The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-09-08
Shall There be Catho ic Party in the
United States.


Knights of Columbus, at Trenton, N j.,
i'll which he advised Roman Catholics not
to submit supinely to the discrimination
which, he claimed, is made against them
in American political life, has reused
much discussion. The bishop urged that
re man Catholic societies should unite to
] insist that our religion shall not be
made an obstacle to the attainment of our
national rights and his words have been
widely taken to mean that his coreligion-
lists should unite to form in America a
distinctly Roman Catholic party similar
to the influential Center" in Germany
Ihe>bishop, however, denies this. and said
la ter Eve quote from The Catholic Stand
ard and Times, June 39):,
I was careful TO state that it was not
my intention to advocate a Catholic po-
htical party. This, l think, would be
unwise for many reasons; neither do
think that we should unreasonably en-
plastic our claims for justice. We are
American citizens entitled to certain
rights, and these We must possess. Bigot-
ry shall not be allowed to deprive US of
tic exercise and enjoyment of any OF
them. We ask no fayors, We beg for no
privileges
The Independent and other papers, how
ever. take the bishops words to mean an
creanzed political assault upon many
American institutions, including the pub
lie schools Such union, says The indie
pendent, would provoke a most undesir-
able Protestant activity such as we have
!seen too much Of in the undesirable work
of the A. P. A" The Christian Work
Qon-denom), July u. quoting the bish-
ops words about "our constitutional
, rights" given above, says:
Naturally this has been interpreted to
mean that ne advocates the organization
fnf 10 T,4Is.
does not mean that, what does he mean
And if he does mean it, we have only
TO say no movement could be made that
, would be more harmful to the Roman
Catholic Church. And 1t goes without
+, saying that an effort to interject into our
{ political activities the lamentable disturb
4 arce of distinct Catholic party ready to
sell it's votes for the price of political IA
vor. as exists in Germany. Italy and
1 France today, Is wholly without justifica-
' ton in the history of American Catholi-
cism. OF eourse,Nt is very natural that
Catholics should insist that no political
? discrimination be visited against them on
Y the ground Of their religious faith, nor is
it wholly surprising if they resent the
treatment of their faith as political dis
ability in a candidate, more especially
since they have shown during the whole
e history of the republic that they make no
such objection to Protestant candidates.
: that it is no infringement upon their
rights if Americans upon certain ext
gencies prefer to elect their Protestant to
: their Catholic brethren to certain Offices
The Catholic right lies not in inviolabiity
from any discrimination at the polls, but
in the enjoyment of full and free civic
e privileges under the law. Such privileges
e they enjoy and freely exercise, just as
e the Protestants and others do, to vote as
t they please, and if at times they prefer
to vote for those who are Protestants
> while Catholics may deprecate the fact
: their rights are really not invaded. The
: fact is our Catholic friends have not al
: ways been wise in their political action
t and especially in the matter of our public
+ schools: and if there still exists sectariar
e antipathy in some quarters-and we are
q happy to say never before was the dspo.
> stion of Protestants to accord to Their
: Catholic brethren the fun measure of civi
4 confidence demanded by Bishop McFau
. so general as it is now-our Catholic
: friends too often have themselves to thani
e fer it.
! THE conclusion of the whole matter i:
# that it rests chiefly if not wholly with oul
q Roman Catholic friends themselves to de
= termine whether discrimination shall h'
, exercised specifically against them at the
q polls. So long as they resort to politica
q methods for furthering the interests o
II their sect so long they viii be eppposet
1t in like manner; but this viii constitute
O no invasion of their rights In any event
: Roman Catholics can not expect to over
:, come religious intolerance with politica
:, bigotry, or, if they do, they place them
selves out of court so far as any invasion
e of their rights is concerned"
IS The Catholic Union and Times, however
n says editorially June 800:
4. Now, this is the kernal of what tn
It Bishop of Trenton says: he states tn
,, wrong and he suggests very mildly SOM
. means for bring that wrong to the at
, tention of those who have power to RICH
: it But he explicitly declares that he doe
'e not advocate the formation of a Catholi
: political party. Here, then, We have
= proof that whether Catholics combine 70
N their rights or remain stolidly quiescen
- Ike brothers to the OK, they will b.
:, equally misrepresented. The bare state
- ment that they have any grievance il
construed into an act of aggression; thu
II simplest measures of seif-defense for thu
Is purpose of asking attention to them ar
1t denounced beforehand as an open chal
II lenge to conflict and a provocation to {
% gang Of villainous conspirators to star
fresh campaign of calumny. From frs
to last there is not one word in the bish
'e ops counsel about the public school sys
lie tenn, yet the fertile imagination of TIL
w Independent centuries up the DOGGY as
N stimulus to action on the part of an I'm
lawful dSSCclaIiOn NlOSc WOIh II uS ~
"a critically affects TO deprecate. The bishol
-. referred, ard very properly referred, L
=, the mean policy adopted toward the In
~ dian schools-a policy as unjust to tn
II taxpayer as it is disgraceful to the bigot
I'd ed representatives responsible for it-an'
50 in this he was only echoing what hal
been said over and over again by othe
ia prelates and priests all over the countr.
-, without any false Interpretation of thei
Language and aims
ie The Freemans Journal Vom. Cath.
Z June 800 says:
u Some, and we are of the number. thinl
b. the bishop said precisely what ought t
IT, have been said, and said long ago. Other
II think his advice was impudent. inoppor
"a tune and so forth. The reasons given b!
the latter for their opinion are not con
= vincjng. If Catholics, because Catholics
ne are denied the rights and privileges en-
as joyed by their non-Catholc fellow citl
of zens, it is wise, prudent and opportune t
rs combine as Catholics to make that FAC
a. known and to urge that it cease TO be
n fact"
: The Ave Maria in the course of a tenn
= perate article, says:
re .The federation of Catholic societies
1. to tto