Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1906-12-17

Baltimore, Dec. 1.-THE American
public does not understand the pres
ent crisis in France" said Cardinal
Gibbons last evening in an interview
on the French situation.
Il am getting to be an old man
now and l think know my country
men. They love fair play; they love
liberty: they love to see humane
dealings of man with man; and late
years have shown how cordially they
hate injustice, tyranny and inhuman-
ity. And vet France has treated her
noblest citizens with injustice and in
humanity, and America, which has
sympathy for the oppressed Of all ma
tons, has raised no protest or ut
tered a word of sympathy.
IF l believed that my counrynlen
would knowingly see a great and
benehcent organization unJustly de-
prived of its property and means of
continued usefulness, would knowing
ly see tens of thousands of honest
men and noble women robbed of their
just income and means Of support,
would knowingly see hundreds OF
thousands and even several millions
of people brutally wounded in what
they hold dearest and most sacred,
would knowingly see a majority in
chambers utterly disregard and tram
Pile upon the rights of the minority
and the rights of millions of their
co3ntrymen-in the name of liberty
would knowingly see tens OF thou.
sands of men AMI women, who hap
pen to be priests and nuns, turned out
of their homes for no crime but that
of loving God and serving their neigh
Dor, | say. if my cOcntyrmen can see
AMI recognize all this injustice and
tyranny and cruelty and refuse genu-
inc sympathy to those who suffer by
them because of their religious belief,
then [ will leave life without that
faith in American love of justice and
liberty and humanity, which has been
my comfort and support and hope dur
ind long career. The American
people have not had these things put
fairly before them. Our own press
has been to a considerable extent the
reflex of the Partisan anti-cierical
press. Most people over here have lit
tie conception of the French anti-cle1-
icals. They look on the leaders OF
this party as enlightened statesmen
seeking to preserve the republic from
attacks OF an aggressive clergy. There
have been honest and sincere lovers
of republican government among the
anti-clericals, | admit, but the major
ity have far less love of the republic
than they have hatred OF religion. l
am weighing my words when | say
with deliberate conviction that she
leaders of the present French govern
ment are actuated by nothing less
than hatred of religion, but we have
no body of men, no great party that
makes it d chief aim to weaken the
5s5wer of religion and if possible utter
ly to destroy it out of the land.
Jacobines Not Dead.
But in France the Jacobin party
is not dead. Their spirit is as living
today 2s it was IN the last decade of
the eighteenth century; they hate
God. they hate Christ, they hate re-
ligion as much as ever their fathers
hated them. But they have learned
a more prudent and measured meth
cd of attach They are almost sci
entific in the means they take to sup
press christianity And yet >utter-
ances of such men are received as
unsuspectingly by many Americans
as would be a discourse by Mr.. Cleve-
land or President Roosevelt or Secre-
tary Taft-men who recognize the
powerful influence that religion has
been in promoting the welfare of So
ciety.'
"Huntng Jesus Christ"
The cardinal here quotes from
speeches of the anti-clericals to prove
mis- statements that they are opposed
10 religion. Quoting Minister BRAND,
minister of public worship. as saying:
1--WE have hunted Jesus Christ out
of the army, navy. schools. hospitals.
insane and orphan asylums and Law
courts; and now we must hunt him
out of the state altogether"
Cardinal Gibbons. continuing his
historical narrative follows events
from the origin of the present conflict,
in 1880, to the present time, pointing
out features of various anti-clerical