The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1906-12-31
ORATORS UPHOLD
CHURCH IN FRANCE
CoNTINUED FRoM FIRsT PAeE.

CONTINUED FROM FIRST PAGE
had not a constitution in the American
sense. When the Chamber Of Deputies
and the Senate of France pass a law,
which is signed by the French President.
that law Is beyond any judicial criticism
or Interpretation. It is the law, and there
is no redress for the people. All they
can do is to offer passive resistance. or
else go into politics and elect deputies
who will change the law, or else-revolu-
ton! That, said the speaker, was one
vital difference between France and
America Here" said he. in this free
land tyranny cannot breathe. The mo-
ment the ugly monster rears its head it
is grappled by the judicial power and
strangled."
He went on 10 show who it was that
controlled the French government to-day.
laying stress on the fact that the promi-
ncnt men are atheists. inhdeIs. believing
in no God. lie went back to the speeches
OF Waldeck-R Rousseau in 1883 preparing
the way for the injustice Of to-day. He
told of the concordat that was drawn up
between Napoleon / and the Pope, Plus
VII, which established the Catholic
Church in France IN possession Of its
property, and which provided for stipends
for the Catholic clergy while on his side
the Pope agreed that bishops should not
be appointed in France without consent
of the government He went on to show
how the church had acquired property in
France. how the fabrIques, the village
associations, had collected in aims and
for church work one hundred millions OF
francs. and how now. that France had re-
pudiated the cOncordat, It proposed 10
take over all the church property, all the
money, and leave the officers OF the church
no voice in her own affairs. He told how
the nuns and the priests had been driven
from their homes by soldiers, and told of
colony Of these nuns who had taken
refuge in Baltimore, and he pictured the
! desolation Of France when the inhdei
government should have taken over the
wondrous cathedrals Of France and laid
| them waste or turned them to secular
uses.
Freedom of Conscience.
| He showed that Il was not against the
material spoliatlon that the Pope had set
his face. It was against that clause of
| the law which left il to the government
who is a Catholic and who is not This.
said the speaker. was a question OF con-
science. and here he could not, would
not, yield one inch. He said "AlI the
bishops may be driven away, all the
priests banished. ali the nuns driven from
their homes all the church property laid
waste and squandered before the holy
father can surrender that liberty Of con-
science. that blessed right OF his
holy church. On this question the holy
father stands precisely as an American
citizen would stand"
Maj. z. T. MeCrystal who followed
made q fiery and impressive speech. in
which he said that the large meeting was
significant OF the fact that the American
! conscience and love OF liberty were not
dead. He made the point that the ills OF
/ one nation were the lis Of all; that il
was our duty as men 20 protest against
the injustice In France-lnjustice which
II left unchallenged, might well lear
across the seas and affect Us in our very
homes.
A ProtestRnt's View.
Rabbi Abram Simon vas billed tC
speak, but was unavoidably absent. and
the next speaker was the Rev John Var
SchaIck, who said:
4 am Protestant I was born Z
Protestant. am proud OF the Protestant
traditions Of my fathers. and happy IL
my work as a minister Of the Protestant
lChurCh. But I want to say fairly anS
squarely that Professionalism will miss
great chance If 1t does not rise with IN
dignation and power and protest agains
the wrong done the Catholics OF France
With the government Of France oul
friendship is historic. IN the dark days
lof the Revolution it was France who rec
ognized the independence Of the American
colonies. 1t was France who gave u.
fleets and troops and supplies When ",
think Of Washington and his toll and sac
rifice, we think also OF Lafayette. Wher
we recall the final victory at Yorktown
we must give his share Of glory to Ro
Ichambeau. In this great republic Of which
We are so proud. and in this capital cit
Of the republic. there is no hatred o
France. Instead there IS appreciation
gratitude, and regard.
Not because We hate France have ",
Iassembled tonight Rather because W,
recognize the brotherhood Of the race
We want TO see the government Of Franc.
igive the Catholics square deal ",
want to see the people OF France save,
from civil war and in the possession o
the civil and religious liberty that VI
lenjoy.
''To me four things in the present stu
tation stand out clear and distinct:
i. Between France and the Vatical
has existed q contract. II that ContraC
is 10 be changed or abolished, boil
tparties, not one must decide upon tn
terms
- If one party to that contract re
lpudiates his obligations, il he impose
upon the other party terms that are dis
honorable and unfair, il is the duty Of tn
other party TO resist.
3. The COnfsCatiOn by one party Of tn
property of the other party is q crime
II Religious liberty is the inalienabl
right Of man.
Called n Hereto.
Both sides admit the contract Bot
sides, 1 believe, have come to see tina
separation between church and state /
inevitable. Both sides viii come to Sc
that this separation is for the best. Unde
the new law, for the first time in
hundred years, the bishops of Franc
have met for the consideration of thei
affairs Under the new law, for the frs
time since the contract was made. tn
Pope has appointed the bishops of tn
Catholic church in that country without
any interference on the part of the state
L believe that the Catholic churc
will be stronger and better In ever
country of the world when it is disestab