The call of the North. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1923-1924, 1924-01-09
THE 0UTBURST
To the Editor of the Daily Eagle:

jill OVIOOUVu
To the Editor of the Daily Eagle:
Nothing has hurt my feelings IN
many long day so much as your
editorial $50, What's the Use?" in
last nights Eagle.
I have esteemed and respected you
and your family for nearly twenty
years. And have always cherished
the fond hope that you in turn es-
teemed and respected me.
In the editorial in question, how
ever, you attack the loyalty and pa
triotism of me and of every other
Catholic not only in Red Wing, but
throughout this whole country. In
discussing the possibility of the cleo
ton to the presidency of the United
States of Governor Smith of New
York, you declare that his election is
not to be thought of simply because
he is a Catholic, because his relig-
ious utilization is such that he is
more or less subject to the DONNA
ton of higher power, emanating
from a foreign country, than ne
himself might wish to exercise"
And in the next paragraph you re-
iterate the same argument, saying
that the objection of Smiths candi-
dacy is due the fact tina he is al
lied with denomination whose rul-
ing headquarters is located in, and
belongs to a foreign country"
This, in spite of the fact that
Article vi of the Constitution of the
Unied States says explicitly: "No
religious test shall ever be required
as a qualification to any office or
public trust under the United
States!"
One quality that I have always
admired in you is your sincerity.
And so I take it for granted that you
do not make this charge against the
loyalty of American Catholics with
out actually believing that it is
true.
And yet nothing can be farther
from the truth than this. Won't you
believe taht I am telling the truth
when I say that the authority of the
Pope over the Catholics of America
is limited exclusively to religious
matters; that he has nothing what
ever to do with politics, and that if,
to suppose the impossible, he were to
sail across the ocean to attack this
beloved country of ours, the Catho-
lies of America would be the first of
our citizens to drive him back far
from our sacred shores? In such an
important matter as this, will
you be guided by the utterances of
the enemies of my church, or by
the official declarations of my church's
leaders
This distinction between religious
authority and political authority,
and this restriction of the authority
of the Pope to exclusively religious
matters, has been made so often and
so publicly that one would think no
misunderstanding could be possible.
And I am frank to say that this re-
vival of an old calumny by one whom
l long have considered friend hurts
me more than I can tell.
Surely, if there is any one class
in this country who can claim to be
loyal and true citizens, it is the
Catholics. It was a Catholic who dis
covered America whether you give
the honor to Christopher Columbus
or to Left, Ericson). It was Catho-
lies who first explored the continent
from sea to sea. It was the Catholic
Lord Baltimore who first established
religious freedom in our land. And
in every crisis from that day down
to this, the Catholics of America
have done more than their share to
maintain the institutions of their
country. Over fifty percent of the
American soldiers in the Revolution
airy War were Catholics. In the Civil
War the Catholics of the Union
Army were more than twice their
proportion to the population of the
country. In the recent World War,
at time when Catholics were per-