The San Francisco call., 1896-12-29
PRINCIPLES OF
OUR GOVERNMENT
Rev. Father York e on the
Foundation of the
Constitution.
Its Elements Date Back as Far
as the Birth of
Christ.
An Answer to the Claim That 1t Is
Bui on Protestant Doc.
trines.

OAKLAND, CAL, Dec 28.-Under the
auspices of the Catholic Ladies' Aid So
ciety Rev. P. G. Yorke lectured this even.
ling at the Macdonough Theater on the
topic, "Was the Constitution of Our Coun-
try Founded on Protestant Principles?"
]. E. McElroy, on behalf of the ladies,
introduced the lecturer to the audience
and paid high compliment to the work
of the society. In referring to the lee
turer, he said: ''It has been stated that
the Catholics of Oakland are not in SYM
pathy with some OF the positions on
public matters taken by Father Yor&e,
and hope that you will take this oppor-
tunity OF convincing him that such is not
the case and that the day of victory in
this henighted city is not far distant
When Father Yorke arose he was
cheered for several minutes, and when si-
lence was restored he said: II am afraid,
ladies and gentlemen, that you are acting
as though you were all lined up behind
the backs of your library trustees. have
been told that the Catholics of Oakland
feel cold shivers down their backs every
time Father Yorke comes to- this side of
the bay, but l hardly think such is the
case.
~ am very glad to speak on behalf of
the Ladies' Aid Society, and to be able to
make use of the learned Professor Armes
and the Rev. DR.. Wendte for charitable
purposes, which have no doubt is new
experience to them and a new sensation
to Oakland TO learn that the poor ever
made anything out of them. / am always
GLAD to speak for the poor, but must
confess that feel an unboly JOY on this
occasion as [ have for my subjects the
learned Armes and the Rev. Wendte."
He then referred to the controversy over
the periodicals in the Free Library, and
reviewed the attitude of Professor Armes
toward it. Then he criticised DR.. Wendte,
ana in doing so said:
This subject is personal with me, as
you all no doubt remem ber last January
when several Protestant cergymen were
keeping me busy maintaining the dignity
and position OF the Catholic church
against their falacies, one DR.. Wendte
thought that the Protestant ministry were
not able to manage the case, so he threw
himself into the fight, stayed for few
rounds. tolerated my bad manners and
bad English, and retired gracefully.
DR.. Wendte lives upon fights. Ev-
cry month since last January he
has had one. on his hands. The
i
a sermon in which he advocated that il
would be good thing to kill off all the
incurabIes. A little later he got into a
controversy with some brother ministers
about Martin Luther and the other
preachers got mad because Wendte
wanted to take up too much time at their
celebration and it took them a week to
settle their differences, and then to make
matters worse, he sent in bill to the
society which they declined to pay.
Contin uing the speaker said:
When DR.. Wendte started his crusade two
weeks ago against the Catholics he certainly
| proved one thing, viii ch is, that ii he knows
! Catholic church it is his knowledge of the con-
| stitution, and yet he is striving TO show that
| the Declaration OF Independence is the flower
| of those principles which Luther originated
| and that it was not founded on Protestant
| dogma, but on Protestant philosophy. He
| also breaches that all our rights, our social
| and religious systems, in fact, our civilization
| has come to us from the sixteenth century as
| the result of German revolt which made
| mankind independent OF the Pope of Rome.
In truth, as every educated person knows,
| there is not single stone or bean or grain of
| sand in the structure upon which the Declara-
| ton of Independence is built that does not go
| much farther back than the sixteenth century.
| The basic principle of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence dates back TO the Babe of off3ethlehem
| and to the crib in the manger. l do not claim
| that the constitution of this country is
| i
| founded upon the universal principles that
] had their birth with the Savior.
Christ did not found the church to run poll
| tics, did not 60 Summing; did not dance in
the pulpit; did not subscribe; did not do any
of those things which characterize the evan
gellcal preachers ofto-day. He left on record
a saying which reads, Render unto Caesar the
things that are Cesar's, and unto God the
things that are Gods"
1t is not the province of a church to run
secular affairs; it is not her place to dictate to
| ftn norlf nr hn TpAf oI hr,N 90,
teach the great principles of morality. The
Catholic church has ever taught obedience to
properly constituted power, but she does not
say that you must cast your Government in
this mold or that, but yet all her doctrines
tend toward liberty.
When Christ and his disciples went forth
and proclaimed in the Roman empire that
they possessed something over which the state
had no control then that empire hurled itself
against the Christian church, and there stood
up against it fishermen, widows and orphans
and proclaimed that no one had any power
over them except such power came from God,
and sooner than betray their consciences they
suffered at the stake. Eventually they sue
ceeded and their religion became that of the
Roman empire. AS the church went out and
taught peace and laid the foundation OF
civilization that empire went to pieces.
Then began the reign OF republics Those
who say that the Catholic church does not ad
yocate and bring about liberty should look
back fifteen hundred years and they would
change their minds. In the seventh century
| the reigning Pope proclaimed the great doc
| trine that is embodied in our constitution
| that all governments derived their power from
| the just consent of the governed. In the
| eighth century the Franks asked the Pope
| if they had the right to depose their
| King. He wrote back that the people were
| not made for the King, but the King Tor the
| people. and that those who make Kings can
| unmake them. St. Thomas Aquinis left on
record document in which he was asked
! about rebellion; he replied that where gov
| ernment is administered for private ends it is
| the duty of the citizens to overthrow 1t and
! reassert their right TO govern themselves All
| the old scholastics held the same theory that
! power resides in the people and that all men
/ are equal, and all this went on record four or
| five hundred years before the sixteenth CEN
| tury.
| Every right possessed by citizen to-day
! comes down from those remote ages when the
| Catholic church dominated Europe. Without
revolution the Popes of Rome won many great
| battles in the cause OF liberty and right and
! they had none OF those kfngly vices which
| disgraced Europe after the reformation The
church was already to face kings and en-
! perors when the rights of the people were in
| vaded Pope after Pope died out of Rome be-
/ cause he would not betray his conscience or
| the church. and in every fight the church and
/ the Pope were against kings and despotism.
| Now we come 10 the rising star of the
| reformation. Let us look at Europe at that
/ time. Slavery had died out under the teach
L