The Washington herald., 1918-09-12


add their voice to the objections OF
those who fail to understand the
matter.
Yet the fact Is there are some men
and newspapers making religious OBJ
jections to the next war relief drive
because the knights of Columbus viii
get their proportionate share of the
money. This is bordering on non-pa-
triotism. We hope 1t will be discon-
tinued almost before 1t is started.
And we hope particularly that news
papers which seem to have given
over to the propaganda
will come to their senses at once.
Several members Of Congress have
noted the tendency OF some OF the
anti-Catholic organizations to make
a strong objection to the omnibus
they are not Cath
olics, either-and these members
have been doing their utmost, in
letters and in personal advice, to
quiet any depressing movement along
this line.
There isn't a man who reads these
lines-snd they are not written by
either-who can refute the
fact that Catholics have fought on
the allied side with singular zeal. The
exploits of Irish Catholics. particu-
larly, on the American side. will live
In history. 1t Is a war for us all and
II will take US all to finish 1t, so
let US drop our religious bigotry at
once and exercise the same tolerance
we want all the world to exercise
after this huge affair is over.
There are some forces so narrow
in the matter of religion that they
are now doing all they can to dis
credit the angelus legislation passed
by Congress.
Such a thing Is absurd. II Is do
ing nothing more nor less than as
sistinR the Kaiser. II William the
Damned, in fact. were TO try to moke
discord in America, he would find his
most ready instrument in the hands
Of some of the over-zealous religion
lists who are ever trying to bring in
questions which should have no place
in our country.
It must not be forgotten that the
Knights Of Luther. one of the most
potent bodies against the Cath
olics, was organized on German
lines and with ample German
spirit to back it, and it is suspected
that German funds were not far dis
tant when the time came to finance
the movement. Had the movement
grown as its originators expected,
when 1t was revivified in 1914 Amer
ica's part in the present world war
would have been a pitifully small
one indeed. BY the time it came on
we would have been torn into shreds
almost. Eovernmentally speaking. by
reason of the fight engendered by the
inrOads of this organization upon our
affairs.
There are Catholics who are woe
fully indiscreet in this matter who
keep alive some of the prejudice OF
other sects against their belief.
They should be sat upon quite as
summarily as those OF the opposite
faith who try to discredit their
church. Both sets of militant re-
ligionists should be given to under
stand that their antics are out of
place in our country. We have no
time for them. Those who have
OF religious belief should
form the nucleus Of the army to
crush out all forms of undue re-
ligious activity. This is their duty
to their country and to their Christ,
whom the extreme religionists pre-
tend to worship with all their souls.
President Wilson's call-down of
Chairman Hays of the Republican
National Committee means that a
distinct sensation has been sprung
in our national politics.
OF course, Mr.. Hays will reply in
time. And then on the basis of
what he has to say the President
will make his formal reply.
After that the people will be the
judges of what has happened. and
1t will be up to them to indicate
which OF the two contestants has
the sentiment of the people of the
behind him.
Mr.. Hays is very unwise to have
laid himself open to attack. The
affair may force his resignation for
he will find that the people OF the
country will take quite pronounced
stands behind their President. This
will react upon Mr.. Hays and in due
time, If the affair becomes as Bit
ter as some thought yesterday, it
will make it impossible for him to
continue to serve his party.
There are phases of the affair
which were indicated in advance by
our articles of the past two days in
this column. The Republican lead
ers appear to have taken a position
which would indicate their lack of
faith in the President to make peace
with the Central Powers-either the
kind of peace America wants or the
time America should make the
peace.
This implied charge - more
strongly than implied in the state
ment which Secretary Tumulty cited
in his telegram to Mr.. Hays-is
what cuts to the quick. It is this
that smites straight at our ma
tional morale and that threatens to
be worked into a more or less sun
erfcial campaign issue. 1t is this
which might very easily be misin-
terpreted by both the home folk,
and the Germans-it Is such a SER
lous matter in fact. The fact that
the President has taken such an
interest in 1t, of course, is proof of
this.
several State commissions which
have the power to regulate pubIic
utilities in normal times have as
sured the postofice department that
during the war they will bow 10
Lheir dictation in regulation Of teI,-
phone and telegram cop,ran,n. ,rL
same commissions have also assured
me fuel and other administre tions
-hat they VIII do likewise with re-
gard to other utilities.
BUT some state bodies seem to be
obstinate in this respect. For such