The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-08-30
That Kossuth Statue.

A PARAGRAPH appeared in this
~ paper last week criticising the
protest of some Slavonic priests
against the erection of a statue to
Louis Kessuth in the public park at
Cleveland. 1t was pointed out that
race prejudice and religious bigotry
affected some foreign born priests in
this country no less than it did the
A. P. As Some time ago this organ
igation of bogus Americans attracted
attention by its vigorous protest
against the placing of a statue of Fa-
Their Marquette in the capitol at Wash
ington. We believe the protest was
the subject of congressional debate.
j. R. Randall is regarded as the best
contributor to Catholic literature in
this country of the all-around descrip-
ton. He is especially happy in remi-
niscent narrative of notable persons
IN his own country and his knowledge
of men and affairs extends over the
civilized nations of the globe. Mr..
Randall observed this protest
against the Kossuth statue, and pre-
sents his views on the same to the
Catholic Columbian. Writing from
Augusta, Ga, he says:
l see that there is considerable OBJ
position to the erection of a monument
to Louis Kossuth out west. In this
country, so composite in nationalities.
1t seems strange that the objection of
one race of men should prevent the
rearing of a statue to a distinguished
parsonage of another country or race
Why should the Slavic elements in the
United States prevail in this matter?
If the precedent be established, monu-
ment erection may cease to a large
extent. This might be blessing, but
we are considering practical things.
II is not agreeable, perhaps, for south
ern men to view the statues of the
military men who invaded their conn
try and burned their homes and killed
their people, but no protest comes
from the south against the statues of
these individuals. The northern peo-
pie may not fancy statues of Jeffer-
son Davis and General Lee at the
south, but there is no prohibition on
that score. Let the Slavonic people
of the west be equally tolerant and put
up, If they choose. memorial of one
of their heroes alongside the effigy of
the celebrated Magyar. They would
not likely think of honoring Haynau.
who butchered the surrendered Hun
garian generals. Undoubtedly, Louis
kossuth was notable man and an
unrivaled orator, in his day, ranking
IN eloquence with the greatest of all
time / do not admire the Magyar
policy, nor Kossuth's plotting with
Mazzini and his method of administra-
ton; but he was, in his way, patriot,
and lived to see his Hungarian coun-
try tremendously vind1cated and the
gamer, in peace, of what was lost in
war. He lived to see the car, who
helped conquer him, brought to the
dust of humiliation and die of broken
heart, as Haynau, in disgrace, blew
out his own brains. He lived to see
Emperor Francis Joseph yield all
hungarian claims and be smitten with
family tragedies that might have
killed almost any other man. Saw
what we will of Kossuth, he is linked
with some of the most memorable
events in history and he preferred his
honorable poverty in old age to sub
servient patronage. I have even
heard that he died a Catholic, and do
not remember any denial of the state
ment.
At any rate, in this country of multi
tudinous nations and statuary, if any
considerable number of people want to
uprear monument to Kossuth, 1 do
not see why the objection of another 4
group of people should Illustrate their
object. There are, in this country.
some statues much more Objectionable
TO Catholics than that of Kossuth to
but we are bound to toll
crate them, and they do us no harm,
while we can erect our own statues
without molestation. Let there be fair
play in this as in other things. Intol-