The Irish standard., 1894-04-14
D ON. NE 1 Yl-SIMS.
The Debat6at the Lyceum Theatre
on A. r. Aism and the Catho-
lie Church.
AN ANIMATED DISCUSSION.
The Champion Of Bigotry ie
Knocked Out by the Eloquent
and Witty Sage. !

night with an interested audience from
all parts of the city who were anxious to
hear the debate on the A, r A. question
between Hon. Ignatias Donnelly and
Prof" Walter Sims. Every one present
got the worth Of his money in the enter
tainment which lasted for two hours and
a half. w. 81. Grimshaw presided and
before introducing the debaters said: Il
ask my Catholic friends to remember,
and my Protestant friends, and the mem
bers of the A. P. A. that the essence of
all religion is good conduct, therefore I
ask you to help me maintain good order
tonight. The speakers no doubt would
like plenty of applause, plenty Of hilarity
and good feeling, but no abuse"
Sims opened the debate in an address
of twenty. five minutes and made the fol.
lowing charges against the Catholic
Church:
First-The American Protective Asso-
citation accuses the Roman Catholic
Church of teaching that which is nn:
American.
Second-We accuse her of being the
enemy Of Professionalism, and Protestant
ism is one of the leading principles Of
Americanism, for every true American
citizen is Protestant, whether he be-
lieves in God, or the devil, or the angels,
or anything, or nothing; and it he is not
Protestant he is not good American
citizen, because he would not then pro-
test against Democratic misgoyernment,
or Republican ,nisgovernment, but would
have to drop into line and follow as a
partisan follows, led o. by political spec
ulators and tricksters.
Tuird-The teaching OF the Roman
Catholic Church destroys our confidence
in our fellow citizens who are Of that
ia tn. We believe that no good Roman
Catholic, according to the present doc
trines and teachings of that church, can
be good American citizen.
FOURTH am going to show you that
the Pope is in politics; that he is up to
his armpits in it and the A. F. A. are go
ing to try, if they can, to rescue him from
the briny deep of politics, and American
politics.
Fifth-We accuse the Roman Catholic
Church of being an enemy to education,
in that she seeks TO control education
that she may not educate.
Sixth-We believe the intention of the
Roman Catholic Church is in the name
Of God and Jesus Christ, through the
hierarchy, to rule this country.
Seventh-We charge her in her HER
srchy with plotting treason.
In rambling, disconnected manner
Sims went on mixing politics With re-
ligion and said in part: II have no desire
t , persecute or abuse man because of
his religious belief. But have this to
bring before you tonight; that wnen g
religious belief enters into politics, when
religious organization becomes p lit
icai organization, we have just as good
right to investigate the doings of that
religious organization, as my honorable
friend Donnelly has to give it to the
Democrats, as you will find he will, for
awhile, and then give it to the Republi-
cans, as you will find he will. When a
party enters politics it can no longer
draw the cloak of religion about it to
cover it's tracks. And will say to you
tonight that the Roman Catholic Church
is nothing if she is not one of our po}iti-
cal machines; and will say to you that
she has been the balance of power in
America for the last 10 or Is years. (Ap-
plause). And l will say further to you
that she has wabbled from side to side,
and that the priests and bishops have
sold her vote, as you would can of oys-
ters or bucket of soup (cries of "That is
lie.'' 'sName them"). Roman Catholics,
I want to speak to you--good Roman
Catholics want to see you have
all the liberties to 60 in and out Of your
church without fear of being molested;
and I will say to you tonight, that If an
attempt was being made to close, in Min
neapolis, a Roman Catholic church. I
would be one to 60 and stand on guard,
and to say, this church must be kept
open, and the people must be allowed to
come IN and go ont, and have their lib
erty-their liberty to worship without
dread or fear OF being molested.
The Republicans for years have been
accustomed to fish for this Roman Cath
Ole vote, and the Democrats have also
been accustomed to fish for it.; but the
Roman Catholic fish is very cunning
fish and won't bite the nook unless an
assurance OF payment is made. Hence,
at the last general election, the Roman
Catholic party took the country IN at q
view and discovered that it was going
Democratic, and the result was that she
went over to the Democratic side and
made it big Democratic majority, help
ing me and the rest to elect Grover
-.v< that dnoro,,