The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1907-08-10

AAStJ
His Secretary OF State had made a
huge blunder If the policy Of Les
XIII had been carried out nothing
like this would have happened.
Conditions have completely changed
since Leo. Now it is the question Of
the Church retaining her God given
rights or denying her Divine Founder.
Yet here in America. where the rights
of conscience are so strenuously pro-
claimed. hardly one paper out of the
entire nom Catholic press strove ~
learn the truth. while almost all dis
torted it,
When. however. the thousands,
obedient to the voice of federation as
sembled in large cities and made the
halls of our largest buildings resound
with indignant protests against the
injustice inflicted upon our French
Catholic brethren. how soon the news
papers began to learn the truth!
Let US confess ii frankly, we have
poSu toD "Sdh-hIlSSu, we nave UOL
stood up in body for our rights. In
deed. we have allowed this spirit to
grow to such an extent that many
among us scarcely realize what our
rights as American citizens are. and
ignore this organization. which has
marched in the van of Catholic prog
ress for the last six years. 1t has
not only announced the rights of
Catholics. and shown the way to OBJ
tain them legitimately and peacefully;
it has, moreover. obtained justice at
home and in our insular possessions.
LAS one instance of what federation
has done, let me remind you of the
friars in the Philippines. 1t was said
that they were immortal; THAI they
were tyrants; that they spread SUPER
stition; that they should therefore be
banished from the islands. Yes, these
men, who, during four hundred years.
had converted more than seven mil
lions to the faith of Christ, and planted
among savages the arts of civilization,
were to be robbed and hunted like
wild beasts from the islands. What
reply did the American Federation of
Catholic Societies make to this propo-
sition? One and half millions
strong they arose in their Catholic
faith, in the power Of their American
citizenship, and they declared: Our
fathers founded this republic, poured
out their blood on hundred battle
fields to preserve this Union. They
died that America might live. that the
Stars and Stripes might remain the
emblem of Justice and liberty, and we
give notice to our enemies that there
is no power beneath the flag that can
that they are treated as men, as be-
comes their holy profession. and they
will receive that justice which the
United States guarantees to every
man coming within it's jurisdiction.
You know the rest. Our government
listened to the voice of federation, and
the frars received a. reasonable cont
pensation for their lands.
Let me ask those who are dis
posed to look askance at Federation
What have you done in comparison
with us? readily admit we could
have accomplished. more had we had
the pecuniary resources and had we
| the united support of our brethren
What we have done thus far has at
| tracted the attention of other coun-
| tries. and similar bodies have beer
formed in Australia Italy and notably
in England, where the Bishops to d
man. have raised the banner of union
on the identical lines of the .Ameri-
can Federation. We have set a noble
example to the Catholics of other
countries.
Consider for a moment the mo-
mentous problems which are now fore
ing themselves upon us. These ar,
|
ligion and education Federation has
treated all these subjects in it's ma
tional conventions. The public nov
thoroughly understands the Catholic
position on all these questions. All
these problems demand our earnes;
attention. In my opinion. however
that of education is paramount. for
| If we settle that we will have mate
rally assisted in the solution of The
others. We must therefore keep il
constantly before the public. and mus,
not rest satisfied with mere theory
! We must produce practical results.
| "a few figures will show what a
burden We are carrying to educate
our children according to our religious
convictions. The report of the United
States Commissioner Of Education for
the year ending June 80. 1904. states