Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1911-11-25
Work Would Suffer From Fur
ther Hostility of Bigoted
Men.
Church Has Spent Million and
a Halt For Indian
Schools.
FACTS CATHOLICS SHOULD KNOW

speaking TeCeully dJ WdbuluBtOh,
d. c., Rev. William H. Ketcham,
Director of the Bureau of Catholic
indian Missions, made a disclosure
which demonstrates the urgent neces-
sity of a fresh rally of the friends of
the Catholic Indians, lest they suffer
further from the hostility Of bigoted
legislators, who worked to their
great injury years ago. Calling at
tention to a danger that threatens
this work, Father ketcham brought
out facts all Catholics should know,
one that it was at the invitation of
the Government that the church
built many mission schools among
more than $1,500,000.
"You remember" he said, that
Notwithstanding the splendid re-
suits produced by the Catholic mis-
sion schools, Congress enacted a
law prohibiting the use of public
funds for the support and education
of Indian children in any sectarian
institution, although with marvellous
inconsistency Congress every year
makes a direct appropriation out of
public funds for the Indian pupils at
Hampton Institute, which is a dis
tinctively Protestant school. The
church could not, with honor, nor
in good conscience, abandon the
work she had undertaken, and hence
since that time has striven to sup
port it by the voluntary offerings
she solicits from the Catholic people
of the United States. Those who
were responsible for that act of
Congress no doubt intended to do
away with Catholic Indian schools
entirely, but in this they did not
succeed. They did succeed, how
ever, in forcing from the pockets OF
the Catholic people money that, in
all justice, should have come from
another source.
"Since the passage of that act
the times have changed, and the
minds of many have broadened.
President Roosevelt came to our re-
lief by allowing us the use of In
dian tribal funds for certain mission
schools to which these funds were
applicable. This policy of the Presi-
dent was upheld by a decision of
the Supreme Court. Yet there were
many who opposed it, particularly
one member of the Indian Commit
tee of the House-Mr. Stephens, of
Texas-who sought, but fortunately
sought in vain, to secure legislation
that would render the policy of the
President unlawful. For years we
have had friend in the Chairman
OF the Indian Committee of the
House-Mr. Sherman, now Vice
President-and Mr.. Burke. of South
Dakota. But now that important
position is occupied by Mr.. Stephens,
of Texas, in spite of his past record
of unfriendliness to Catholic Indian
interests, which is an open and a
we'll known book.
president Taft has been so kind
as to take over four OF our schools,
his only departure from the custom
formerly In vogue being that he has
taken them over by lease instead of
by purchase. To this the present
Chairman of the Indian Committee
of the House evidently objects. On
June 21. 1911. he submitted reso-
luton OF inquiry requesting the Sec
for the information and use of the
hiOuScs u bldtcntuJ buOWluB III uc-
tail how many sectarian or other
schools have been covered in by
the Government within the past six
years. He asked for full particulars.
The animus OF the request is re-
vealed by the following paragraph:
"'Said Secretary is further re-
quested to report whether religious
symbols. emblems or garbs OF any
particular religious denomination OF
society are permitted to be worn or
used or publicly exhibited and kept,
or are so worn, used or kept by en-
ployes In the Indian school service
or within or upon property under
, Government control in the Indian
service
''Who can doubt that the author
OF this resolution. seeks, by Con-
gressional action, to prevent the
President from taking over mission
schools as Government institutions,
and thereby to take another dive
into Catholic pocketbooks, or to
force our schools TO discontinue. Be
II said TO the credit OF the Commit
tee on Indian Affairs OF the House
that no action has as yet been taken
upon this resolution. For this
reason. the Chairman wrote TO the
Secretary OF the Interior for the in
formation called for in the resolu-
ton. The Secretary being absent,
the acting Secretary replied. He
furnished in detail all information
called for, noting not only the insti-
tutions that have been taken over
within the past six years, but all
that have been taken over since
1895. He gives the authority by
which this has been done; adt<7>--
that in some OF these schools the
religious habit Is worn and RELIGIOUS
symbols used. He states why this