The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1916-05-23
CHAMPION OF NO CHURCH

the Quar- mas IecelNSu COMMUNICATIONS,
most of them anonymous, accusing it
of being a Catholic paper, or domi-
mated by Catholics.
The Star has been in Ocala for
twenty-one years next June, and any
one in this town who supposes it is
influenced, not to say controlled by
Catholics, has the worst case of dam
foolitis that ever afflicted widowed
brain.
The Star. is secular paper, and
secular paper, like secular govern
ment, has no right to prefer one
church above another, or prefer peo-
pie who belong to churches to those
who do not.
The Star has tried to cooperate
with all the churches in good work.
1t has never championed one against
another, or shown to one any cour-
tesy that it would not show to all.
So far as it's personnel can go, the
Star is as Protestant as the Metho-
dist Advocate or Baptist Witness. It's
original owners were j. C. Porter, the
well-remembered Baptist minister and
editor, and A. L. Harding, consist
ent and honored layman in the Bap-
fist church. Later, an interest in the
paper was bought by Mr.. Bittinger,
an Episcopalian, and that interest is
still held by his widow, who is also
an Episcopalian. Mr.. Porter's share
was bought and is now held by Mr..
r. r. Carroll, who is a Methodist. The
business manager is Methodist. The
editor is not a member of any church,
but he is of Protestant ancestry, has
seldom been inside any but a Protest
ant church, was associated for ten
years in the publication of Protest
ant paper, and when he thinks of re-
ligious matters thinks of them from
Protestant standpoint as inevitably
as an American citizen thinks of gov
eminent from a democratic stand
point. Of the Stars hundreds of
subscribers in the city, and thousands
altogether, not more than twenty or
thirty are Catholics. Not more than
one per cent of our advertising comes
from Catholics. To our certain
knowledge the great majority of our
Protestant readers approve of the
papers stand against the religious and
political persecution that has recently
broken out in Florida. Tt has been
reported that the Star, and its con-
temporary, the Banner, are to be
boycotted by the Guardians of Liberty
for denouncing the policy advocated
by Cats and Parker. We will be
sorry if such is the case, but we are
glad to be able TO say that such
policies cannot find any newspaper
support in Marion county, and we
daresay that we will be able to sur
vive any such boycott. 1t wouldn't
make any difference if we couldn't.
We would rather be dead lion than
live hyena, and papers that preach
the guardian of liberty doctrine are
entirely of the hyena breed. The only
marvel is that Americans, particular
ly southerners, can mistake their
rabid bowls for the voice of patriot
ism.
And now we would like to ask those
of our people who have been misled
by this gang of sacredotal carpet
baggers, why do they swallow their
statements without investigation
Why don't they demand that they
support their allegations by the tes-
timony of men of national reputation ?
is it not strange that of all the we'll
known and influential men in America
that not one is warning the people
against the Catholic menace? Is it
not. peculiar that of the thousands of
alert newspapers al over the United
States, all are absolutely ignoring
what would be the greatest piece of
news they could print, namely that
the pope of Rome was trying to OBJ
tain control of the government? Is it
left to Billyparker to tell us what
Wilson and Roosevelt and Bryan and
all the others we look up to as lead
ers do not tell? Is it left to the Men
ace and the American Citizen to
scoop the enterprising press of Amer
lea on this great story. Is it possible
that the Is per cent of the Catholic
vote In this country controls our
politicians instead of the other IS
per cent? Is it to be understood that
the Catholic church has bribed and |
muzzled the press? If so, where did it |
get the money? A big newspaper Of
fee like the World or the Herald, |
with its expensive machinery, costs
more than the great cathedral of st.
Peters at Rome, and it's payroll
would make the payroll of the Vat
lean look slim. 1t is well known that
the Catholic is the poorest of churches
in America. 1t is made up of peo-
pie who are almost all poor or Of
modest means. Rockefeller is Bap-
fist, Carnegie freethinker, Morgan
an Episcopalian, and of all our long
list of rich men, few, very few are
Catholics. Are there no honest news
papers in this country except the
Menace and its imitators, and if so
what have people been believing all