The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1902-08-16
Hon.Wm. M. Byrne, US. District Attorney,
Barred From Spouting 1t at
K. Of G.. Dinner
The Willy Republican Officeholder Lauds
the Administration Out of
Pure Patriotism.

At a banquet given by the knights
of Columbus on Tuesday evening, Aug.
5, at Atlantic City, William NJ. Byrne,
United States District Attorney Of
Delaware, had the following speech
ready for delivery after he had fur
nished advance copies of it to the
daily press for publication. 1t was
not delivered as written and had to
be revised and shorn of it's obiectiona-
BILE features, because the knights of
Columbus prohibit the discussion of
political questions at their fraternal
OF social gatherings.
Mr.. Byrne's speech was in exceed
ingly bad taste hut we give it to show
how a Catholic Republican politician
can see nothing wrong in anything
done by the party which gives him
a lucrative appointment. In speaking
of the Philippine friars. Mr.. Byrne
says in the published address which
he did not deliver:
SO we'll has the Spanish friar done
his work in the Philippines that the
hour has arrived when his wards no
longer need his fostering care in the
management of temp raj affairs. This
same spectacle OF evolution occurred
in Europe in the labors of the Sons
CT st. Benedict and their associate
monks. after they llad transformed
the savage tribes of the northern for
ests into the artisans and husbandmen
of medieval civilization. and l re-
ioice that the hour of transition finds
the interests Of the Spanish friar in
the hands of the iustice-loving Amer
lean government. Unlike England, I'LL
like Spain. unlike Mexico unlike most
every other country dealing with the
question of monastic possessions the
American government proposes that
the change demanded by the times
shall work no injustice to the friars
The condition of affairs in the Philip
pines demands that the friars no
longer be extensive landlords. Their
boundless acres ought to be divided
into small homestead lots fer the ben
eft of the Filipino people who would
thus receive that impulse to industry
and frugality arising from individual
ownership of property. This is identi-
cal in principle with the Irish land
problem. The Roman Catholic bish-
ops in Ireland unanimously demand
that the English government compel
the Irish landlords to sell their vast
estates to Irish peasants on fair terms,
and what American Catholic can COM
plain if the American government vol
UNFAIRLY does for the Catholic Filipino
what the Irish Catholic bishops de-
mand shall be done by the English
government for the Irish peasant?
Will the American government deal
fairly with the Spanish friar in the
change of ownership not so much de-
sired by it as demanded by the ne
cessities of the times?
Ask Bishop Blenll. of Porto Rico,
whether the American government has
not restored to him church property
taken without compensation by their
Catholic majesties of Spain. Ask him
if the government has not literally
paid him for every piece of property
required for it's use by the necessities
of war and the change Of government.
Ask the Catholic bish p of Havana
whether the American government did
not in many instances recognize the
validity of the claims of the church
to property of which she was robbed
under the Spanish secularization acts
of 1874. Ask him if the military
government IF Cuba under that
staunch American, Leonard Wood. did
not for the fiscal year from July 1,
1901. to July 1, 1902, acknowledge as
due to the Roman Catholic authorities
the sum of $685., ,27O.67.
Let us hope that the just and equit.
able conduct Of the American govern.
ment respecting church property in
Cuba may not he reversed by the Gu.
han Congress as indicated in their res.
clutions of July II. 1902: