The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1911-09-02

editor of Watson's Jeffersonian Maya
zine, started series in which he ar
raigned 1.-THE Roman Catholic HER
2rchy as the deadliest menace to our
liberties and our civilization" .
While all who know Mr.. Watson
must admire his ability, we who are
acquainted with the facts of history
and philosophy of religion are panied
to discover that in his treatment OF
this subject he exhibits the unreason-
able bias of a partisan and appears
to be totally blind as to certain great
fundamental truths.
There are two things upon which
Mr.. Watson cannot write without pas
sion and prejudice.
On the negro question he is so rab-
id and radical that he makes Ben Till
man look like the patron saint of the
black race.
On the subject Of Catholicism, Tom
is so bitter, biased and brutal that he
would easily pass for the daddy of all
the A. P. AS
The charge which he makes against
the Catholic church is serious, wheth-
err false or true,
If the Catholic church is NOT 1.-THE
greatest menace to our liberties and
our civilization" Mr.. Watson is
guilty of fomenting a religious con-
flict, and trying to resurrect animos-
tiles that have slept in their graves
for decades.
If his charge be false he merits a
stern rebuke from every patriotic
publication in the country, whether
Catholic or Protestant.
On the other hand, if his charges
he true. then no true Catholic can be
a patriot. If his premise is not wrong
his logic punk and his conclusions
false as hell, then every member OF
the Catholic Hierarchy is a traitor tc
the Republic.
To believe such an absurdity, one
must substitute ina gination for facts
prejudice for reason, falsehood fo1
truth and bigotry for common sense
BY the light Of reason and in the
interest of truth and justice l have
carefully examined Mr.. Watson's
charges, and shall give my readers thu
result of my investigation.
In the article which follows l shall
deal only with essentials, and stick t.
FACTS. Being neither Catholic MOI
Protestant, just a. plain everyday sin
ner, l shall not be tempted to swervt
a hairs breadth from the TRUTH il
the interest of either side.
In the very beginning let it be un.
derstood that I care less than nothing
about the theological points raised by
Mr.. Watson concerning forms of wor.
ship, rites, robes and ceremonies.
am interested in one question only
HAS Watson told the TRUTH" Is thu
Catholic Hierarchy THE deadles
renace to our liberties and our civil.
ization?"
Before taking up this main ques
ton, shall approach the subjec
from another angle, and by unan
swerable facts and logic show that Mr.
the Catholic Hierarchy is NOT "th'
deadliest menace to our liberties ant
our civilization"
People familiar with the history o
nations, thrones, kingdoms, republics
and systems OF governments who's
wrecks line the pathway of human
caused their downfall. Moral decay
political corruption, graft, briber!
and greed may undermine and over
throw a just government, but religio,
never.
The Capitalization Of wealth, no
Catholicism, is THE deadliest men
While no republic has ever been de
stroyed by religion, NOT ONE ha
ever long survived the concentration
of wealth in the hands of the few.
Nothing would better please tn
minions of privilege and monopol
than to have the attention of the Am
erican people at this time diverte
from them to some false issue in poll
tics. They would rejoice to hav
somebody precipitate a religious con
f1ict so they could continue to plunde
the masses. 1t would prevent the so
4 luton of pressing problems whicl
moan their complete overthrow an
the establishment of a real politica
and industrial democracy unde
which every man would enjoy equa
w opportunities and nobody have spe
Y cial privilege.
Mr.. Watson knows that the republi
& Of Greece could not be destroyed, un