Bismarck daily tribune., 1908-11-08
GOOD ADVICE
BISHOP STANLEY 4 ADVISES HIS
PEOPLE TO STAY I'M NoRTH$DA.
koTA RATHER THAN CHASE
AFTER ALBERTA RAiNBoWs. 83a

| Bishop stanley has written a letter
to the clergy and laity, Of the diocese
Of Fargo, protesting against the re-
moval OF Catholic colonies to Cana
dian provinces. Bishop Stanley says;
| Dear Bretheren: 1t has come to
my certain knowledge that strong
and concerted effort. is being made
to depopulate this diocese by induc-
I ing Catholic farmers to sell, their
holdings here and to remove to the
Canadian province of; Alberta or else.
where. At the time Of my visit to
|Winnepeg, Oct. 4, learned that one
priest had induced during the last
year or two over i 900 Catholic fami-
lies to move from this state into the
province Of Alberta. The priest in
question is reported to have said that
North Dakota is the chosen field for
his operations and that next year he
shall do better. The priest is aided
by laymen OF. some influence In our
state. In view of these facts I deem
it my solemn duty to utter a note of
warning to my spiritual children.
Hence this letter s9s5 III.
ITO every thoughtful G catholic man
of family two problems present them
selves, the spiritual and the temporal.
it is undeniably the duty of every
father to weigh well both of these
problems, and to act on them accord
ling to, his best judgment. In mat
tiers spiritual he must consider the
eternal welfare of his tgs m.
matters temporal, their earthly hap
piness. The question confront
ing every father therefore, is, can /
do better in both these regards in
Alberta than in North Dakota?
| My residence in North Dakota for
the past nineteen years, and my very
intimate knowledge of the conditions
in every part of the state and Of most
of the states of the union during that
long period give me a right, I think,
| to express my opinion. And my can
did opin is nowhere on the North
American continent can an industri-
GUS and sober man do better by cul-
tivating the soil than in this state,
and that nowhere in a new country
are the spiritual interests of Catholics
better cared for than in this diocese.
the facts speak conyincingly in sup
4 port of this statement :,
The bishop then gave statistics OF
the comparative growth Of many dio-
e,cses in the United States from 1890
to 1898. These statistics show. that
during the past, eighteen years the
clergy in the Fargo district has been
1 quadrnpled and the number. of church,
es have multiplied five times, the dio-
cese has built fifty-three churches
lmore in new places than any other
diocese in the United States, and
there lis now one church for every
312 members in this diocese against
one church for Gil 1-2 members in
Alberta. Regarding the temporal rea-
sons why the exodus to Canada is un-
wise, the bishop says: v
| Where under Gods blessed sky is
there land where happy homes are
more easily made than in North Da-
kota? Dear people, use a little com
mon sense in considering this all-im-
portant question. Do not so, slike
children, in chase Of rainbows. The
Hand is here, under your feet, as fer
!; tile as any on Gods footstool. It's
treasures are waiting your work.
/ Patience, perseverance and work, are
alone needed to give you wealth Do
you need proofs? !? Ask any neighbor
who has wrought diligently and lived
spberly and prudently. The fools and
dissolute have failed. The wise and
/ diligent and, Industrious have succeed
/ ed beyond their fondest hopes. Where
else on earth can one bear the story
50 often told in North Dakota Of men
who came here twenty years ago
with fifty or one hundred dollars
linen unknown in places of their birth
who are today shaping the destin-
les OF the great commonwealth Of
/ North Dakota, and numbered among
Its most substantial citizens.
The bishop continued:
Again say to you, Catholics Of
/ my diocese. use q little common sense
and stay where you are. Do your
duty as citizens, and above ali do
yoilrF duty as Catholics.
TO the Rev. Clergy Of the diocese
4 I wish to announce that grave peril
menaces our diocese. and to meet this
danger, I ask the priest In the dio-
cese to give me timely notices of any
attempt from outside to tempt our
people to leave a certain good for an
uncertain something.
4 70 be more explicit: NO Catholic
Il nrifsEt Wnrlyiner In, W, ~ s.,.e,s4 80 -