The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1895-11-16
NOT a slEPIOuy THING.

Saa The Herald Is OF the opinion nat the
Irish Standard takes the "a. r. s5A. too
seriously It devotes too much val.
uable time and space to fighting asbig
shadow. An 81 ization Of the charac-
ter Of the a.. n. A. has no place in the
religious, political or social life OF this
republic The old time knoWnoth things
had d dozen plausible reasons for exist
ing where the "A. P. a. has one, and
neither of them ever did or ever will
take firm hold of any great or influential
fragment Of the American people. # the
Roman Catholic church ever should at
tempt, through its corporate represent
atives, to exert controlling influence in
American politics. large clerical as well
as lay-contingent Of that church would
join forces with non Catholics to thwart
any such purpose. And the same is true
Of any or all other denominations.
Church and state are divorced in the
United States not by statute law only,
but by the ingrained and inherent in
stincts and convictions OF an overwhelm-
ing majority irrespective Of deno1nina-
Neutrality-suspicious. .creeds. Sank Center
Heral dIis9afi}} 3f9k
But there are pestiferous insects which
are not at. all formidable and yet are
annoying. The A. P. A. aggregation
will undoubtedly die ere long Of its own
stupidity and for lack of a reason to ex-
list, but while+it does exist 1t sometimes
gets in the way, as for instance at
Omaha.
If by the Catholics exerting a control
ling interest in American politics IS
meant that it is the design of the Catho-
lie church to control this country, pol
itically, to the exclusion Of all other de-
nominations then the matter is too silly
for serious discussion. It is. not the
province of the Catholic church to inter-
fere with any mans political belief. It
has never done SO by practice or precept,
at least, it has never done so In this
country, and there is no evidence that
it ever intends doing SO.
The plea put forth by the A. P. A. IS
that there lisa deep-laid plot on the part
Of the church to in some way absorb
this country without the people know
ing It, and when it has been absorbed
to convert all the inhabitants to the
Catholic faith without the inhabitants
knowing it, or in case they should
learn Of the. process OF conversion and
should attempt to resist it, then to force
them into believing Catholic doctrines
whether or not they are willing to do So
Having got. all the people thinking one
way on religious matters, whether they
wanted to think that way or not, then
the next steps would be to abolish the
Office of president, and place in his stead
iii American pope, or more horrible still
an Italian pope, who would be brought
from Rome finished for the purpose.
Then our school system would be abol-
ished and q study Of the arts and sci
ences prohibited, for, Of course, Catho-
lies have no need of such things, and no
Catholic knows anything about them
anyway. Instead of all these little
prayer would be taught and the proper
way to yorship an image inculcated and
things would run along swimmlnglY
Converts and monasteries would dot the
land. and the teachers would be all en-
gagged in calculating that little prayer,
because nothing else would be useful.
Manufacturers and great enterprises
would either be forbidden or altogether
neglected, for what are they but works OF
the devil, and finally Arcadian simplicity
would rest upon the land, with this blight
upon it that the mind would be fettered
and The intellect clouded for the purpose
of giving the Jesuits better chance to
rule.
Such is but a little Of what every A.
p. A. man conjures up in his waking
moments, and Of course the nightmare
follows and he sees the horrors that will
rest upon this country his country, al
though most likely he is an unnatural
lied English or Canadian Orang eman-
when the Catholics are in full possess
sion and have everything running their
own own: And these Apes not only be-
#lieye; these things themselves, but Whis-
,,er them into the ears of all those who
will listen, for verifying is whispered,
az nothing dare be spoken aloud or
no act done in the open day as long as