The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-03-12

would have led them to resist these
attempts to influence their local af-
fairs and to refuse the benefactions
which come from the Treasury of the
United States"
Further on in the debate, Senator
King declared: Now, l come to the
suggestion made by the Senator from
North Carolina. He seems to chal-
lenge my right to speak for the Cath
Ollie Church. | do not deny his chal.
lenge l do not belong to that great
organization that builds for the future
and that has profound philosophy
in it's creed and system in it's organI-
cation, and has dreams as to its fu-
ture spiritual and moral power in the
world that command even the admir-
alton of those who oppose it. The
Senator from Georgia spoke OF the
Catholic organizations which are OPP
posing his Bill and attempted to in
terpret their opposition as resting
only, if | understood him correctly,
upon what he alleged to be their mis-
conception of the power of this Bill
to control absolutely and in plenary
way the educational system. | pro-
ceeded to state that l did not think
the position of the Senator from
Georgia was quite accurate; that in
addition to those reasons for their OPP
position to the bill, in my opinion they
were opposing it upon the further
ground that it was an invasion of the
rights of individuals and the States;
and alluded to the fact that Cardinal
Gibbons had repeatedly lifted his
voice in this republic in behalf of de.
mocracy and personal liberty and the
maintenance of the right of local self
government His position, and that
of other Catholics, if I understand
them, is that they are not in harmony
with any scheme which would weak
en- the States, affect the rights OF the
people, or increase the authority OF
the general government beyond con-
stitutional limitations
Welfare Council Statement Quoted.
Senator Smith quoted statements
issued by the National Education AS.
sociation of the Catholic Church, and
the Bureau of Education of the Ma
tional Catholic Welfare Council, which,
he declared, proved that these bodies
believe in the public school system
and welcome federal cooperation with
Catholic educational activities. Sen
ator Smith said that these statements
were declarations in favor of federal
| cooperation and federal aid. and that
Catholics simply wish to retain for
the parent the right to send his child
wherever he saw fit, and that he,
! therefore. inferred that Catholics had
been misled about the Smith owner
Bill.
To this Senator King continued in
lengthy address in which he again
referred to the Catholics in the fol-
lowing terms:
"Mr. President, of course | can not
not and do not speak for the Catholics
or Catholic organizations. | have no
doubt that there are some members
of the Catholic Church that are I'M
this new-fangled idea that the federal
government should run everything,
and they perhaps would welcome the
appropriations by Congress for pure
ly State purposes; but | will not mod
ify the statement which I made mo-
ment ago, that in my opinion large
proportion of the members of the
Catholic Church have such a high re-
gard for our form of government and
! the perpetuity of democratic institu-
tons, and believe so strongly that the
republic can only be preserved if we
preserve the right of local self-govern-
ment; that they will rest their oppo-
sition to this bill upon broader grounds
than those which the Senator has pre-
scented for our consideration.
Il repeat that this measure, which
upon it's face seems to be in the in.
terest of education, will in the end be
injurious to the cause of education.
/ would rather have free people, AN
Independent people, who believe in
themselves and in their own high des-
TIMES, than to have great imperial
government functioning in Washing.
ton or elsewhere, and that controls
the lives and thoughts and activities
of the American people,"