The Irish standard., 1904-02-27
SENATOR HOAR.
Venerable Massachusetts Statesman
Has No Use for Bigotry.

Has No Use for Bigotry.
The autobiography of the venerable
Senator Hoar, of Massachusetts, is
just from the press. 1t is an enter
tanning record of wonderfully active
life. Writing of Knpwnothingism and
the A. P. A., Senator Hoar says:
"When I came into political life,
shortly after 1S4S, I found this anti
Catholic feeling most intense. The
Catholics of Massachusetts, were, in
general, in very humble class The
immigration, which had we'll begun
before the great Irish famine, was in
creased very much by that terrible
calamity.
Gwen then they gave an example
from which all mankind might take a
lesson-of many admirable qualities.
They had a most pathetic and touching
affection for the Old Country. They
had exhibited an incompatible gener-
osity toward the kindred they had left
behind. From their scanty earnings,
Edward Everett, high authority, es-
Inmates that there were sent twenty
millions of dollars in four years to
their parents and kindred.
"The prejudice of which I have
spoken showed itself in some terrible
Protestant riots in New Orleans and
i'll Baltimore, and in the burning OF
the Catholic convent at Charlestown.
There was also a strong feeling that
the compact body of Catholics, always
voting for our political party, was a
danger to the public security. OF
course this feeling manifested itself in
the Wing party, for whose adversary
the solid Irish Catholic vote was cast.
AS early as 1874, after the defeat OF
Mr.. Clay, Mr.. Webster made sugges-
toni do not know where it is re-
corded now, but that I was informed
of it on good authority at about the
time he made it-that there must be
some public combination to resist the
influence OF our foreign element in our
politics.
Senator Hoar states that Knownotll-
ingism died in 1857. But it did not die
without issue. In 1895, it appeared in
new guise. Political ambition led
certain candidates to appeal to the dor
mant prejudices of not few voters
The Massachusetts statesman describes
| the methods of the A. P. A. crusaders
in the following passage:
"Secret societies were formed al
over the country. The organization
calling itself the American Protective
association, but known popularity as
! the A. P. A.. had its branches all ovel
the North. Its members met in secret
generally excluding all men who
were not known to sympatllze witt
then-and then attended the Republi
can Caucus to support candidates ii
whose selection members of that politi
cal party who were not in their secre
councils had no share. Ambitious can
didates for office did not like to ell
counter such a powerful en1nity. The,
! in many cases temporized or coquettet
with the A. P. A., if they did not pro
Tess to approve its doctrine.
IT want to get the 100000 Catholic
in Massachusetts, on Our side. *
And when their young men and womel
are suitable, are intelligent, liberia
persons, attached to the school system
want some of them to be employee,
as teachers. I don't wish to exclud
them from any political support whe,
they are Republicans and agree witt
ME in other matters, because of thei
religious faith. Nor would l wish t,
exclude them from being public sclloo
teachers, if they will keep their par
ticular religious tenets- out of their in
struction, because of their religion
faith, any more than I would have ex
Guided Phil Sheridan from his office il
the army, or would have refused t.
support him for any public office if Ii
had been nominated for it, Further,
want to state and advocate my opin
t ions in the face OF day; and you ma
be sure that I shall do this withou
hinching before anybody's threats o
anybody's pleasure or indignation
You, on the other hand, I understand
want to go into cellar to declare you
principles. You want to join an assc
citation whose members are ashame
to confess that they belong to it; man
of whom without apparently forfeitin
the respect OF their fellows, lie abor
their membership in it when they ar
asked about it. You want to mass te
gether the whole Catholic populatio
of Massachusetts to the support {
| their extreme and wrong -hcade
; priests, if any such can be found.
!, "When O'Neil, the young Catho1
! soldier of Worcester. lay dying, !