Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1896-04-23

/ will endsavor at all tinelko pIac.
the political positions OF Ms Gov
ernment in the hands Oh Protes
tants. To all Of which lde mos
solemnly promise and ear, %
help me God.
IL this free America th1t such an
organization as this can lnen ouI
midst ? And is it necessaIy II this
the enlightened nineteen century
for Roman Catholics to pologizs
for serving God in any manner they
see fit? l stand upon th. door oi
this House Roman Cath Iic born
and bred and proud of and
deny the right of any tesst oath.
bound organization TO co., 5sfors
the legally chosen representatives
of the great American people and,
by its dark deep and insidious meth.
DDS, seek to deprive me and the
members of the church to which !
belong of the honest rights and
privileges of American citizenship.
These same men, if war should
break out tomorrow with England
on account of the Venezuelan mat
ter, or with Spain on account of
the Cuban resolutions, would be
found taking the steamer for the
British provinces to put themselves
under the protection Of Queen Vic
toria and the British flag, as their
fathers did in the war of the rebel
lion.
challenge any member of the
A. P. A. organization or any men,
Der of this House in sympathy with
it to name any instance in the his
tory of our country where the Ro-
man Catholics, either Individually
or collectively, have been false or
recreant to their trust.
Are not the Roman Catholic peo-
pie of this country entitled to fair
treatment and consideration ? Was
not the banner of the cross the first
symbol of religion raised upon these
shores !? Was not the holy sacri-
flee of the Mass the first form of
worship paid to Almighty God here,
and were not the hymns to the Bles-
sed Virgin the frat nntes of music
waited from one end Of this broad
land to the other
Was it not the genius and ener-
gy of q Roman Catholic-Christo-
pher Columbus-that opened up
to the Old World the treasures and
resources Of the New? And only
few years ago, on the occasion of
the four hundredth anniversary of
the discovery of America, did not
the people Of two worlds, without
distinction Of race or country, join
warmly and sincerely in honoring
the name of this great Catholic?
All over America the people with
one accord commemorated the event
and honOred the discoverer.
The historian, the artist, the poet
rivaled one another in their desire
to do honor to the memory of that
great man. Statues and monu-
ments were erected and pageants
and professions formed in every
part of our glorious Union.
Every city, every State, and the
nation itself appropriated thous-
ands and thousands of dollars and
We'd with one another in organized
movements to do honor to this great
discoverer.
Thus we have seen the celebra-
tion Of the discovery of Christopher
Columbus, who was the true off
spring Of the ages Of faith of the
undivided church Catholic, enlist
ing strongly and powerfully the
sympathies Of the great American
people. How grandly before our
eyes loom up the record of the dar-
ing deeds and heroic martyrdom OF
the Catholic missionaries. Their
noble sacrifices will forever stand as
a beacon light for the admiration
of all mankind. Look at Pere
Marquette. Look into the life oi
the brave priest whose mobile face
now gszes on the multitudes as
they throng to and fro through
Statuary Hall and reflect on the
trials of that great discoverer and
missionary, who labored far from
the haunts of civilization, with nc
hope of personal reward and ami
mated solely by desire to promote
the cause of the Almighty and His
nhuroh