The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1898-06-03

off of those brave boys in blue, but sad
der still shall it be for Spain before this
county shall feel that it has paid fitting
honors to its martVred dead.
Remember the Maine" shall be the
country's slogan until the spirits CT those
murdered ones shall no longer haunt,
with their phantom forms, the waters of
Havana, until their cries for vengeance
shall no longer be mingled with the signs
and sobs of the waves as they beat and
break on the shores. That Spain shall
feel the vengeance of the Nation, that
she shall! fully receive the rewards of her
dastardly deed, is the determination of
every true American. And the roar and
thunder of the guns and cannons
shall not cease to echo and re-
echo along the shores of Cuba
until the last vestige of Spanish power
shall be blotted from that beautiful isle
for evermore. That is what America
shall do, and in the doing she has peo-
pie united as never before in tie same
determined purpose, inspired with the
same noble sentiments, fired with the
same heroic thoughts and enthused with
the same flag of this mighty union of
States.
But notwithstanding this, there is
disposition IN some quarters but happily
10 not many, of casting doubt or sus-
picion on the patriotism Of many true,
loyal citizens of this land of freedom, BE-
cause they happen to worship at tx e
same altar as do those with whom We
wage war. 1t is unnecessary to defer
the stand that Catholics of America have
taken in this war-it is unnecessary to
offer any apology for their actions and it
is unnecessary to seek to down sucn
suspicion should it exist in any preiu-
diced mind.
But if it were, we would remind him
of the part that men of Catholic faith
| have played in every warlike tragedy in
| which this country has engaged-we
would carry him back to the battle fields
of the past where he might behold the
blood of our heroes running in stream
lets down the hillsides and as it ran he
might see commingling together the life
blood of the Catholics and that Of their
fellow soldiers. We might listen to the
| shrieks of the dying and we could hear
| Catholic prayers being sent up to God
asking for mercy. We might hearken to
the shouts of the living as they bravely
pressed forward toward the foe and we
/ could catch thu patriotic huzza of the
| Catholic soldier as he rushed onward to
| death.
And so it has been Ia every war and on
every battlefield in which this country
engaged. And go it is and shall be in
this righteous war in which we are new
engaged.
| Catholics still stand on the same COM
mon ground of loyalty and patriotism
still have the same con- mon love and de-
votinn to this land of the brave and the
free as doe his fellOw-countrymen what
ever be his creed or his religion.
We need only tell you that am ong tht
245 souls that were treacherously done
| to death in the waters of Havana. 19s
were Catholics, and we take a pardon
able pride in saying that they were prac
tical Catholics, for out Of those 100, IA
were accustomed every month to prac
tice the highest form of Catholic devo
| ton through the ministrations Of Cath
: Ollie chaplain. And we do not hesitat
| to declare that among the null
titudes of brave men who are nov
nerving themselves for battle, who hav
| willingly taken upon themselves tn
hardships and dangers Of war may b
found Thousands of that same faith. An
we may go further and state that man
thousands Of these learned their earl
lessons of the love of country, of the de
votion to it's institutions and OF the pa
riotism which tells them TO Uphold at an
Icost that country and those institution
in the schools that the Catholic churc
builds and maintains throughout th
land.
In fine, we declare, like all true Anne
leans, our staunch, loyal, unfiir CHR 6 d.
yotion to our country and it's fag-w
stand ready to defend 1t against any TO
1 eign foe, and we rejoice that to-day 8
never before our country stands unite
in liza mighty power, stands one and Il
separable now and forever
Raise then this lag of our country. u
| furl it's folds and let it wave Go the bree;
Jet men read in its stars and stripes Il
story of freedom, OF liberty OF equalll
World--let your children study its tr