The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-03-13

public funds, or to which the state
sends certain classes of individ.
uals, are: always open to inspec-
ton by the proper authorities. The
law provides Cor this legitimate in
|spection. The people are entitled to
know how these institutions fulfil
their public functions and that
knowledge can always be had; but
beyond that, public inspection can.
not go without infringing upon the
personal liberty guaranteed to
every citizen of this country.
This craze for convent inspec-
ton is based upon the false impi-
cation that, there is something
morally wrong in these institn-
tions. If there be good grounds
for this suspicion, the laws already
ON the statute books provide a
means Of ascertaining the truth
and Of furnishing the guilty. But
as the matter stands these sus-
picions are found only in the
minds Of prurient bigots who
have. lost all sense of decency and
|selfarespect and who allow their
'imaginations to revel in the con
temptation of the obscene and i'm
moral.
Thank God, the right-thinking
American legislators are not per-
hitting these bigoted fanatics to
disgrace the statute books with
convent inspection bills. So far
only one State in the Union-Ar-
kansas-has passed such a bill and
lit has not yet received the sigma
ture Of the Governor. In Colorado
a.similar bill has passed the House
of Representatives and is now be-
fore the. Senate. In other state
legislatures the bill did not get
beyond the committee stage. Last
week such bill was introduced
into the Minnesota Legislature but
was withdrawn later on by its
sponsor
In this connection it may be well
to subjoin the following graph
from the report Of commission,
all of whom were Protestants, APP
pointed by Governor Ferguson of
Texas, to deal with one Of these
|detestable measures. It says:
A bill, or bills, Of similar prlr-
port to House Bill No. 65 has or
have been from time to time intro
duced irl many State Legislatures.
To the credit and sanity of these
Legislatures be it said that so far
it has met with favor in none of
them. In this bill, as in its prede-
cessors, is concealed the cloven
hoof. To enact law providing
that upon the petition of. twenty
persons an inspection Of reputable
institutions could be made by
County Commissioners would be
bad per Sc and would introduce a
principle and precedent in legisla-
ton that could but result in
promiseuous modelling without
proyiding1a single safeguard to
good society.
Reputable institutions, such as
private hospitals, reformatory
homes, converts, asyIums, see
tartan seminaries, etc, are subject
and open to every kind of inspec-
ton that due regard, efficiency
cleanliness and sanitation could
properly require or demand. Bnt,
aside from this fact, this par,
ticular :. bill is a yelled and
unprov6ked effort, whether wit.
tingly or unwittingly, to en-.
|conrage a vicious and ,mwar-
ranted anti-Catholic sentiment in
the American State. This Repnb-
lie was founded, in the wisdom oil
the fathers, upon the principle
that America should forever re,
main a;harbor of refuge for the
oppressed Of every land the home
and citadel of religious and politi-
cal liberty, sustaining and per-
petuating Government where
every citizen could worship God
after the dictates Of his own con.
science and uninterruptedly enjoy
the rights of property, religious
and political freedom and the pur-
suit of happiness.
eve respectfully recommend
that the bill be not passed