The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1904-09-10
NOM Ills THE CLERGY.

NVU NI6KO1s
Not content with claiming the Irish
vote for Roosevelt, John r. Walsh, of
the Chicago Chronicle, who together
with some other recent converts, has
been working overtime to prove the
! ardor of his new faith, has now gone
into the business of claiming the ac-
tive support of the Catholic clergy for
the Republican party. The Chronicle
says:
Republicans of standing and high
administra ton officials are claiming
that Judge Parker's attitude toward
the Philippines and the expression of
his belief that the islands should be
abandoned by this government ut the
earliest possible moment have alien
ated the Catholic priesthood from his
support. 1t is stated positively that
the letter written by Judge Parker
to John G. Milburn has given to Presi-
dent Roosevelt the support of the hier-
archy of the church.
1.-The men in charge of the interests
of the church believe-as it is known
that President Roosevelt, Secretary
Taft and Governor Wright believe
that if the American troops should
leave the Philippines within week
after their departure there would not
be one Catholic church left standing
in the islands and that every Catholic
priest would have been massacred.
ut has been commented upon by
leading Republicans who have visited
Oyster Bay this summer that among
the presidents callers have been a
great number Of prominent Catholic
priests.
Dominic l. Murphy, commissioner
of pensions under President Cleve-
land, formerly editor of the New Gen.
fury and for years one Of the leading
Catholics of the country, said to-day:
Whether the United States should
govern the Philippines is of course not
debatable question. We are there
and it is our duty to do the best we
can by them. independence to the
Philippines, at least for a long time
to come, would be calamitous, espe-
cially to the Catholic church in the
islands. The Aglipay schism is moth
ing more nor less than continuation
of the Aguinaldo rebellion, and we all
know how hostile that movement was
to the Catholic church.
"I believe that If independence
were granted to the Philippines and
our forces were withdrawn from the
islands the last ship would hardly
have sailed out Of Cavite bay before
! our bishops and priests would be in
imminent danger of their lives and
our churches and church institutions
burned to the ground
1t will be noted that while 1t is
stated above that Judge Parker's ut.
titude upon the Philippine. question
has alienated the Catholic clergy, that
the only person quoted is layman
No doubt there are many Catholic
priests who are Republicans and pos
sibly to them the policy of the Re
publican party toward the Filipinos
is entirely satisfactory. We do know
also that there have been a few-a
very few-of the Catholic clergy In
this country who have fallen into the
very bad habit of mixing their religion
and politics, even as Protestant min
listers usually do, but we do very
much doubt that there is any consid
cradle number of the Catholic clergy
Of the United States who would sub
scribe to the sentiments above attri
buted to them. II we understand
Judge Parker's position toward the
F]ipinos, and that position was made
quite clear in his recent letter to Johr
G. Milburn, it is that the Filipinos
should be promised their independence
! at once and that independence should
be granted to them at the earlies,
possible time.
The overwhelming majority Of til,