The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1903-05-23

THE
wise, for the American Catholic has
on innumerable occasions given the
highest evidence of his love Of coun-
try. The American army and navy is
composed largely of Catholics. In the
recent war against Spain, Catholics
were as prompt as other American
citizens to respond to the call for
troops, although the battle was to be
waged against Catholic country. The
first Catholic settlement in this coun-
try, the colony Of Maryland was the
very first community to grant absolute
freedom of religious Worship, and for
long time was the only American
colony which required no religious
test Of any kind. That, NJ. Gohier, is
the American idea to-day, of one and
all, whether Catholic, Protestant or
non-believer. The growth of the Cath
Ole Church is deprecated. Why? If
the Church did not grow it would not
be able to accomplish anything. 1t
would then be an absolutely negligible
quantity. Why, then, does the growth
of the Catholic Church constitute
peril? No reason is given, but it must
be because the Christian religion is
dangerous in the opinion of the
author. The attitude of the Catholic
clergy in the late coal strike is pointed
to, as significant fact. The author
found the Protestant clergy divided,
some fayoring the contention of the
operators and some the miners; not so
with the Catholic clergy who were a
unit, he says, in favor of the miners.
Yes, to the eternal credit of the Cath
Ollie clergy of the United States, let it
be admitted that they were unit in
support Of the cause of humanity
against organized greed. Wealth and
power did not swerve them from the
right then, any more than it does the
Catholic bishops of France, who are
now hurting back words of defiance
to the threats Of the Combes' minis
try, that all state aid would be taken
from them if they allowed any men,
bers Of the prescribed religious orders
to preach the word of God. Unfor-
tunately, some Protestant ministers,
who preach to wealthy congregations,
sided with the coal barons as against
the people. But these considerations,
according to NJ. Gohier, had no effect
upon the Catholic clergy. The bane-
full fact is, that they We're united,
even if they We're united in favor of
right. The fact that the Catholic So
cietics petitioned President Roosevelt
to end the strike, and the further
fact that when the operators asked
that Il clergyman be appointed on the
committee the President
appointed Catholic bishop, are re-
ferred to as ominous. The Catholic
societies did what hundreds of other
orga nizations did and what practically
the whole nation desired. That the
President saw fit to appoint Bishop
Spaulding of Peoria on the commits
sion, did not, we dare say, strike the
average American as strange. The
great majority Of the striking miners
were Catholics and no clergyman in
the United States is more profoundly
learned on all questions in regard to
labor and sociological matters than
Bishop Spaulding.
Ignorance of American ideas and
government is shown by the follow
ing:
"In 1916 the government in it's i'll
fancy forbade the pope the nomination
Of Il single prelate, and refused to
make any kind of recognition of the
holy see. To-day the outcome of the
Philippine issue is that the pope has
the official nomination of 100 prelaces
within American territory, with the
added triumph of having received
American ambassadors at the Vati-
can. The mission of Governor Taft,
it is true, at Washington is without
any official character. but this flmsy
hooding of the facts cannot bear en-
animate
The Holy See is exercising the right
to appoint Catholic bishops in the
Philippines in the same way that it
has that right in all American terri
tory since the organization of the gov
eminent. And again, "rhe power and
success of the Catholic Church are
to discerning eyes in every
part Of America. The public press, for
example, carefully tempers it's news
and it's views in Difference to it's
Catholic patronage. The Catholics. it
is true. are Il minority: but they are
a minority that is homogeneous. Or
ganiZed and disciplined. They form Il
solid block in the midst of a heap of
crumbling Protestant fragments" The
unity of the Church is what most
troubles this advocate of rrcligon.
He is opposed to all religion. but his
opposition to the Catholic religion is
greatest because he realizes that the
Catholic Church presents the greatest
obstacle to the insane famticism that
is now in control of the French gov