Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1913-05-03
Had Manliness and Courage ts
Refuse to Sign Ridiculous
Covenant.
Protestants Who See Nothing to
Fear From Home Rule
Increasing.
TRUSTTHEIR FELLOW CATHOLICS

The bigotry and intolerance of the
Ulster Orangemen is well exemplified
by the story of the Scotstown Pres
byterian affair, as told by the Dun
ddik Democrat. 1t appears that the
Presbyterian church at Scotstown,
County Monaghan, has been served
by clergyman named Rev. John
Patterson-so far as we know
worthy minister of his church, and
no man has ventured to say other
wise. Some months ago one-half his
congregation rose and left the Scots
.own Presbyterian church and went
In body to the Orange hall, where
ever since these double dissenters
have assembled every Sunday morn
ing at the hour fixed for service in
the church and held a service OF
their own, to which 1t appears most
of the church congregation event
ually came. 1t might be thought
that the Rev. Patterson had COM
mitted some fearful crime, repu-
dated some Presbyterian doctrine,
or in some way outraged the feel
ings of his hearers. But no. The
reverend gentleman's sole crime"
was that he had the manliness to re-
fuse to sign the notorious Orange
covenant.
We hear a lot of the Orangeman's
profesed love for "civil and religious
liberty" But here they deny to
their own minister the right-not
even to assert political doctrines diff
ferent from their, but to refrain from
endorsing the implied outrage upon
the feelings of his Catholic neigh
bors contained in the covenant. or
from pledging himself, against his
conscience and his sense of right, to
take up arms to resist home rule.
We know many Presbyterians, in
|e,pdink some Preshx xleEiap -elerexs
men, who are home rulers as their
forefathers were. We know many
more who see nothing to fear in
home rule and rely upon the good
sense of their Catholic fellow coun-
trymen, far more than upon the
safeguards contained in the bill, to
protect them from any form of in
justice, not to say persecution. We
dc not know even one who will as
sert that he genuinely fears and such
event. We have in mind the out
spoken declaration of Presbyterian
clergyman at the time the COW
enant-now almost forgotten-was
being used to work up bogus Union
list sentiment in Ulster. That clergy
man, not a home ruler, wrote to the
Times that he and hundreds like him
did not distrust their Catholic fellow
couDtrymen, and were ashamed OF
the things said and done in the name
Of religion, ''as they felt that the re-
ligion thus exhibited was not the
religion that had made the men OF
Ulster what they had stood for in the
past"
The Rev. Patterson is entitled to
the appreciation of every right-think-
ing man and every lover of justice
and of liberty. He has refused to
disobey his conscience, to accuse his
Catholic neighbors unjustly or to
join in the vain and foolish vapor-
ings OF civil war and bloodshed TO
which too many of his cloth allowed
themselves to be persuaded-no
doubt against the better judgment OF
most of them. Those members OF
his congregation who have taken
such extraordinary means to punish
him for his manly and Christian
stand have unwittingly done public
decency a service by showing the in
tolerant spirit OF Orangemen and the
true Interpretation to be placed upon
''civil and religious liberty" as under
stood and desired by them.
Rev. Patterson took part In the
united Ulster day service in Ballin-
ode parish church. but when the time
for signing the covenant arrived he
refused TO do so. On the next Sun
day by way of protest almost half OF
| the congregation left when he com
menced the ordinary service In his
own church Since then special
services have been eonductedl each
Sunday at the same time as the
church services by one OF the elders
Of the congregation in Wattsbridge
Orange Hall.