The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-08-16
KNIGHTS TO POPE.
Pontif Congratulated on Spirit of
Amity Toward America.


Atlantic City, N. j., Aug. 5.-This
was closing day of the convention of
the knights of Columbus, who have
Deen In session here since Saturday. Al
tonlghts banquet addresses were de-
! livered as follows:
Edward L. Hearn, South Framing
| nam, Mass, supreme knight, subject
| Our Order;" Hon. William Michael
Byrne, United States district attorney,
| district of Delaware, subject, Some
issues of the Hour" Hon. E. A. Phil
DIN ex-district attorney, New York
CITY, subject, ''The Catholic as a
Citizen" Thomas Harrison Cummings.
national organizer knights of Column
pus, subject, Columbus in American
Cltlzenship;" Hon. George F. Mona
ghan, Detroit, Mich, member of the
national board of directors. Knights of
SoIumbus, subject selected; Frank
Smith, editor of the Pittsburg Chron-
fcle, subject, Future as Indicated bv
the Present" Mr.. Byrne spoke of the
action of the knights of Columbus of
Delaware, and throughout the country.
IN protesting against the misrepresen-
tatlon of Catholic interests in certain
recent publications, and held that as
catholics demanded from Protestants
the strlctest veracity in the printed
word, so they should in turn observe
these strict standards when treating of
topics affecting the conduct of their
Protestant fellow countrymen.
L believe said Mr.. Byrne, that
no Catholic editor in America would
allow TO appear in his paper any state
ment of fact as true which he knew
to be false. But this is not enough.
No scrupulously honest man states a
thing as a fact which he does not
know to be true: and 1 regret to OBJ
serve that the statements appearing
in the Catholic press charging the
government with proselytizing in the
Philippines were made without that
care of investigation which the gravity
of the charge demanded
Surely" said Mr.. Byrne. with our
Catholic teachers outnumbering the
Protestants three TO one, with the
young Filipino already founded in the
practices of the Catholic faith. with
an adequate allowance of time to
Catholic priests to give these school
children in the school rooms instruc-
ton in the doctrines of the Catholic
religion, it betrays a somewhat con-
scious weakness of our cause if we
frantically accuse the government of
systematic proselytism because a small
proportion of teachers in the Philip
pines happen to be Protestants.
The condition of affairs in the Phil
ippines demands that the friars no
longer be extensive landlords.
Their boundless acres ought to be di-
vided into small homestead lots for,
the benefit of the Filipino people who
would thus receive that impulse to
industry and frugality arising
from individual ownership of nrone1;tv
This is identical in principle with the
Irish land problem. The Roman Cath
Ollie bishops 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 complain if the American govern
ment voluntarily does for the Catholic
Filipino what the Irish Catholic bishops
demand shall be done by the English
government for the Irish peasant?
AT the conclusion Of the speech of Mr..
Byrne, on motion, of Joseph A. Nc
Nance, chairman of the executive com
mittee, it was resolved with great en-
thusiasm to send the following ca ble-
gram:
His Holiness, Pope Leo XIII. Rome.
Your spiritual children, knights of
Columbus of America, in meeting as
sembled at Atlantic City. rejoicing in
the length of your pontificate. felici
late your holiness on the memora BILE
achleVements of your auspicious reign.
ana rejoice at the spirit of anlitv Won
manifest for the American renublic
under which Catholics. eouallv viii
men of all shades of belief. eniov the
fullest measure Of religious and civil
liberty