The San Francisco call., 1896-02-04

this town to attack or annoy our Protestant
feliow-citizens. Since the foundations OF this
City we have lived in peace and harmony and
we are the last to wish to break the tradition OF
peace and harmony now. But there is no
fair-minded Protestant n San Francisco to-day
VINO does not approve of our policy in defend
ing ourselves When Catholic priests take to
the platform and begin TO slander Protestant
women by raking up old scandals against
Protestant churches and to advocate the ex-
cluslon of Protestant men from office because
their fathers prosecuted our fathers then il will
be time for the respectable element of this City
to cry halt'to the Catholics. But if such a time
should ever come that any misguided
Catholic. priest or layman should embark
on such "a career OF slander then
there Will be found none more anxious to
crush out such crusade than the Catholics
OF San Francisco. But as long we act on
the defensive and protect our honor and the
honor OF those who are near and dear to us we
are not to be cowed nor yet to be silenced be-
cause newspaper is afraid of losing q few
n1ckels The millionaire patrons of that jour-
mai may not feel the necessity of our course,
but the poor, the workingman who has been
thrown out of employment the girls who have
seen their positions jeopardized by the de-
mands OF gang of foreign conspirators, they
feel 1t; and to them and to all true Americans
appeal tonight to judge between the Chront-
Gle and me.
Hence, ladies and gentlemen. when sneak
OF Protestantism and the doctrines of Protest.
an tlsm let me not be considered as making an
attack on our separated brethren. Though We
worship at different shrines they are still our
brethren, ana we have no right to insult the
belief OF any honest man.
1t is true have been accused in the public
prints OF not saying nice things about them
Laughter and applausel. have been told that
the whole Protestant world in San Francisco.
has Its mouth wide open for the nice sweet
things would put down that mouth. But
deeds speak more than words. When the time
comes tnat We can go to the Protestant and
say, "Iou are nice loyal man, and then
STICK him with a dagger; when the time comes
that like the snake, we are to smooth over our
victims with saliva, then it will be time for me
to waste my time with saying nice things about
Protestants, which they don't want and which
would be valueless 10 them and to any other
honest man.
But what l wish to draw your attention to
this evening is the fact that the result of the
Protestant Reformation was a church divided
in many parts.
This IS very peculiar thing-that all
Protestant churches believe in the right OF
private judgment; believe that man should
have an open Bible and that he should search
II intelligently and should draw his own re-
Hgion therefrom.
The result of all this has been to make men
indifferent. Sensible men'who have made sue
cess OF business and who think for themselves
look upon all these churches which contra
olct each other and they come to the conclu-
sion lnat either they are all false that one
relglon is as good as the other. No country
mas shown this tendency more than our own.
Out OF our population of 65,0O0,00O people
apoul 4oOoo, 900 do not pretend to belong to
any church. Only 20, 600, 900 are members of
churches In the United States, and half OF
these are Catholics
so In looking to see what has been the re-
sult OF private judgment and an open Bible
winch should be Protestants by descent or
training only 10, 900 900 of them believe il,
the dogmas OF the churches of our fathers.
AS matter OF fact, all over these United