The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1912-06-14
Rev. {, Rombcuts Replies to Mr.. {,
II. DoesCher'S Letter on Cath
olicism VS.. Socialism.
Editor OF Rice Belt Journal:


When read MIR. E. H. Doescher's
letter attacking the "Militia of
Christ" my first thought was not to
answer it at all, for the simple reason
that it is chockfull of contradictions
and shows SO evidently the writer's
superficial knowledge of modern So
clalsm as it is actually being prOpo-
gated in the United States and else
where, that the article il question is
its own refutation,
However it may not be useless to
call the attention Of the readers Of
this journal to u few points touched
upon by Mr.. Doescher.
In grandiloquent language the writ
er ventures to declare that, ''the
words militia, battle, etc, suggest the
the military, the return to brute force,
to barbarism, and has no place in a
controversy Of the 10Th century," So
far Mr.. Doescher, may assure him
that the Militia of Christ is simply an
organization established for the de-
Tense of the christian order of society
and of the American constitution
against the attacks especially of So
cialism.
Furthermore the members OF that
organization will not use bullets or
dynamite or in other words initiate
the violent methods resorted to time
and again by the militant socialists
in various parts of the world, also
sometimes in Our great country,
They will defend the American in
stitution by means of the press, lee
lures, ETC., etc.
"lf the struggle of the future is to
be between the Catholic church and
socialism. then the church will be the
aggressor. | suppose that my ,nppo.
nent knows that the church or
rather religion is being attacked
continuously in socialist lectures and
newsDa pers; moreover, the church ex-
listed already many centuries before
the first socialist was bora, conse-
quen.ly there can not be any question
of aggression but rather of self de.
tense.
"Socialism is not concerned about
religion" But why does it attack
religion then? Why does the cate
chism for the socialist Sunday school
children teach that there is no God
no soul, etc? The following word:
of Ny. DneScher: The burning cues.
ton OF the future is not heaven OF
hell but bread, in other words how to
make a living" would rather sub
stantiate my conclusion that the writer
believes in economic determinism OF
the materialistic conception of history
which is the Fundamental dogma O
MARKHAM or scientific socialism. Ir
the opinion of Frederick Engels i
was hv this conception of history tha
socialism advanced to the rank o
science. Anyone acquainted with in
ternatiOnal socialism and the Ameri
can, German, French, Dutch, Italian
etc literature Knows that the works o
Bebel, Labriola, Yanderville, Lewis
Blatchford, Untermann aud others
adopt the MARKHAM theory destinctv,
of all positive religion and belie
in a personal God The christians O
all denominations maintain that mar
does not live by bread alone. | can
rot think that Mr.. Doescher lives ex
clusivelv by that. Other things ar
needed in the life Of an intelligen
creature of God.
At the Chicago convention of tn
socialist party tl90S) the resolution
was passed declaring that socialism i
not concerned with matters of re
ligious belief. Arthur Lewis, autho
and lecturer, said: 1T we must spea
propose that we shall go before thi
country with the truth, not with
lie." Hillquit himself declared tina
it was intended as q subterfuge for tn
use of socialist agitators in dealin
with catholic working men. Untel
man believed that it was nonsensica
to urge men to become atheists befor
they become socialists. I'VE mus
first get these men convinced Of th
nationality of our economic and pc
litical program and then, after W
have made socialists Of them, we ca
talk to them inside our ranks of tn
logical consequences of our explans
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