Year: 1875

| what you don't know is this One night


after the bill had passed one House and
was set for third reading in the other, ]
with a number of other members was sit
| ting in the Senate Chamber discussing
| this bill, when Father --s( (naming a
! very prominent priest) came in, and,
I after shaking hands all around. asked
| what would be done with the Geghan
bill, and at once answered his own ques-
ton by remarking, but of course the bill
will pass without trouble, for we rely on
| you Democrats who are in power this
year to help us on in our work. One of


our party remarked that he thought as
several Democratic members were kick
ing about being pushed to vote for any
measure that was being lobbied by Cath
olic priests, the passage of the bill was
not sure thing At this the holy faith
er, without any further words, suddenly
became enraged. and fumed and fretted
about like a country stallion at a county
fair After he had walked little of his
passion off, he came back to US and, in
tones of bitterness, referred to what the
Catholic Church had done for the Demo
cratic party, and this, too, without sim
gle favor in return Clenching one hand
the priest struck the desk in front of
him and said: / am tired of this plead





Democratic party, and I'll do no more of
it. Now, gentlemen, l shall not ask you
again to pass this bill for US, but on the
other hand, | dare you to vote against it.
If that bill is not passed before this ses-
sion closes, so help me God priest as /
am, | will take the stump next fall
against the Democratic party. Now, kill
this bill if you dare, and with this, the
priest walked off in wrath. This threat
had its effect, for when the bill came up
for passage all the Democratic Senators
were on hand and voted like automa-
tons. in the affirmative. save one, who
had to be brought from real or sham
ming sick bed by policeman to record
his vote for this unnecessary and unWise
measure"


But" said, after the gentleman had
told Inc his story, when you were op-
posed to the measure why didn't you re-
sent these threats of the priest, and act
like man about it p -


WELL" he answered, ''thats the way
l should have done, Curt, but you see /
am in politics and d-n me hadn't the
nerve, but, l tell you, 1 then felt, and
shall always feel, what an outrage it is
that the priests of the Catholic Church
ever dared to come into our legislative
halls and order US to do this, or not to do
that as if we were their personal prop
erty. Confound me, it hurts to thinks
about it, -... ......-....=. ...,-


In giving you synopsis of a rather
lengthy conversation on this interesting
topic, / have purposely omitted some
very harsh words used by my companion
toward the Catholic Church, feeling that
it could do no good to repeat them, and
have only referred to the talk to show to
what a sorry pass we have come when
priest or preacher of any particular faith
dares to demand of our lawmakers spe-
cial favors in behalf of the particular
faith they represent, and this too in Ohio,
a State which boasts of her entire free
dom from entangling alliances between
Church and State.


By the way, speaking of this child of
the true Church, reminds me that l met
its fond parent the other day, on the
train, near Dayton. l refer to the


HON. JOHN GEGHAN,
now known in the new calendar of the
faithful as Saint Geghan.


Our strawberry blonde friend looks as
natural as life, and twists his carmine-
colored mustache with as much fondness
as when he polished one of the cushions
in the House last winter. Geghan is a |
Jolly fellow personally, and delights in |
the sensation his bill has made


Almost as soon as we had passed the |
salutation, his face lighted up |
with glee, and after forcibly ejecting |
of amber colored saliva he |
"Well, my old boy, my little
bill raised hell in the State, didn't it2 l |
rather expected it would make something
Of stir, but what puzzles me is, the hell
it raised is getting hotter all the time.
But then, you know, man might as well /
have never been born as not to do some
thing that would make it lively for the
boys


In answer to an inquiry as to whether
he expected to be returned to the Legis-
ature this fail, he said: II don't think
want any more of it. 1t don't pay, and
am now enlarging my business, which
will need my personal attention more
than ever. But don't think l can t come
pack if 1 want to, for can, just as easy
IS rolling off log, the Enquirer to the
contrary Notwithstanding.


And so we parted, he to buy new ma
,hine for making fine cut tobacco, and
% figure on the difference between fame
md notoriety. CURT.