The Irish standard., 1897-07-24

IN our city public schools Ike Catho-
liss demanded that the. be given re-
dress and that prop" aud truthful tex =
bool. be provided, BAT The politician:
pad 10 attention TO tne'r 2lHim. How
ever, Bishop Hughes took up me mat
ter and urged his people TO put up an
independent ticket al the election which
was to take place in few weeks. He
was forced to this action as almost
| every candidate that had been nomi-
mated by the regular parties was pledged
against the Catholic interests.
-Four days before the election the
Catholics nominated Il ticket and 1t re-
ceived nearly $500 votes, and this
served to convince the politicians that
| the Catholics were not to be tritled with,
! and as a result, despite their pledges 20
the contrary, the assembly and senate
passed a bill for the creation of new
| system of common schools. The action
| OF Bishop Hughes caused him to be
enemies Of the church, bur 1t also caused
him TO be respected and feared by all
| classes who now came to understand
| that if he desired he could upset the
j! combinations and aspirations of even
| the most able politicians. In May, 1874,
the Native Americans" of Philadelphia,
| having burned and destroyed a Catholic
! church and convent and the houses Of
many Catholics, paid visit to New
York. The Native Americans" of New
York called a meeting in the city hall
park to receive their fellow blackguards
| from Philadelphia, and of course intend
ed to have a parade.
Bishop Hughes believed the time for
action had now arrived, and in the
Freeman's Journal announced that the
| burnings which had occurred in Phila-
! delphia could not be repeated in New
| York without the Catholics retaliating.
| 10 one who advised the Catholics to
preserve the peace, the bishop said: "If
| a single Catholic church were burned in
New York the city would become a Sec
| ond Moscow" He called upon the
demonstration. The mayor inquired il
the bishop was afraid that some of his
churches would be burned The isshop
answered by saying, that the Catholics
would protect their own churches, but
he was afraid some of the other
churches would be burned. He finally
convinced the mayor, and the demon
stration did not take place.
He wrote a Letter to Mayor Harper,
who was elected by the Native Ameri-
can party, which was virtually a chal-
lenge to the bigoted editors, James
Gordon Bennett and w. l.. Stone which
produced such an effect that within 4S
hours after it's appearance there was nc
longer outspoken talk of hostility
toward the Catholics.
In May, 1876, Buchanan, secretary of
state under President Polk, requested
Bishop Hughes to visit him at Washing
ton, which the Bishop did, and as a re-
suit two Catholic priests were appointed
as chaplains in the United States army
and both were Jcsuits
In lS47 he received an invitation from
John Quincy Adams, John c. Calhoun
and other prominent statesmen, 70
preach before congress in the capitol at
Washington. The bishop accepted, and
delivered an eloquent and scholarly dis
course on "Christianity the only source
of moral social and political regenera-
ton.
In 1850 he was raised to the dignity
of archbishop, and in 1854 he partici-
pated in the general council, which pro.
mulgated the true definition of the doc
trine Of the Immaculate Conception.
In 1858 he made plans for the erc..
tion of the most magnificent cathedra
in America, St Patrick's, and in August
of that year laid the cornerstone in the
presence of over 100000 people.
But it was during the civil war that
Archbishop Hughes rendered services .tc
his country which endeared him tc
every American who was not rebel OF
a bigot. In the first days of Lincoln's
administration the Archbishop was fire..
lueHlly CCuSulteu NY OeCleIify OF StlLe
Seward. In 1861 President Lincoln sent
Archbishop Hughes on a secret missio:
to Europe. BY his influence with the
emperor of France he prevented the
recognition of the confcderacy as a gov.
ernment, and this action on the part
OF France had its effect on the othe,
continental countries. He returned tc
this country in 1862, and President Lin.
coin had conveyed to the Pope an init
nation that he would be pleased tc
have Archbishop Hughes created car
dinal, but nothing came of the request
He died January 3, 1864, and resolution;
: of regret were passed by the state legs
!, lature and the common council of NeH
: York, and he was sincerely mourned y,
all New York, but more particularly by
!. the Irish element Of that city, to whom
. he ever was a father and guide Ht
was man who knew how to use hi:
talents, combined with his fearlessnes
and bcldness and as a result the Catho
lie element became much feared ant
respected by the other elements.
Indeed to his work may be attributed
| the monument nnsitiOn which &c oocu