The Irish standard., 1915-10-09
Penn. A. O. H. Active
Agains &&:|S$:tsne :|: 5: .![ Men,

81 slst. g. 1stnene 9 wen
to active hostih.. Catholics I,
the most insulting threatenin.
during this generation.
There is but one answer to this anti
Catholic propaganda. That answer i,
organization-the organization o
Catholics to defend not only their re
ligion, but their rights and privilege,
as Americans. No Catholic-and Ger
tainly no Irish-American Catholic.
going to abdicate his rights as al
American citizen because of any men
ace raised by groups of men Assem-
bled by crafty leaders to be used to at
tack the very foundations of free gov
ernment.
We shall meet this crisis as We
have met other crises. The cause il
the same as was the cause which sur
vived the insults and mob.ragings Of
other days. The Church which has
stood the fury of deluded rioters wag
ing rancorous war against her stain
less edifice will stand unmoved before
the coming storm. For it is evident
that storm is gathering in this coun
try-a storm Of unreasonable bigotry
which will be launched against our
Church and her children.
This is the old fight of the Ancient
Order Of Hibernians. The "stone.
men" have raised the old banner OF
mo Popery." and the Hibernians will
accept the challenge. We cannot de.
cline. Our Order forms the heredi-
tary Defenders of the Faith" There
will be no bloodshed, as in the old
days. At least, let US fervently hope
that no body of men in this day and
on this continent will openly propose
to constitute themselves into Yeomen
or Orangemen, threatening with arms
to intimfdate Catholics. The mem.
bers of our Order are "Defenders''
now as they were in the penal days.
There will be no pitched battles here.
But there will surely be battles of in
tellect, battles Of organized hearts,
battles of righteousness and battles
to retain every right and privilege
to which we are entitled as American
citizaps.
any attack is made upon
Catholics in this land of our birth and
of our love the attack is made upon
the lrish-Americans. For they are in
the van of Catholic achievement. It
is his race that is vigorous and az
gressive, conscious of its strength and
bold in the use of its power. The
1rish-American knows that his cause
is the cause of all Americans. 1t is
the cause of the Declaration, which
declares that all men are free and
equal. It is the cause of the Constitu-
tion, which binds our Government to
guard jealously the liberties of the
and the liberties of religion.
The times are not favorable for the
schemes of these jaundiced minds
which are blinded and twisted by envy
and ambition. There need be no anxiety
among those citizens who believe in
the inevitable triumph of truth. But
1t is painful to witness the attempt
of the "Stone-men" to revive the spirit
of the Penal Laws. It is sad that in
this age and in this land there are
men who would steal from us any
part Of our heritage of citizenship. Yet
we cannot help but feel deep pity that
any large set of our fellow-citizens
should seek to kindle contlagration
which they may be unable to extin-
guish without consuming that friend!i.
ness which ought to unite all Ameri.
cans.
The "Stone-men," and all other anti
Catholic organizations, seek to estab.
lish once more the conditions which
existed in Ireland during long ages of
travail and persecution. This condi.
tion was described by the great Ed.
mund Burke in his indictment of the
enemies Of the Church in that day:
Their declared object was to reduce
the Catholics to a miserable populace
without property, without estimation
without education. They divided the
nation into two distinct bodies, with
out common interest. sympathy or con
nection."
No calamity will befall the Irish.
American citizens of America If ali
1rish-Americans do their duty. It was
just such organizations as the "Stone
men" that Hibernanism was founded
in modern times to combat. We have
met them in every field, and the YER
dict Of history has hitherto been with
us. We shall meet them again, and
we shall prove before the opened eye.
Of the whole people that we stant
now, as we have stood always, ready
to guard to the utmost limit ever,
prerogative Of American citizenship
In defending the Church we are alss
defending the Constitution. In guard
ing the ballot We are also guarding tn,
freedom guaranteed by every drop o
blood shed from Quebec to Appomat