Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1940-02-01

the Anti-Clerical Laws, the clergy
| were accused of "meddling in poll
| tics and melting the people to re
volt" trick still used with much
success today by such rascals as Hit
! Ter and Stain. Space will not per
/ NIT me to go into details concerning
the actions and character of this So
called patriot Juarez Suffice to say
that he was helped back into power
| after having fled Mexico, by the ex
ecutive orders issued by the presi
! dent of the United States, to the
! American navy, which seized Mex.
ican shops and handed them over
| to Juarez. This was an American
victory for what American prin.
ciples repudiate. 1t was our second
war with Observation-Disclosures even
though we take great delight in
hurting epithets at Italy, Japan and
Germany for waging "Undeclared
Wars" True patriots are not dis
! tinguished in history for murder
pillage and stealing the properties
of churches, hospitals, homes for
the aged and orphans, monasteries
and schools. Washignton, Lincoln
and other we'll known patriots new
er smeared their hands with such
uncalled for bloodshed and crimes to
attain the principles and ideals for
which they strove.
HidalgO was another character
in the picture and question, whom
DR.. Scott says sought to keep re-
ligion pure and died a martyr to the
cause of religious and social free
DOM What about Hidalgo? Who
was he? He was a Catholic priest.
To one who knows the requirements
for priest, Hidalgo was one who
had missed the elemental necessi-
ties of a spiritual, if not an intel
lectual training. His fellow students
were aware of this and called him
''The Fox" Alaman, the historian.
who knew Hidalgo personally and
the intimate details of his life, does
not paint very attractive picture
OF him, much less one so imbuad
with religious fervor, as to Idle
martyr to the cause of religious
freedom" The Cathedral chapter
at Valladolid, where he studied for
the priesthood, gave him $4,000 with
studying in Mexico City for a doc
tors degree. He lost the money
gambling.
When ordained, he succeeded,
through political intrigue, to secure
an important parish at Dolores.
Immediately, he gave half his sal
ary to an assistant, to look after his
work as priest, and spent his time
in many unclerical pursuits, which
was not the work for which a priest
is ordained. Among the many
things he tried were vineyards, silk
worms, bees, a pottery, brick
yard, tannery crafts shop. All
failed. This is the priest who DR..
Scott says ''died a martyr to keep
religion pure He was little inter
ested in religion. There was little
of Washington about Hidalgo. The
contrast between the two men is
distressing, yet many try to make it.
Washington did not rush to the
prisons to gather the riffraff of the
bull pen to his cause. For an hour.
before he opened the bull pens of
the prisons, he was "The Leader"
When he opened the prisons, he was
''The Led" He could no more have
prevented what happened, than a
boy with a spoon could have stop
ped Niagara. Hidalgo, was willing
to be a traitor but he soon became
a thief, a robber, a murderer, and
all in spite of himself. The priests
who went over to Hidalgo were men
of the same stamp. Mier, was a
schismatic radical-who later on
rosed in Philadelphia as a Fake
Bishop" stirring up strife during
the Hogan schism. Navarette kill
ed thirty Spanish prisoners. Jime-
nez was a drunkard Torres was a
thief, killed later in drunken
brawl. In some of these misdirect~
ed priests there may have been good
faith and patriotism toward the
cause they had taken up. In none
however was there the obedience
they had vowed on their day of or
dination, to their bishops. The writ
ten confession of guilt made by Hi
dalgo and signed by his own sigma
ture, and not forced either, before
his execution, is indeed a pathetic
document The worldliness OF his
life, hid himself in the sincerity of
his repentance. In that document
sat in judgment upon his
own case.
The other character mentioned
by Dr. Scott, as martyr to the
cause of religious freedom" was
another Catholic priest named Jose
Maria Morelos He was a pupil of
when he taught at ST.
Nicholas college. He was much
greater military man than Hidalgo,