The San Francisco call., 1896-02-28
Half-Fare Tickets and Free
Passes on Railroads to
Ministers.
LAWS FAvORING THE CHURCH
The Catholic Clergyman Answers the
Champion of the A. P. A. on the
Third Proposition.

The following is Father Gorke's answer
to Donald NJ. Ross address at Metropoli-
tan Temple last evening:
To the Editor of the CJdlI-UEAR SIR: So the
farce has come to an inglorious end. ID. Ross
can gauge the height and depth OF the con
tempt with which the public regard him He
can also estimate how much his friends" love
him.
AS long as the munificent sum of two bits
stood between them and the sound OF his siren
voice these patriots remained religiously
away. But at the cry OF a free show the gar
rets ana the cellars gave up their 'hobos,
and the saloons along the water front mourned
their unwon;ed desolation.
As usual the performance was opened by
sherman. Last night l declared that Sher-
mans name could not be found in the Official
records OF the Mexican War. He. re-
plies by saying that he drew petl-
sion. Those who remember how camp-follow-
ers coffee-coolers, suffers and. scaralnouches
drew pensions are not surprised at Sherman's
confession, that besides being oarnacle on
half dozen secret societies he is also barna-
Let me repeat now my conviction that Sher-
man is as much a major as Lam general. He
knows nothing about the Mexican War. For
instance, he stated tnat were hardly any de-
serters from the volunteers in that war. yet the
facts are that out OF the .6725 men who de-
serted 1876 were from these same volunteers
Before Sherman pretends 20 sitin Judgment
on any case let him first provethat he is not a
fraud / hereby demand evidence that he is
entitled to the rank of major. l demand evil
dence that he was ever enlisted for the Mexi-
b. THE CATHODE RAY.
Sherman then began TO grow witty. He be-
iievad that If he had a cathode ray he could
see my in'ards full Of snakes. l am sure that
he Is able to con!ure up the reptiles. without
having recourse 10 anything so unsubstant!al
as the cathode ray. Mr.. Editor, T
nave no doubt that the Y rays which would
flow from sherman would possess a high poten-
tiality. Experiments show that the greater
the vacuum in the bulb the more powerful are
the rays. shermsn's cranlum is perhaps as
com plete vacuum as science could desire
p. Ross proceeded 10 eulogize the Judge"
whom ne b I'D selected. He honorable
MN. In TACT, both honorable men.
- Sherman. who declared that he would not
believe priest on oath. is well fitted by grace
and nature 10 act as judge in a case in which
priest is concerned. Ross whose only desire
search for g non-Catholic lawyer that he could
only select a man who would not believe
priest on oath Is sherman alawyer? Ny pri-
vRte opinion Is that he Is as much lawyer SIS
he Is d ms!oT No wonder Ross was willing 10
leave the decision to Sherman. Why did he
not publish the decision himself?
TIE INEVITABLE PLATE.
The most ludicrous portion OF the perform
snce wss the appearance OF the inevitable
plate While the tariff OF two bits existed the
patriots remained away. AS l mentioned, st
the CRY Of free show they came from all over
the City. Then The disinterestea patriots
who are, 10 use Mr.. Foote'S words, run
ming the show could not resist the tempta-
ton last attempt would be made to raise
me wind. and so Hubbell produced the plate
and demanded the nickels OF the audience. 1
regret 70 say that the patriots proved Obdurate.
Only the MUSES. can describe the result, and
my friend, the offce-bey, il on intimate terms
with the Muses.
Right then the basket is passed around
About the crowded hail.
For Donald Ross can't fight the Pope
On nothing but his gall:
so round about the basket went,
g patriots give
For some they dropped nickel in,
And some they dropped tear.
All few as are the wintry hairs
Upon old Shermans pate
The nickels dropped reluctant in
That gyrovagant plate,
For all tnIs patriotic crew
And though they hate the Man of Sin,
His Bishops, priests and all their kin,
Above, below, without, within.
WI fight them all through thick and thin,
They IL hold right on unto the tin,
And nothing give but wind.
The pretty little Interruptions which oc-
Cured during the performance were carefully
planned for effect Alaek and alas that they
fell so fiat. DR.. Ross should be very careful
not TO allude to the English language.
He claims to have taken high honors in
mathematics, but if we to judge of his at
tainments in that branch of learning by mis-
attainments in English grammar he does not
know the difference between the calculus AID
milch COW.
His attempt this evening was to prove his
third proposition, namely:
The Roman church and her ecclesiastics
have right 10 immunity from civil law"
This proposition means that the priests are
not bound by the civil law. Case tried to
prove this by doctoring Curry and changing a
yes into no. Ross took a shorter way ard
boldly put the proposition into the mouth of
the Pope.
Here let me remark that Ross tries again 10
crawl out OF the responsibility for these propo-
s1tlons. II he did not utter them how did they
appear in the Chronicle report of his speech
why were they printed in the American
Patriot2
In an interview published in the Examiner
OF November % Ross acknowledged that the
Chronicle summary was fair to him." He
cannot escape now by denying thai he never
used the propositions.
AS usual Ross made no attempt to produce
the Roman Catholic publication from which
he had pretended to read. True, he brought
basketful OF books the stage, but
the white marks on their backs gave
from he Public Library. i suppose he spent
the 5000 he speaks about in paying fines fol
retaining the volumes beyond the legal time
Inc history OF this proposition is similar to
that OF the other three.
The thirtieth proposition of the syllabus
runs as follows in Latin and in English:
xxx. Ecclesiae ct per- xxx. The irnmunif,
sonarum ecclesiastica- of the church and of &c
rum immnnitus a. iure clesiastical persons hac
CIVIL orium hablut lis origin in the civil law
You Will see at once, Mr.. Editor that thi.
proposition deals with question of history
What was the origin of those privileges known
as clerical lmmunities?
An immunity means in law the exemption
OF ecclesiastical persons and things from Ger
tain burdens Of state. The non-taxation o.
PAoptlty II hi immunity, the privilege
oy which ministers of the gospel are excused
from jury duty Is an immunity. The half-fart
tickets or free passes given on railroads OF
sireetears arc an immunity.
Now, in oldeh times these immunities were
lar more extensive than they are. now Aftel
the conversion of Constantine as Newman
says: Laws were passed in favor of Tho
church; Bishops could only be judged by
Bishops, and the causes of their clergy were
: Withdrawn from the secular courts
Their sentence was final, as If it were the
Emperors own, and the Governors of province,
were bound 10 put ii into execution .Iiti
p pants everywhere were allowed the liberty o.
referring their cause 10 the tribunal of the
Bishops, VINO, besides, became aFbitrators on 5
large scale in private qnfarels; and the public
even heathens, wished il So"
During the Middle Agds these privileges con
tinued and were some times d minis he'd some
times increased. They formed large ant
complex set OF rights running from the simpl,
and natural exemption from mill tary service
20 the privilege of coming money and exercis
ing many of the rights of feudaI sovereign.
When, therefore, we face this vast and com
e plicated question and inquire what was The
origin OF the clerical immunities, we canno
selVe II in u single sentence. Some. of these