The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1914-11-21

Rio Grande:
"Csthons slerEy In MsIieo deserve
tie treatment accorded them By the
Constitutioualists since they secured
control % McKee, declares Jorge q
/ OroEco. CoustiiuuonAlisi cousul a. ~
rayo. Mr Or0seo has replied 90 the ~,
l tsHt action q the American Fo,lcrhtiun
~ Catholic torictics, which presented .
rctit.cn o. she American department ~
state asking proteytiou from alleged out.
agcs ggainst the Cutholic clergy IN
Mexico and fcpafation for 0utragcs A..
ready said 70 have been committed
against them.
"The ConsiitutionAlists kave no gTudgc
against the Catholic religion, but Il has
plu.shcl some representatives Of that
cIrrd.N OroEoo saws. "The complaint
g. the state department says thar Nc arc
I bitterly hnu-c.cricgl and are trying 90
stamp out Catholicism In Mexico. That
BE- not true. Our anger has bccn against
the representatives OF that religion who
have taken active part IN political Af-
fairs.
"rRnsrs WIN REtEs
"TLe complaint saws that the clergy
has tccn neutral IN the political disturb.
anccs that have shaken my country"
he continued. THAT b. net true Why,
iu some cases, we have caught priests
with rifles Ia their hands lighting beside
/ liucrtista soldiers against our forces
These cases are few, but every one hns
teen punished by death, after a regular
tcurtmartial Before Huerta was over
thrown, The Catholic priests Of Mo2ico
aided his administration in many ways.
They furnished funds 10 buy arms for
the 'usurper - soldiers In Mexico City
they established, during Huerta's rule, a
club called The Catholic Party. In
he residence Of Archbishop Mora 80.
rrct conferences we're often held be.
tween the ecclesiastical officials and tho
high officers Of the traitors government.
Ricicnciado TomariE was president Of
this club.
"AcTED As sPIEs
"The letter 10 the state department.
avs that the clergy taught the people
tu respect constituted authority. A
priest caught with n rifle in his hsndS
fghting with the federals was not teach
ing anyone respect for constituted Ru.
thorty, was hei They did spy wurk
for the federal army al during the revo
luton against lIuerta-
"The American society, In its report
says that the Catholic clergy have taken
no part In political affairs Of Mexico
for 90 years. Every Mexican knows
that is not so. True, they have not held
Office, but they have influenced prae
tically every administration that has
been IN power. During the DiaE regime
they had a frm hold on Mrs. Diaz, the
wife of the president, and through her
they welded a powerful influence on
old Porfrio. Through his conciliatory
politics, which was to placate all oppo,
sition parties that were seriously threat
ening, Diaz gave the Catholic church
many privileges. They enjoyed in
Mexico more privileges than the church
has in any other part Of the world
2 Ninety.hye per cent Of the Mexican pop
never tolerated the ests blishment Of an
! other creed in the republic. All at
tcmpts 20 establish Protestant churche,
IN any strength have been foiled by the
clever manipulations Of the Catholic
clergy, who brooked no other religion in
their sphere Of influepee.
"cONsTITUTIoNALIsTs ARE CATHOLICS
"They accuse the Constitutionalist.
u being anti.elerieal and desirous OF
, Niping out religion in Mexico. That i
ridiculous. Ninety per cent Of all th'
COnstitutionalst soldiers are Catholics
; and have yet 10 see one who has not 1
scapular medal hung around his neck
We have no quarrel with the creed bui
we know absolutely that It's representa-
tives have been menace to the country
Every thinking Mexican will tell yO'
that almost all the misfortunes Of Mex
leo have been brought about by tn
Catholic clergy. They brought on a wa
expressly forbids them 20 take part il
political affairs, they have done so tint
and again, openly and underhandediy
"The outTages We are accused Of hav
ing inflicted upon them have been ex
. aggerated. II is true that numbers o.
priests have been expelled from th,
/, country because, in their monasteries
VIC found documents proving that the,
had actively aided Huerta. Special at
tention is called In the complaint TO th,
! American department Of state 10 tn,
fact that so nuns were confined upstair
in a house near Guadalaiara, while be
low the soldiers Of Gen. Obregon s arm.
were quartered with their so-ealle,
: shameless women We have dozens o.
.. witnesses 20 prove this was not 80. Gen
Obregon is an honorable man and b
would not have permitted such a thing
. "HUSNEREs PROHIBITED
. "The fact that those nuns were Their
/ is in itself a direct proof that the Cath
r olics have broken the laws of my eoun
E try. There Il an old statute prohibit
( ing the establishment Of nunneries i
] the country. What the Catholic elerg
! Of Mexico have been made 10 suffe
1 since the beginning Of the Constitution
alist revolution would not begin {
I compare with the tremendous amount o
2 sorrow they have brought upon ii
{ country with their political intrigue an
{ their fierce desire 10 control all the na
tiOn. We recognize their right TO cor
= troll and leadership in spiritual affair
2 but we will not have them meddling
4 politics.
{ alt is merely a case Of history r,
= peating itself. Has France suffered i
Q .he eyes Of the nations because Of he
persecution of the Cathohesi We hay
+ not prosecuted We have merely dea.
iout justice"