The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-01-20
Continued from page H.
PREJUDICE DURING THE
REVOLUTION

4NA vi " Il 4o4V
| ish, but to prevent as they thought
the spread of "Popery." Lee of Vir-
ginia, a Member of the Continental
Congress, declared "of all the bad
acts of Parliament, the Quebec Act
is the worst" The Congress of which
Washington was member, Had not
wholly purged themselves of Protes-
tant bigotry." (BancroftD
The Address to the People of Great
Britain, Friday, October 81, IVA,
states, that, 1--WE think the Legislature
of Great Britain is not authorized by
the Constitution to establish a re-
| ligion, fraught with sanguinary and
impious tenets." On September 5,
1774, the Address to the Inhabitants
of the Colonies declared I'm the
Session of Parliament an Act was
passed for changing the government
of Quebec, by which Act the Roman
Catholic Religion instead of being
tolerated, as stipulated by the Treaty
of Peace, is established-The authors
of the arbitrary arrangement flatter
| themselves that the inhabitants, de-
prived of Liberty and artfully pro-
voked against those of another re-
| ligion, will be proper instruments for
assisting the oppression of such as
differ from them in modes of Govern
ment and faith"
On October 26, 1874, Congress in
the Address to the Inhabitants of Que
bee, modified its tone, What is offer
ed to you by the late Act of Parlia-
ment-Liberty of Conscience in your
religion? No. God gave it to you and
the temporal powers with which you
have been and are connected finally
stipulated for your enjoyment. Have
not the Canadians the sense enough
to attend to any other public affairs
than gathering stones from one place
and piling them up in another?" This
referred to the Power to Assess
Taxes for road making. Congress in
this address tried to show the Cana
dams that the Act degraded them.
On May 26, IT'S, Congress appoint
ed Jay Adams and Deans commit
tee to draw up letter to the inha BIZ
tants of Canada. The committee sent
the letter on May 80, 1775. 1--WE per-
ceived the fate of the Protestant and
Catholic Colonies to- be strongly linked
together, and therefore write you to
join us in resolving to be free and in
rejecting, with disdain, the letters of
slavery, however artfully polished -
The enjoyment of your very religion,
on the present system depends on a
Legislature in which you have share,
and over which you have no control
and your priests exposed to expulsion
Punishment and ruin, whenever their
wealth and possessions furnish suffi-
cient temptation. 1--WE are your
friends not your enemies"
In the petition to the King, Con.
gress objected to the Act for Extend
ing the limits of Quebec and establish,
ing an absolute Government and the
Roman Catholic Religion throughout
those vast regions, that border on the
westerly and northerly boundaries OF
the free Protestant, English Settle
ments.'
To Influence Canada.
In October, 1774, Congress sent a
petition to the King, 1--WE enjoy our
rights under the auspices of your
royal ancestors whose family was
seated on the throne to rescue and
secure pious and gallant nation
from Popery and Depotism of super
stitious and memorable tyrant, for the
honor of Almighty God whose pure
Religion our enemies are undermin
ing" When this petition was sent
Montgomery and Arnold were in
Canada, trying to secure an alliance
In the year 1776 (March), Congress
tried Catholic influence upon the Cana
dians by sending Charles Carroll as
Commissioner, with Franklin and
Chase, and requesting Mr.. John Car
roll to accompany them. They re
ceived no encouragement from the
Canadians, and very little courtesy
was shown to Father Carroll, even by
his fellow Jesuits.
Did the American Revolution pre-
vent the spread of Popery? The
question is answered by the following
quotation: ut is wonderful story
that of the American Revolution. TIC
none ought it be more thoroughly
known in all it's fitness and detail
than to Catholics. Well declared was
it by the last Council at Baltimore
that the Providence of God led to the
formation of this Republic. Our Pre-
lates spoke with the voice of Infallible
Truth, almost, when they enunciated
these words. we believe that oul
country's heroes were instruments oil
the God of Nations in establishing
this home of freedom. How truly
striking is this when we remember
the anti-Catholic spirit of the first
years of the Revolt against oppression
and think of the freedom of action
that came to the Church" en- /. ]
Griffin)
With the French Alliance came a
change of heart-those VITO hated
Popery did not hesitate to form an
alliance with a Catholic country and
accept Catholic aid. The Catholic
country sent their army and their