The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1915-11-06
Has Big0try Made
ANY PROGRESS?

Any
1t is far cry from 1853 to 1915.
Anyone who looks around him will
have that fact brought home to him
with compelling force, says the Tab
let" Our improved means of CON-
munication and travel, our electric
lights. our tall buildings, our splen-
did pavements; everything-or near
ly everything-seems to shout "prog-
ress."
Catholicity, too, has kept pace with
the progress of the age. 1t was Oc-
tober 80, 1853, that Rt. Rev. John
Loughlin was consecrated first Bishop
of Brooklyn, to guide the spiritual des-
tiny of the few thousand Catholics who
at that time lived on Long Island. To-
day. in this diocese there are 100000
Catholics, whose wants are attended
by $40 priests, and who support 229
churches and ITO parish schools. Non.
Catholics have every opportunity of
judging of the mettle of their Cath
Ollie neighbors by looking around them
and Judging of their work. Back in
1853 the early strides of the Church
may have been looked upon with sus.
picion, but surely, anyone will say,
such suspicious are woefully out of
date now.
Are they? They are not! Today
the same methods of opposing the
Catholic citizens exercise of their
prerogatives are used that marked the
early days of the diocese. The Guard.
ians of Liberty are threatening dire
ruin on all those who vote for Cath.
Ollie nominees, lists of questions are
being sent out and, in general, the
same methods are being used that
marked the fight against Catholics in
1853, the year that "Know-Nothings''
secured control of political affairs in
New York.
To indicate the lack of progress in
politico.religious activities which the
forces of bigotry have made since the
time when they were in their heyday
let US quote the following from an ar
ticle on old-time politics by Mr.. A
Cady Palmer, an up-Stater. Mr.. Pal
mer writes:
Back in 1887 there was a local di
vision between the radical and con
sentative Democrats. The Wings had
control of the State Legislature, which
meant the control of the canal patron
age, just as it does now, and there
was general change of officeholders
and a general scrambling for spoils
That was before my time, of course
but l saw enough of the same thine
in after years.
"earnburners and Hunkers."
1T was about this time that the
two divisions of the Democrats be
came more prominent-the Barnburn
ers and the Hunkers. The Hunkers
had all the Offices and meant to keeI
them. The Barnburners wanted the
Hunkers out of the way, even if they
smashed things. They got their nick
names from the story of the old Penn
sylvania farmer who burned down his
barn to get rid of the rats.
"The Barnburners were a pert Of
the Free-soil party which came to the
front in as or thereabouts. Part Of
the Free-soil was an anti-slavery prin
ciple, based on the sentiment thai
there should be no slavery nor invol
untary servitude of any kind, excep
as punishment for crime, on any
territory to be in the future acquired
by the United States. A resolution
to this effect had been introduced ii
Congress and had been rejected, ir
consequence of which good many
prominent men left the Democrat,
party and formed the Free.soilers.
'ln New York State, particularly IL
the central counties, there was an
other significance to the terms. Ii
several counties in old Colonial day.
there had prevailed custom that thu
people could not own their own land.
but had to pay rent to the Governor
or the crown-afterward the State
so much wheat, so many fur skins
etc. The Anti-Renters formed a DO
litical party of their own and nearly
started an instruction. They fought
for their rights to own their own lands
and finally got them when law was
made by the Constitutional conven
tion of 1886 abolishing all feudal ten
ures and incidents.
1.-THE siIver.Grays."
1.-THE Silver-Grays' were the mem
bers of another political faction.
! suppose that today we would call the
'Silver-Grays' the same thing as the
| reactionaries. They were the back
ers of Fremont and Francis Granger
for President and vice-President and
they took their name from the won
derful silver gray hair of Granger
which was the talk of everyone who
had seen it in reality or in pictures
The tWOOllv Whips' actually nevor