The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1896-02-28
What A. p. A. ism Means.
The Baltimore News says editorialIy:

The Baltimore Ne,Os says editorially
cit is reported from Washington, in
connection with Wisconsin's contrib
ution of statue of the great priest ex-
plorer, Father Marquette, to the collec-
ton in the Statuary Hall of the Cap
itOl, that "the A. p. A. men are highly
incensed by the placing of the statue
of Jesuit, clothed. too, in the fashion
of his religion, in the National Capitol
among the heroes the nation." In
this news there is nothing at all sur
prising; yet thoughtful people should
pause to realize what such an attitude
means. There are many people who
are not in sympathy with the A. P.
A, but who have vague general idea
that the Roman Catholic Church has
too much power, and that it would do
no particular harm to have hostile
body like the sO-called American Pro-
tective Association to keep it in check.
Those who take this goOd-natured view
of things would do we'll to consider
what the cultivation of proscriptive
antl-Catholic spirit means.
'As long as the A. p. A. directs it's
attention to questions like public
school regulation, or the exemption of
church property from taxation, it NAV
seem to be justified by the apparently
practical nature of the things dealt
with. 1t may profess to be animated
by no spirit of religious intolerance or
unreasoning dread, but to be dealing
with difficulties actually confronting
us, and on purely secular and rational
grounds. All this, to be sure, is decep-
tive; the spirit in which the attacks
are made is not that of the sober
minded and intelligent citizens of a
free country. but would befit rather
the bigoted and narrow-minded inbab-
itants of land whose liberties had
been but recently and partially
wrenched from some overshadowing
power, and which lived in constant
dread of falling back entirely into a
state of political and religious servi-
tude. Still, as long as they keep di-
rect religious prescription out of sight,
many good people, as we have said,
fail to recognize the dangerous nature
of such associations as the A. P. A.
Anything, therefore, that brings out
the true character of the A. p A. move
ment should be welcomed. for ills
quite certain that the sooner this is un-
derstood the sooner the agitation will
be brought to an end. In our own CITY.
it seemed pretty clear few weeks ago
that it's proscriptive influence had been
brought to bear to prevent The confirm
alton OF one of the Mayors appoint
ments; it is only to be regretted that a
stronger manifestation of it did not
take place, so that the general condem-
nation might have been more clearly
marked. When the members of this
reactionary society object to the plac-
ing in the Capitol of statue of one of
the great heroes of American explora-
ton because he was Jesuit, the fgnor-
ance and barbarism of the movement
became manifest. Marquette did his
brave and splendid work of explora-
ton in the Jesuit's garb, and the peo-
pie of the State of Wisconsin, recog-
nizing him as the most conspicuous
character in their history, wish to have
his memory perpetuated by statue
which shows him in his habit as he
lived. If the A. p. A. people are
afraid that the presence of such statue
in the Capitol may serve to remind
people that grandeur of character and
greatness of achievement are not limit
ed to any one sect or group of sects,
they will find that such medieval mar
rowness and cowardice attract little
sympathy in our time and country.