The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1904-02-27
SENATOR H0AR.
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 Knownothingism and
the A. P. A., Senator Hoar says:
'tWhen came into political life,
shortly after 184S, I found this anti
Catholic feeling most intense. The
Catholics of Massachusetts, were, in
general, in a very humble class. The
immigration, which had we'll begun
before the great Irish famine, was in
creased very much by that terrible
calamity.
even then they gave an example
from which all mankind might take a
lesson-of many admirable qualities.
They had 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, q 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 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 a sugges-
toni do not know where it is re-
corded now, but that 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 Knownoth-
ingism died in 1857. But it did not die
without issue. In 1895, it appeared in
a 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 all
over the country The organization,
calling itself the American Protective
association, but known popularity as
the A. P. A.. had its branches all over
the North. Its members met in secret
generally excluding all men who
were not known to sympatllize with
them-and then attended the Republi-
can caucus to support candidates in
whose selection members of that politi-
cal party who were not in their secret
councils had no share. Ambitious can
didates for office did not like to ell
counter such powerful enmity. They
in many cases temporized or coquetted
with the A. P. A., if they did not pro-
TESS to approve its doctrine.
81 want to get the 100000 Catholics
in Massachusetts on our side.
And when their young men and women
are suitable, are intelligent, liberal
persons, attached to the school system
l want some of them to be employed
as teachers. I don't wish to exclude
them from any political support wher
they are Republicans and agree with
me in other matters, because of their
religious faith. Nor would I wish tc
exclude them from being public school
teachers, if they will keep their par
ticular religious tenets- out of their in
struction, because Of their religious
faith, any more than I would have ex-
Guided Phil Sheridan from his office il
the army, or would have refused tc
support him for any public office if he
had been nominated for it. Further,
want to state and advocate my opil,
ions in the face OF day; and you may
be sure that shall do this without
finclling before anybody's threats OF
anybody's pleasure or indignation
/ You, on the other hand, understand
want to go into a cellar to declare you,
principles. You want to join an asso
citation whose members are ashamed
to confess that they belong to it: man,
of whom without apparently FORGETTING
the respect Of their fellows. lie abou
their membership in it when they arr
asked about it. You want to mass to
gether the whole Catholic population
| of Massachusetts, to the support o
their extreme and wrong-Fcade'
priests, if any such can be found.
.sWhen O'Neil, the young Catholi
soldier of Worcester, lay dying, h