The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1906-06-23

under the heel OF deSpOtlc government;
whether amidst the trials of our revo-
lutionary struggles, whether amidst
the wars that succeeded wherein the
autonomy of our nation was threat
| ened, there, sharing with their fellow
countrymen in the trials and tribula-
tons and in the subsequent triumphs
was to be found the Catholic.
Our country, therefore, is doubly
dear to us. We were here at it's first
discovery, we participated in it's strug-
gle for civil and religious liberty, and
in return have participated in it's
glories and enjoyed it's peace, security
and liberty. 1t is doubly dear to us
because in this land above all others
the old faith" has fair play. Its
schools. its churches and it's cathedrals
are not the result. as in other countries,
of the contributions of unstable gov
ernments, but are the gratuitious Of
ferngs of millions of freemen.
The early discoveries of America as
we'll as our revolutionary forefathers
We're imbued with strong religious
principles. upon which alone virtue can
be grounded; and this added to their
hardy and rugged physical natures,
laid the foundation and gave the inn
petus to that splendid civilization
which is now the heritage of all.
While. therefore. clarifying in our
trlumphs and proud of our wonderful
development. we could not, if we would
fail to discover those ominous clouds
which hover over our national tirma-
ment and which are the inevitable
fore-runners of a violent Storm The
presence of these clouds is not diff
cult to account for. The hardy and
rugged virtue Of our forefathers no
longer exists in it's pristine vigor for
the history of our country will SHOW
pie has kept rapid pace with the aug
mentatiOn of our material wealth. That
we have steadily advanced materially
is unquestioned; our towns. cities and
states have multiplied; our citizens
have amasSed wealth running into the
millions and hundreds of millions; our
corporations are striding Il continents;
but under the shadow of this magnifi-
cent prosperity we find incipient paul
ntlriSN)
and children deprived of religion and
education and prevented from parties
pating in those blessings which the
God of Nature seemingly intended for
all,
The thoughtful statesman of Amer>
lea. the hopeful patriot and the virtu-
Gus citizen. knows and feels that the
evils that menace our national pros
per1ty, that the apparent social in
CAPABILITIES that the rights of capital
and labor, can all be reconciled in some
way consistent with the preservation
of law and order, in some way con-
SiStcnt with the preservation of vested
rights. consistent with the preservation
ana UNFOLDING of the Constitution and
fundamental laws upon which our
peace. our liberty. our Happiness and
our security depend
III must be remembered that ma
teriaism intCelity. asnostcism and
other forms Of rreiyion have never
bcrn fruitful either in developing or
perpetuatin% Il state. Like all negative
principles there is included within
them Il principle Of destructiun: they
are powerful in the direction of pull
ing down. but never of building up.
IF but true tn the principles which
nav" animated our past ana secured
our present. we can render a signal sep
vice ut this time to our country by
suggesting the remedies for evils which
threaten our national existence, and
Which can be applied so as to destroy
The tendencies which menace those
blessings of life. liberty and property
Which our Constitution guarantees and
IN this way emphasize our LOYALTY and
devotion To that country whose glory
interests and prosperity are linked
with every fibre of our hearts"