The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-08-03
K. OF (. LEADER DEPLORES SPIRIT
 OF PREJUDICED
American Ideals Superior to Any Other Ideal on
 Earth" Says Scott.

Davenport, Iowa, Aug. 3.-Speaking before the Knights of Columbus con- vention tonight on American Citizen ship, Joseph Scott of Los Angeles, California, touched sharply upon the problem of. religious prejudice. MT. Scott Is lecturer for the Religious Prejudice committee of the Supreme Council of the Knights of Columbus.
 No matter, he said, how loyal the Americans are in their hearts to the spirit of patriotism, it is necesecry to implant the idea of patriotism firmly in the plastic minds of our children. There never was a time since Lin coln's presidency when this country needed more the spirit of harmony and cooperation from all classes and conditions of people.
 "The only test of loyalty to this Hountry,'' said MT. Scott, lis a firm belief among it's citizens of the Amer 1can ideal as being superior to any other ideal now existing on earth
 Discussing some recent problems MT. Scott said: "A great deal is being said now about the hyphenated Amer ican It would be well to put a soft pedal upon talk of that kind. Let it be remembered that the hyphen orig inally was put upon the immigrant as a badge of exclusion in certain sec tions of our country, particularly where the Anglo Saxon stock predom- mated.
 .'The Knights of Columbus has no limitation on it's membership growing out of racial distinction. It may be somewhat helpful, however, to em- phasize for the benefit of those who are not Knights of Columbus that mere racial prejudices are not the only difficulties which confronts the nation today. A more subtle influ- ence is abroad in the land in the char acter of an organized campaign to discredit the Catholic Church and to brand Americans of that religious be- lief as unworthy of the confidence of their fellow citizens. Men and even women, have been going through this country on lecture platforms, and through public print with campaign of villiication of the manhood and womanhood of the Catholic Church
 -'rh would resurrect even the dead to righteous indignation. We Cath olic men are just like the rest of you, with a limit of human patience. For centuries we have been taught to re- spect our mothers, our wives. our sis ters and our daughters, and if, there fore, the mails are filled with liter ature unfit to be read by decent peo- pie it is hardly to be wondered At if in certain places impulsive men have resented insults to their women in a manner not warranted by law.
 T am surprised tc note that great deal of it is scandal mongery comes from the south, the land of chivalry and gallantry hardly excelled in his tory"
 Returning to his subject of citizen ship MT. Scott said:
 My observation has led me to be- lieve that there is some anxiety even among some otherwise well-informed people as to the political power of the Pope. Ordinarily that would be an extensive subject to consider in one night. Contemporary history has, however, afforded an illustration that should remove the last lingering sus- picion of doubt from such anxious citizens.
 We Catholic Americans owe no po- litical allegiance to the Pope. He has no civil powers whatever over our ac- tivities. [ am saying this deliberately, and without equivocation or reAcrva- ton, and am asking you to accept it with the sincerity with which it Is expressed.
 50 long as religious liberty is prac- ticed under the spirit of the constitu tion the Catholic would be the veriest ingrate who would not give his whole hearted allegiance to this country. If we only look abroad therefore for the illustration to which I refer we will see Catholics of every country in Eu- rope dying by the thousands for the flag. of their nation. In some instances that flag typif1es a country which has in the past promulgated and enforced discriminating laws against the Cath olic Church, and deprived Catholics of their just rights, and positively pro- scribed their freedom and happiness, but it is the flag of their country, and the Catholics patriotism is a living virtue, and he feels impelled to re- spond to the call of patriotism and the bounded duty of his conscience.
 "I think I voice the sentiments of the membership of the Knights of Columbus and of every intelligent Catholic in this country when I say that we deeply appreciate the spirit of tolerance and good feeling, which for the most part exists among our non Catholic brethren throughout the length and breadth of the land Bishop Mora, the early Spanish Bishop of Los Angeles, always alluded to his non-C Catholic fellow citizens as his separate brethren,' a most charming reference, which never failed to strike a responsive chord.
 We are furthermore not unmindful of the fact that elsewhere in foreign countries the religious line has been drawn sharp and hard, and very often 1t is the dead line of strife and bitter ness. If any of my Catholic friends are doubting the accuracy of my opin- ion in this matter, particularly if he comes from Europe or any other part of the civilized world, let him go back there and compare the attitude of the non-Catholics of that country with the spirit which perWdes the non Catholics of the United States, and he win recognize the value of the conclu- sion at which have arrived"
 P. O. NOTES.