The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1910-04-11
JUST COMMON SENSE.

Jumping into a situation that con-
cerned it not at all, that the man
whom the paper was trying to extol
had himself termed a closed incident
and asked that it be forgotten, in an
editorial that shows as much Ignorance
as weakness and as much uncalled for
sectarianism as intolerance and mar
rowmindedness, the Evening Bulletin,
Saturday night, took it upon itself to
call the pope to task for what it
called artificial dignity. The paper
tried. in manner which was only a
gratuitous insult to Catho.-cs, TO show
the head of a great religious organiza-
ton, how to run his business. 1t failed
The customs surrounding the vatican
were not made by Pope Plus X. They
were not made by his predecessor.
They are the result of ages of develop
ment and history. He could not break
they had been laid down. Theodore
Roosevelt, a private citizen of the
United States, did not feel that he
could conform to them. Neither felt
any rancor neither expressed any feel
ing. And each respected the other. The
incident, Mr.. Roosevelt himself said,
was closed and asked that it be not
discussed further. And it had been
generally dropped. 1t only renamed
for narrow minded publication of the
far west, in the conceit of its narrow
mindedness and bigotry, to throw an
insult into the faces of the many
Catholics of this city, citizens of whom
Walla Walla is proud, and who are
among the most enterprising and re-
spected of it's number They have
worked shoulder to shoulder with the
Protestants, and to them credit is due
in equal measure.
This is supposedly a land of religious
tolerance. 1t is a country where each
man may worship his God as he sees
fit and in the manner that best pleases
him. Attacks On any religion catholic
or protestant, are not for the good Of
any community in which they may
arise, and especially is this true in the
present case.
The Catholic church needs no de-
tense at our hands. It's grand work
throughout the ages down to the pres
ent day needs rot our words of COM
mendation to entitle it and it's loyal adj
herents to the respect and admira ton
due to the achievements noteworthy in
the progress of this world of ours. For
the editor of the Evening Bulletin to
take advantage of the Roosevelt ati-
can incident to emit a scurrilious and
libellous screed against the forms and
ceremonials of that church, proves
nothing detrimental to that institution
for it's forms and ceremonials are uni
versally known and universally ad-
mired for their symbolic meanings
But his scurrility does prove one
thing-and that most patently-that
the editor of the Evening Bulletin is a
small, narrow minded man in a big
hearted and ad-minded community.
1t proves his incapability to meet the
broad gauge issues of the day, his In
capacity as an exponent of local SEN
irl1ar hi
promoter of pubic opinion. His I'M
called for abuse of Catholicism is of
fensive to broad minded Protestants as
to Catholics, and it shows that
the editor of the Evening Bulletin, in
his excess of petty bigotry and preju-
dice goes out. of his way to- insult and
offend members of the Catholic church
in the city of Walla Walla.
In st. Patrick's parish of Walla Wal
la are representative people of this In
land Empire; in it's folds are some of
our most worthy and respected citf-
| zens, and the history O. Walla Waila
will show the great part Catholicism
has played in bringing this city to the
high moral plane for which it has so
long been famous. And for the editor
of the Evening Bulletin to wantonly
revlle and defame Catholicism is but
to prove his unfitness for the COM
! munity in which he would reside. His
feeble blasts of malice We're unneces-
sary and can be considered only in the
| light of gratutious insult to some of
the best citizenship of the community