The Irish standard., 1900-06-02
NoN-sECTARIAN POLICY DESCRIBED
All Catholic Asylums, Save One,
Without Any Support.
why ST. AIMS IS THE FAVORED. one
Sisters Don't Keep Inmates Over
Seven Years Of Age.

In letter to New York paper Pat
rick O'Farrell, of Washington, D. c.,
explains why congress discriminates
against Catholic institutions in the Dis
trict OF Columbia and makes appropra-
tions to Protestant institutions on the
ground of ''non-sectarianism." Having
referred to Senator Vests speech in
which the distinguished statesman
charged congress with being influenced
by anti Catholic bigotry the writer says:
Your readers should know that the
senate and house of representatives are
the same here as the board of aldermen
and city council are in our large cities
throughout the country-that is, they
provide for the support and care OF our
charitable institutions.
For number of years past the Or
phan children of the District of Colum-
bia, many of whom belong to soldiers
of the late Civil War, were cared for by
the Sisters of Charity, and congress
used to make a small appropriation each
year toward the support of these or
plans-the wards of the nation. About
six years ago the A.>P. A. craze found a
lodgment among the Republican men,
bers of congress in the house, and an
onslaught was made on every charitable
organization which had any connection
with the Catholic church. This did not
apply to other charities.
We had the Florence Crittenton
Home Association and the "Young
Women's Christian Home" and others,
and the appropriations were continued
to them. Some of them went before the
committee, Mr.. Grout chairman, when
something like the following colloquy
would take place:
"Mrs. Heron, what is your religious
denomlnatlon!'
II am Presbyterian"
"Mrs. Black, what is your beiief?''
II am Methodist"
"Mrs. Green, where do you pray?"
II am a Baptist"
"Mrs. Brown, what is your belief?"
"Well, I am Free Thinker. don't
go to any church."
"Oh, then, there are no two of you
alike. You are non-sectarian. We will
try and continue your appropriation"
If this is not one of the shrewdest
games for whipping the devil around
the stump" and all under the hypo-
critical guise OF "non-sectarian fair
play" what is it? There is one Catl1o-
lie institution, however, that so far has
escaped the onslaughts of Our Republic
an A. P. AS, and that is St. AIMS In
fant Asylum.
Despite the fact that the law passed
in 1897 provided "that after June 3o
1893, no appropriation in the District
of Columbia should be made to any
charity under the control of any
church" and, mind you, this law is still
on the statute book, yet St. AIMS In
FAINT Catholic Asylum receives annually
an appropriation of $500 towards its
support. Why this is done in the face
of the law is mystery to the tax
payers and people generally. Senator
Vest brought it out yesterday by show
ing that it was continued for the reason
that the orphans in St. AIMS are kept
there only until they are seven years OF
age, and that at this tender age it was
not possible to make Catholics out oi
them even by the Sisters. Yet the in
fant asylum is under the charge of the
Catholic church, which the law specially
provides against.
The infants in St. AIMS are those
waits which are generally found in bas-
kets in our parks or on the doorsteps
of some of our citizens, when they are
hurriedly taken to the good Sisters Of
St. AIMS, who have their bottles ready
there to nurture the little waits. 1t has
been ironically stated often in the house
that the congressman could not afford
to reject this appropriation, as some oi
them might have personal interest in
the support of the young waits. Yet
an appropriation for its support in a
Catholic institution is against the law.
At the time that the A. P. AS were
making their. attack on these charities
some four years ago, went to several
Of my Republican friends; some in New
York, and notably Consressmen Henry
sSperry and Hill, Of Connecticut. and