The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-11-02

l. :
clear understanding of the seriousness
of my action. 1 spoke In obedience to
what I Considered the call Of con-
science. -
I knew by experience that the ingenu-
ity of the politician would nisrepresent
my position. and that the malignity of
the unprinci ID would blacken my mo-
tives For this was prepared. 1 was
not prepared to be attacked with u
mendacity so reckless that only its
utter idiocy prevents us from adInira-
tion.
1 am not sorry, however, that the at
tack has been made. 1t gives me an
opportunity to state my position. my
reasons over again. Writing letters to
the papers is no easy task, but the labor
is well spent. / have now no power in
this city and I have never had any
power except righteous cause and ar
guments that appealed to reasonable
men. In all my controversies have
ever striven to address myself to men S
minds and not to their prejudices. In
this which '~romises to be my last con
troversy for a time, / should be
ashamed to trust to any sentiment ex-
cept the sentiment Of equal justice to
ali men l ask no man to follow me for
rest my case on the facts and ar
guments which I present TO the pubic,
and if these facts and arguments are
not weighty enough to sway the pup
lie mind have no desire to 1nnuence II
by other means.
This (Tuesday) evenings edition of
the Bulletin contains three articles
dealing with my utterances or last
night. The first is a semi-edftorial. the
second a. letter signed James d. Phe-
To nd
I'm Defense of Stewart Menzies;' With
each of these articles I will deal In Or.
der.
The semi-editorial is headed Father
Yorke's utterances not sanctioned by
the church. He Specs only for. hin.
self. AS such he has no authority IN:
politics Does not represent those who
are the source of his influence, His at
tack on Mayor Phelan was a bo;un:
which exploded harmlessly. Having
ceased to edit the Monitor his political
course has no public interest. General
sentiment that his remarks last. night
were imprudent and ill-advised.' - -
In the body of the article I am soil
EMMY admonished that am OF no ac+
count, and the Bulletin is sadly CONF
PEELED to part company from me. II i
am of such little account the MANAGE
ment of the Bulletin has shown Door.
Judgment in devoting so much space
to nv. condemnation, and il the: Bulletin
first time that was aware or being IN
such questionable company.
These things aside. I beg to offer in
the very beginning my protest against
the assumption that underlies the
whole article. That assumption Is that.
the Catholic church is in politics.: and
that UP to this my authority has con
sisted. in the fact that I have been the
official representative of the Catholic.
church in political affairs. Now, says
h
ton with the Monitor, and therefore l
am entitled to no more weight than
any other politician. When the Bulle-
tin says have severed my connection:
with the Monitor, the Bulletin says
what is not true. ] am as much editor
of the Monitor to-day as I was a year
ago. It is true that l am preparing to
take a vacation from my duties. and
that the labor Of settling many details
has left me no time to write Tor the
paper, but am still its editor, ana the
Bulletin is merely saying the thing
that is not. : ..
Now let me inform the Bulletin
that the Catholic church Is not in
politics in this city or in any. other
American city, and that neither as
an officer of the Catholic church nor
as editor of the Monitor have I any;
s1authority in politics" -.
The accusation that the Catholic
church is in politics is one Of the old
caIumnies of the A. P. Az and as such
is at home in the columns of the Bulle-
tin. In the Canadian habitat Of Its edi-
tor such calumnies are bred IN the
bone. They are imported over the
border to serve the purposes of preach
ers who preach bigotry for money: and
of journalists who support candidates
for CASH
The Catholic church is not. In. politics:
in this city. She dictates to none Of her:
children their party Affiliations; she
commends no man to their suffrages.:
Catholics are as free as the people. of:
other determinations to vote as they
please-nay, they are far more free. No:
political sermons are heard from Cath
oiic pulpits as political sermons are.
heard from non-Catholic pulpits. 1t is.
our ifnmemoriai custom to reserve our
churches solely and entirely for the ser
vice of the Lord
Therefore I resent the ignorant as
sumption Of the Bulletin that the Cath
Ole church is in politics in this city.
/ resent 1t in the name of the tens of
thousands Of my Catholic friends who
glory in their political liberty-aye, and
can resent it in the very name of my
enemies whose strongest, loudeSt,
angriest cry against me is, Away with
clerical dictation.
At no time during my residence in this
city have been in politics. If any man
should question my right to take part
In political affairs l should Indignantly
ask him who gave him the commission
to eurtail my citizenship. But of my
own free will l have abstained from
participating in political affairs I be-
lieved 1 could do more service to the
Catholic people by standing for those
principles that transcend politics. For
nearly five years I have spoken and
written necessarily rot for political
parties, not for ambitious candidates,
but for the principle of religious lib
erty. took the stand that religious lib
erty and equal rights were more to all
true Americans than party measures or
personal success.
took the stand that every man who
denied me and mine equal rights was
unworthy Of the suffrages of just peo-
pie / took the stand that every man
who profited by bigotry or approved Of
bigotry should be treated after the
same manner as the bigot himself
These were high principles and drastic