The San Francisco call., 1895-12-21

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To the Very Rev William Stars. Administrator
of the Diocese Of Neao York-VERY REV. AND DEAR
SIR: The President of the United States has
put into my hands the invitation to at
tend the obsequies of the late Archbishop
Hughes with which he was favored by you.
Whileit was impossible for him to accept the
invitation, he has, nevertheless, earnes tly
desired to find some practical mode of mani
Testing the sorrow with which he received
intelligence of that distinguished prelate
demise, and his sympathy with his country
which the deceased presided, in their great
bereavement. / have, therefore, on his behalf,
to request that you will make known in such
manner as will seem to you most appro-
acquaintance in the earliest daysof our coun-
try's present troubles, his counsel and advice
were gladly sought and COR tinually received
by the Government on those points which his
position enabled him better than others to
consider
At a conjuncture of deep interest to the
country the Archbishop, associated with 9th
ers, went abroad and did the Nation a service
there, with all the loyalty, fidelity and prac-
tical wisdom which on so many other occa-
sions illustrated his great ability for admins
tration.
Humbly hoping that the loss which the
church and the state have sustained in the re-
movel of the head of your archdiocese may,
through the blessing OF God. be repaired SO
that what has been an unspeakable gain to him
may not be a permanent cause of sorrow to
them, have the honor to be, respectfully,
your oDedlent servant,
WILLIAM H. SEWARD.
And yet we are asked to believe Mr. Editor
that this great man and all like him have
sworn to destroy and bring to naught all
heretical governments.
may conclude this portion of my letter by
quoting the solemn declaration of the Arch
bishops, Bishops aid clergy of the United
States assembled in council at Baltimore in
1884. In their pastoral letter they set forth
the eternal truth of Catholic loyalty, so that
ali who read may understand:
both with the laws, spirit and institutions of
the Catholic church and with the laws, fnsti-
tutions and spirit of our country, and we en-
phatically declare that there is no antagonism
between them. The Catholic finds himself at
home in the United States, for the influence of
his church has constantly been exercised in
behalf of individual rights and popular liber-
hnds himself more at home than in the Catholic
church, for nowhere else can he breathe that
atmosphere of divine truth which alone can
make US free.
''We repudiate with equal earnestness the as
sertlon that we need TO lay aside any of our de-
votions to our church to be true Americans; !;
the 1nsinuation that we need to lay aside any
st1tutions to be faithful Catholics.
ITO argue that the Catholic church is. hostile
to our great Republic because she teaches that
there is no power but from God; because,
therefore, back of the events which led to the
formation of the Republic she sees the provi-
our country's laws the authority of God as their
sanction-this is evidently SO Illogical and con-
Trajectory an accusation that we are astonisned
to hear IL advanced by persons of ordinary in
telligence. We believe that our country's he
roes were the instruments of the God Of ma