The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-09-20
THE SITUATION IN PORTUGAL
A HEARST PAPER LAUDs THE
REVoLUTIoNIsTs AND INSULTS
THE cHURcH-THE OTHER
SIDE OF THE QUESTION.

While the saner elements the world
over have come to look askance at the
untoward development of things in
Portugal, including the oppression of
the religious orders devoted to teach
ing and to the care of the sick, and
while Catholics are protesting against
the atrocities perpetrated by the men
in power, one of William Randolph
Hearst's sheets sees fit to laud the
Revolution and to deride the influence
of religion and the Church during ages
past as the influence of superstition,
bigotry and ignorance. The dominant
religious force for centuries back hav-
ing been the Catholic Church, the in
situation can mean nothing less than
an affront offered the Church of Rome
And this insult is aggravated by a
silly comparison with and praise of the
Revolution.
The Los Angeles Evening Herald,
in it's issue of August II, 1913, contains
an editorial headed: Portugal Will
Never See Manuel on the Throne
y ." which contains such rare
gems as these:
"The news from Portugal of a new
instruction is disturbing only be-
cause of the fact that the system of
tyranny, brutality and superstition
that ruled there for SO long, purposely
kept the people in ignorance. And
unable to read = ="
THE new rules will be men liable to
carry on the real business of repub-
lic-the development of the public
schools, the abolition of ignorance
and the superstition and brutality
that go with ignorance"
Such assertions can be interpreted
solely as an insult to the Church,
whose influence for ages past is char
acterized as having been exerted in
favor of ignorance, superstition,
tyranny and brutality" Unjust as the
accusation is, it is aggravated by the
foolish praise lavished upon the Re
public of Portugal by the Herald.
Actual conditions in that country are
utterly at variance with such silly
praise. Surely one would expect that,
if any one, the Socialists would be
in favor of the Revolution and would
condone all it's shortcomings. And
yet the leading Austrian Socialist pub
LEGATION has only recently seen fit to
publish complaint written by So
cialist in Portugal, in which the adj
ministration is severely criticised.
This Portuguese Socialist writes:
Portugal is once more the scene of
anarchistic assaults and conspiracies.
Never before has it been so near the
brink of ruin Not one of the
i've Cabinets that have been in pow
er has done anything Of decisive inn
portance for the country. The poll
ticians who conduct the business of
the country are ambitious Office seek
ers, who use their valuable time I'm ar
ranging festivities, or in prosecuting
the workingmen or the royalists. Al
though the Bourgeoisie has the work
ingmen to thank for the erection of
the Republic, it mistreats the Portu-
guese proletariat as 1t has never been
abused by the Monarchy. The num-
Der of the unemployed is constantly
increasing. ss National work
shops have been opened, to afford en-
ployment for idle workers. Since the
public treasury is empty, however,
these people have work only on three
DAYS 4 week. The increase
lin taxes has caused IN intolerable In