Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-08-12
CATHOLICS SPLIT
ON WOMEN'S
Question Causes Division of
Opinion at Milwaukee Meet
Archbishop Speaks.

league; and an address by T. E. Nina
han of Seattle, Wash, on The Cath !
olic American Citizen" will be the !
features of today's session of the
American Federation of Catholic So !
cieties. The committee on resolutions |
and organization has been working a !
year to formulate plans for woman's
society and today its work is expect {,
ed to result in a definite organization.
Miss Elizabeth Marshall Of Milwau- !
kee is mentioned as first president. In
accordance with the wishes of Arch
bishop Messmer the women, it is ex-
pected, will bar suffrage from discus
sions of the league. These is a great
division Of opinion among men and
women delegates on the suffrage ques-
ton.
Scoring anti-Catholic publications.
calling on President Wilson and con-
gress to prevent persecution of Cath
olics in Portugal and support Catho-
lies for new American colonization
work were other features of the ses-
! SONS today.
Archbishop Ireland, addressing the
convention last night, declared that
che evil today in America is the de
cay CT religion, and, in necessary Sc
quence. the decay of morals. In both
instances, the cause of the decay is
the enforced secularism OF the state
! sChccls. Others than Catholics, heed
| full observers and intelligen. thinkers,
/ admit the evil, admit the cause and
LIT, 49, IL ,tC4 ol-o
! ing common sense and patriotism of
the American people TO discover The
remedy. Meanwhile in telling the
evi. and the cause, my right hand on
my conscience, | rank myself among
truest and most loyal Of American"
Archbishop Irelanis subject was
Catholicism and Americanism.' Con-
tinuing, he said:
Now, in America, some do say
thG- the pope Of Rome is ambitious
CT temporal rule over Amer,cs, of
planting here the yellow and white
instead of the S;tar-Sp2ngled Banner"
said Archbishop Ireland; that priests
and bishops arc active agents in his
warnings; hat Catholics dream OF
I
and political matters will sway the
White hose ana the capitol; thai to
this intent, associations are night y
bolittinS themselves by sangu.nary
c>ths ard secret drilling Of arms to
murder their fellow citizens, and IL
the name CT q foreign potenta-e, take
fcrcIblo possession CT the land CT the
80 81,
Il a,lude to sucl wild elucUbr2t!oa5
c. diseased brains, only TO ask in IN
answered wcnderment how such co.
lies Can be thought cut and &C eel upon
even by 4 handful of men in the z0cI
century in America. But CT course
me insane are ever witt US, and al
the insane are Tot put into safe keep
ing.
THE partition of jurisdiction into
the spirIsua. and the temporal is :
vital prime pie of Catholicism; no les:
. is it vita. principle CT A!nericaq:5m
, Catholicism and Americazism are il
compete agreement.
In America, the government is tht
republic-the government of the PEG
pie, by the people and for the people
With you, fellow Catholics, with 20;
fellow Americans, salute the repub
lie. l thank God that the people Of
America are capable of possessing {
a government of this FORM the republic
: II is the fullest recognition of hu
@ man dignity and human rights, the
S fullest grant CT personal freedom
n that due regard for The rights OF 9th
t ers and ne welfare of the social or
e ganism may allow. Alter it to an en-
j. pire or a monarchy. Never, so lonl
: as our lips may praise it, or GU
: hands WELD Il sword in its defense
S Permit the barbarous onslauJhts o
y lawlessness and anarchy to undermine
its foundation or loosen the cemen
binding together its walls! Never, 81
long as life still throbs within oul
bosoms.
They know us little who accuse III
Of cove;ing civil and political powel
that we may dim the splendor >
the fairest flower in the gardan O
Americanism, Our ccmbats. II com
bats there be, are never against tn,
| liberties of America bI- in defense o
them; never against America bu
| against such of its sons whose soul!
never yet have thrilled in fui. re
Spouse to its teachings and inspira
tons.
Now and then, even in o.herwisr
intelligent quarters, a charge, if no
Of anti-catholicism, at least OF IN
Americanism, .s laid to the door o
the Catholic church. The charge mus
seem most singular, so soon as we q
all advert to the essential character
istics of religious creed, professir.
TO be OF divine origin. Yet the charg'
is made. Substantially it is this
The Catholic church in its faith ant
morals does not bear the stamp
Made in America 1t is Gn-AmeI
lean to go across the Atlantic or n
Pacific for aught that America use
or needs-eyen for .ts religion. Now
the head of the Catholic church is TIL
bishop of Rome, a foreigner; rs ger
eral councils composed OF men CT a
! naticns-foreigners N the maj3rit!
{ Europeans, Asiatios, Alricang--legil
4 late IN faith ana morals fo- Amer,c: