The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-05-05

against his or her consent" Ban- croft Protestant historian says "The diSfranchised friends of pre- lacy from Massachusetts, and the Puritans from Virginia were well comed to equal liberty and politi- cal rights in the Catholic Province of Maryland"
 During the memorable century following this period, American Catholics saillied forth to the ranks of Washington. Winston 8 Pro- testant, declared that without Catholic aid, the American Colonies would never have achieved their independence" Amongst the large number of Catholics who took part in the Revolutionary War were Generals Kosciusko, Washington's aid, and erector of West Point, Count Pulaski who died at the siege of Savannah. Justice will never allow such Catholic names as the great Lafayette, Rocham- beau, Pulaski, Kosciusko, Dekalb, deGrasse, and D'Estaing to be ob- liberated from the scroll of American history. What domestic patriots were more loyal servitors of the Colonial Cause than the Catholics. General Stark, hero of Bennington, Gen. Montgomery, hero of Cowpers, Commander O'Brien in the first sea fight of "75," Commodore John Barry, Father Of the American Navy, Col. Fitzgerald, Washington's Aide-de Camp and constant compan- ion. Father Pierre Gioault, Pioneer of the Northwest, Charles Carroll patriarch of the Revolution.
 President Washington declared in an order on Nov. 5th, 1775; "It is our duty to address public thanks to our Catholic brethren, as to them we are indebted for our very late successes over the common enemy in Canada" Incidently I might add that Washington was not a Catho- lie. He was Free Mason.
 When the clouds of the Civil War hung heavily over the American horizon in 1861 threatening to rend this nation asunder, American Catholics once again manifested their deep love of country and held their own in point of numbers. Many who distinguished themselves and led the Union forces to victory were Catholics. I cite the great Generals Sheridan and Rosecrans two of the four greatest Union Generals. Gen. Meagher, McMahon, Mulholland, Beauregard, Corby, Chief Justice Fancy, and Bishop MacMahon, then a Civil War chap lain, all of them heroes for God and Country. The Satterlee Hospital in Philadelphia in charge of Mother Gonzaga where 50,000 wounded soldArs were treated during the Civi1War. The military hospital in charge of Mother Angela at Mound City was honored as the best of it's kind then in the country. In the South, President Jefferson Davis publicly expressed his high esteem of the peace overtureS of the Holy See.
 After the American victory at New Orleans Gen. Jackson 8 pro- testant entered the cloister of the Ursuline Nuns of New Orleans to thank them personally for having turned their classrooms into in- f1rmarieS for the sick and wounded American soldiers.
 New Works first Governor, Thom- as Dongan, was Catholic, and the first initial act of the first legisla- tive assembly of the state was the Charter of Liberties" granting freedom of worship and education to all citizens.
 In view of these facts, have not American Catholics in this country the right to call themselves 10O% per cent. Americans; Are we here by tolerance instead of honor? Have we done nothing, MT. Parsons, to merit the right to live and die as free Americans, to share in the promotion and direction of public affairs and in the reception of honor?
 Catholics discovered and named the country; they opened to civili- zation, they explored its native riches; they assisted in cleaning the trackless forests, they fought in the struggle to obtain freedom from foreign tyranny; they contributed the great Magma Charta which con- stitutes US a free people; they stand firm against the storming unchrist- ian tide of liberalism, radicalism, and Atheism.
 Wake up you indifferent Catho-