The Irish standard., 1900-01-27
THE SENATOR FROM INDIANA.

The SENATOR FROM INDIANA.
The maiden speech made by young
Albert J. Bcveridge OF Indiana in the
upper house OF congress on the Philip
pine problem has been adversely criti
ciscd by the Catholic press OF the coun-
try. The fact that the sophomore ora
tor was the spokesman, advocate and
apologist OF Mckinley has attracted
more attention to his utterances than
they really deserve. What is called his
great speech" by the administration
organs is what Daniel O'Connell would
have called rhetorical rigmarole." The
callow statesman from the banks OF the
Wabash undertook to pick flaws i'll the
Declaration of independence and SOL
emily declared that the American char
ter of liberty "does not contemplate that
all governments must have the consent
OF the governed" Such un-American
utterances as issued from the lips Of
young Beveridge would have blasted
forever the reputation of any statesman
of ripper experience.
The young man Aippantly declares
that the Filipinos are incapacitated for
self-government on account of their
contact with "a decadent race" and
then adds: "The Filipino is the South
Sea Malay, put through process of 900
years of superstition in religion, dishon-
esty in dealing, disorder in habits of in
dustry, and cruelty, caprice, and cor
ruption in government"
Three hundred years of religious su-
perstition! How complimentary to the
Catholic church with its 100000, 900
members! How complimentary to the
Catholics of the United States, OF which
there are 100000! No wonder that
the Catholic press of the country has
resented such an insult. Even the
Northwestern Chronicle, the official Or
gan OF Archbishop ireland, brought the
young man to task for his exhibition Of
ignorance and bigotry. Other Catholic
papers declare that second Burchard
has arisen in the person Of Beveridge.
But the fact is, young Beveridge does
not know any better. What he said
OF the Catholic religion is just as orig
inal as anything else that proceeded
from his capacious mouth. Adler and
older men than this young Hoosier
have said the same thing OF the Catho-
lie religion many time and Oft" In
fact. they have been saying it for three
hundred years-cver since the Rcforma-
ton.
About seventy years ago, when
O'Connell was trying to obtain Catho-
lie emancipation from bigoted Protes-
tant parliament, noble British lord
made the same charge against the Irish
as Beveridge makes against the Fill
pinos The great DR. Doyle vindicated
the Catholic religion from the misrep-
reservations OF the noble lord in the fol
lowing eloquent passage, which young
Beveridge may read will, profit:
1T was the creed. my lord. OF a
Charlemagne and OF ST. Louis. OF ar
Alfred and an Edward. of the monarchs
OF the ieudal times as we'll as of the
cmperors OF Greece and Rome. 1t was
believed at Venice and at Genoa. il
Lucca and the Hevetic nations in ths
days OF their freedom and greatness
all the barons OF the Middle Ages, al
the free cities OF later times, professee
the religion we now profess. You wei
know, my lord, that the charter o
British freedom and the common Law
OF England have their origin and sourc.
in Catholic times. Who framed the fire.
constitution OF the Spanish Goths? Who
preserved science and literature during
the long night OF the Middle Ages
Who imported literature from Con
stantinople and opened for her an asy
'rm at Rome. Florence. Padua, Paris
and Oxford? Who polished Europe b.
art and refined her by legislation? VIII,
discovered the New World and opene,
a passage to another? Who were tn
masters OF architecture, of painting
and of music? Who invented the com
pass and the art Of printing? VIII
were the poets. the historians, the jur
lists, the men OF deep research and pro
found knowledge? Who have exalte
human nature and made men appea
again little less than the angels? Wsr
: they not almost exclusively the profs,