The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-09-05


 Ever since the German Empire be- wttohed peaceful Europe into a hell of battle, the silent Vatican, with its spiritual power over millions of souls in the warning countries, has seem ingly maintained an impartial rather than a neutral attitude. Therefore. the following proclamation of the Holy Fathers true sentiments toward Germany and to the cause opposed 1 to Germany must come as a document of unprecedented interest to the civ ilized world. The author, MonsignOr Fay, of Washington, ID. C., has re- gently returned from Rome, and only when he realized the tentacles of Ger man propaganda reaching toward the mind of America did he donsent to break a silence, and to align, fully and authoritatively, his venerable church with the democratic peoples of the war.
 There can be no doubt of the insid- ious propaganda which Germany has carried on in all the Allied countries, nor of the efficiency of her spies and
 agents and otherwise. Therefore, 1t is not amazing that, if
 amongst us in the United States, the
 general hatred of Germany rises
 sometimes almost to the point of fan
 aticism. It Is now evident that the
 Germans counted upon this as one of
 the results which they started to ac-
 cOmplish---that is to say--the enemy
 counted not only on a very successful
 propaganda and a very clever but a
 transparent espionage, but on the consequent excitement and fear which
 would be generated by the discovery of this treachery. The Germans ac- } tually hoped that during this time of terror everyone who would not ex- : press unalterable detestation of all things German would be treated SC , badly among the Allies that, even af- ter the active propaganda had ceased | and the spy system had been de 7 stroyed, Germany could still coun
 upon a certain amount of pro-Germar . sentiment in the Allied countries--- l pro- German sentiment which could . never have existed at all if it had not l been indirectly created by the frantic fanaticism of those who. to beat Prus = sia. were apt to initiate Prussia.
 2 This is a deplorable state of affair 3 which is now being eliminated by 3 sane Americans and to ameliorat
 these circumstances so insdiiousl! 3 planned every true citizen must us' ) his best endeavors. It is a stern dut! = laid upon everyone in this crisis t l search out, to denounce and to de l spise anything which in the least re . sembles German propaganda, German V espionage, German peace agitation r. and German influence. It is equall. , our duty to save fIpm persecution and to give our sympathy to anyone q no matter whence he comes or wha
 his name may be- who is willing Il
 give proof of his abiding loyalty t | the United States. To an intelligen American, the point is not where person comes from, or what his an
 tecedents were, but what he himsel
 is, and the only title to respect at tn
 present moment or in the future i
 that of love for this country and tn
 willingness to sacrifice everything F life and body---in it's defense.
 Seditlous attacks upon this country upon our present administrator an
 upon the governments of our Allie.
 and the people themselves, should b y brought before the public and treate Is with the scorn and punishment the y. deserve, and those who are respOns g, ble for them should be penalized { D. the full extent of the law But tn le more insidious kind of sedition d that. which through fanatical hatre f. attempts to make a present of sue r. groups known as German-America s and Irish American to the enemies ( II. our country. Especially now as tf e.. earth is, full of false accpsations an re counter acusations, people who hay in spent their whole time and riske of their lives In the cause of the Allie n- have been denounced as pro-Germa ', ---even people who have been sent i,l us by our Allies tO make known il b. aims of these countries and tho -, oughly in the confidence of their ov " governments, have been impeded , the sly accusation of pro-Germanisr US Against mo one have these insa1 10 denunciations been made with great :" frequency than against the Pope, a
 though he was the only non bellige
 ent power which protested against u
 rape of Belgium and the subseque v atrocities (and that in open Consi tory) and though he was the on
 non belligerent power to prote
 against the bombing of unaam i,' towns, the unrestricted use of u u- submarine and the deportation of t1 ~ Belgian population. In spite of th 'I' official disapproval of Germany ' methods of warfare. the Pope's att
 tude has constantly been misrepr He sented in every Allied country, al Il. every effort has been made to repr 5" sent him and the church over whi' | he presides as one of the princir means of Germanizing the world.
 That the Germans wish that tn D could count on the Catholic chur
 may well be true, and that they ha ''- done their best to capture it's inf
 ence Is also true, but that the churo ny which counts in her Sacred Cole Cardinal Mercier and Cardinal Gi o, bons (both of whom are in the con @ dence of the Holy Fatherl could o. supposed to be an agent of Germa ,-, ism Is too ridiculous for refutatic ,a5 were it not so often and so catego
 cally stated. It is strange that
 never occurs to a great many peol ,r who pass along these false clail
 that no one gains by these accus tions except Germany. 10 represe I the Pope as hostile to the Ali io cause, and therefore that the All nn cause has become hostile to him, ,, a crime. The writer of this article "a sure that these anti-papal intrigl oIT can in all cases be traced to Germ e., sources.
 ,+ It is always a good plan to inqui ,oI1 when anyone is suspected of dislC I.i- alty to the Allies. what reason ov would have for being pro-German.
 soon as the Pope's alleged proc