its people to be
truly loyal citizens. The first allegiance
of the Roman Catholic is to the Pope.
American institutions, and the public
school teaches the first duty of every
citizen is to God. without inteervntion of
priest or dogma, and next, to tine coun-
try, The speaker had never yet found a
Roman Catholic citizen, not priest, OPP
posed to the public school, but the whole
power of the church is opposed to the
public school and in favor of the pa
rochial school. The great difficulty with
nine out of ten Catholics is, that they
don't know their own religion. They only
know what the priests tells them and
what the priests endorse. He described
the different features of the Catholic
faith, and then explained what the OBJ
jects of the A. PA, or the American
Protective Association, are:
ITO preserve the Constitution of the
United States, in its original purity
2-To oppose by every honorable
means the union of church and state
$40 oppose all appropriations of pub
lie money and the use CT public property
for sectarian purposes.
40 preserve intact the public
schools of the United States.
5-To restrict all foreign immigration.
6-To exclude from public Office
all persons who do not owe their first
and highest allegiance to the United
States
7-The equal txation of all property
whatsoever.
Within these seven sections are en-
braced the entire principles of the A.
p. A., otherwise known as the American
Protective Association. The charges
against the A.P. A ARE
THAT it is un-American.
2-That it seeks to disqualify Roman
Catholics from public Office because of
their religious belief.
3-That it is political and meets in Sc
cret
4-That it boycotts Romanists.
5-That its mem bership is composed
of aliens.
6-That it is unconstitutional in that it
mixes religion and politics.
From top to bottom these charges are
untrue, said the speaker, and cannot be
borne out by evidence or the law and
constitution of the A.P.A. 1t is not
organized for the purpose OF overthrow
ing any mans religious altar No; far
from it. The A. P. A. proposes that all
rights, but will carefully watch that
no religious denomination shall have
special privileges or receive one cent of
public money. Furthermore, the A. PA.
advocates the taxation of all church
property; also that every private, edu-
cational or religious institution shall
open it's doors to state inspection,
including converts and nunneries.
The charge that the A. P. A lis secret
organi cation is true. Have not the A.
PA. as much right to exist as the Ma
sons, Odd Fellows and similar organiza-
tions You say, yes; but the A. T. A. is
a political organization. | deny this
charge, as being false and misleading.
The A. P. A. is not political party, or
owned by any political organization.
The A. p A. is composed of all shades of
Pol4uiool oSitOA3CA PooAioui anu 1oy al C1u
liens who love their country better than
party The A.P A. is secret only to
a class who are not loyal to American
institutions. 1t is a protective organiza-
ton to perpetuate and protect the insti-
buttons of this country from foreign and
un-American influences which eIsnow
seeking to cripple and destroy the Amer
lean pu bile school system.
In the short. time that the A. P. A. has
been organized, it has received into it's
ranks over one million five hundred
Thousand mem bers. the finest and no
blest representatives of American citi-
zenship 1t is true that no Roman Cath
Ollie is solicited to join the organization.
Why? When the Pope and Hi erarchy
of the Romish church cease to make
war on American institutions. and the
members of the Roman Catholic church
refuse to be controlled by their priests,
and cease to abuse their political priv
ileges as American citizens and to fur
ther the interests of their church as
factor in politics, and to rob the Ameri-
can people of their taxes, then, and not
till then, may the Roman Catholics
expect to be welcomed into the ranks
of the glorious A.P. A.
The lecturer was frequently interrupt
ed by loud applause. The lecture to-
night will be to men only, on "The