o
THb AMERICAN
llil I'lMt Mini jHiUH.'sl , Med bi
i i ,i r- txttil ! tti-Ntiimlo In Hi il
i,. I i-.Mll, l lluM. H I't ,
fli U1W nl f ',i 1 1 lii.fi.t ) 1 It
NhMliI buttfl !! 1t ( I
Jittttt Mt'.lmt cH., litllij t, lnH li
111. unit ( luliti nf.'il )tii r t.i ! l
(! ! nl tliil-! " YfcM MtH.tn l;
ho ftitw Hi lrt f'ft-l nr
c, tl.. ,t I of 111" pspli )'. Mill
il'HtllliHl, f)l i i . .. IiIj I ) ( 'rtl iH,
! tix'fit In nil lunil nml tint1, 1 nn,,
tsl fnmi Mii Mli leg t i i'
I l mi. (1 front lliil t'lnMi I.rtit," wlili'l
Is tin) tHiilloMitMl and liimlrtitifl'lnl cede
f till' Itlllllllll t'llllllllil' ) )l!lll li,
"All li tiMiiiti mrr l f 1 1 i II, nml
min-l llnr(iir l under I'm- pope."
"Tli" church U i'hihiit '1 l tr'-mil,
nr to tiiltn sway, any ti-ni'i nl
dU.ii."
"TIm ihh lino tin' rlglil In Hiiniil
ntnlii Iiimn, tivutli"t, emmlltutlotiii, etc.,
RfVl t dlwilvn f II llll Illw'll I Ifll tlll'tVtll
n nix i n a t In-y wi'Mi ii'tcliin'iili)l l'i th'
rljjtiU nf tin' cliuri'h, nr Hume u( tin1
Henry."
"Til" MIHt HWHM'llll K thu tight nf nd-
liinun hlng, mill, If need Ih, nf punish
ing t'inxnil rulers, i'itin'riir, und
k lllLfu, AM Wi ll m nf liiHWillg Is-fore Iho
spiritual forum any case In which a
11101'lul sill OCCUI.''
"Tlio pope run iinnul all legal rela
tions of those in Iiiih, linil can release
from every obligation, oath ami vow,
either Is-fore or after being iiihiId."
Tin! purjsirt of the canon law in sum
marized in a famous encyclical of one
of tlio jioh.h, which says; "The I to
man Catholic church haw a right to
exercise Its authority without any
limits net to it by the civil owor; thu
pojsj and thu jir Junta ought to have do
minion over teni'su-al affairs; in cams of
conflict between the ecclesiastical and
civil powers, the ecclesiastical jsjwers
ought to prevail,"
The record of the pant show beyond
possibility of contradiction that the
pope, and through him, tho Koman
Catholic church, of which he Is the
bead and ruler, ha not been alow to
utilize; to the utmost the jioworsand
prerogative which the canon law and
papal encyclical declare bim to be pos
sessed of, and whenever and wherever
he has been in a portion to enforce bin
claim.
In the beginning of the , (sixteenth
ntury, the Itoman church attained to
tbo pinnacle of power and dominated
the rellgiou, nodal, civil and political
life of all Europe. Civil ruler bowed
at tbo foottool of the papal power.
'trembled at it threat, accepted it
dictation, and Implicitly obeyed its in
iurictim. It dloened crown, do-
throned king, absolved ubj ct from
allegiance to their rightful (sovereign.
or anctioned their bondage under
tyrant, according to It own pleasure
or caprice, and ruled everywhere in
tbo txj itical realm a well a in cc-
cleiatlcal affair with a rod of Iron.
The church, through tbo pope, it ac
knowledged head, embroiled cabinet,
concocted conxpiracle, kindled war
and made peace. Tbo papal power
wa superior to all political, temjiora,
and human government, and itllgbt-
etwhlier on jjolltical affair cawed
every throne in Kurope to nod axent,
It 1 well t notj In tbi connection
that the motto cbowen by the Catholic
church a bent rcprejntlng ft charae
t;r, nature, and prlnceploa 1, ttmptr
hbm "alway the name," Tbi motto
I significant of the fact that whatever
claim the church put forth, nbe alway
hold to terioelou!y; whatever power
she ha once obtained and excrclaed,
b claim forever after", whatever
jxdicy she once inaugurate, be Inflex-
ibiy puriie. If compelled by the force
of cireurrmtance to relinquish temporal
dominion, bo never aMicate the
throne, nor ecawe toa-ert her right
Ui rule; If driven from the political
arena, nho wait with patient watehful
ne htr opiMrtunity U re-enter when
ever a favorable opportunity preent
itneif.
In thi country urilvemal uffrago af
ford the Catholic church the opor
tunity of becoming a factor In politic
Huch a I open to it nowhere ele, and
which ft ha not been low Ui take ad
vantago of. With In the Catbol Ic com
munion in the United (State there are
between two and three million voter
All that i needed to make the Catho
lic hierarchy a rnowt potent factor In
American politic I to :auo these
million of Catholic voter to interest
themelve In political matter, and to
cat their ballot so a to promote the
welfare and further tbo Interest of
their church, This they are now liolng
trained, urged, and commanded to do,
Tbi I being done largely through the
agency of the Catholic pre. In a
leading article In 'JU CalJutlln World
entitled "Tbo Catholic of the Nine
teenth Century," wo find the following
significant statement: "The mot ob
vious, interesting and Important view
of the Catholic In bin relation to the
century I that of voting. We (Jo not
hesitate to afllrm that In performing
our duties as citizens, electors, and pub
lic officers, we should always and under
all circumstances, act simply a Cut ho
lies." In a recent number of the Cut ho
ik H'r'uin the following explicit direc
tions are given U Catholic voters:
"When a Catholic candidate is on a
ticket and hi opponent i a non-Catholic,
let the Catholic candidate hayo the
vole, no matter what bo represents."
Itefcrring to a petition gotten up by
himself and other prominent Catholic
for presentation to the New York legls-
i ' i : S ' I ! 1 !
I i i i i i , i 1
I I i jit i ; ; ; ; i N
: I'll ! ! i'nn i i -i - 1 11 .. .
t fitly 'Z : K ' " tV . t-..' I T-V:g ijh . vM
fc WZ- '-x&rw h&m I'M VPs
" H7i6W,
laturo at its ensuing sewsdon asking for
tbo division of tbo public school funds,
Dr. Michael Walsh, editor of the New
York Hamlini Democrat, said: "We
propone to get the members of the leg
islature on record on this question, The
politician)! are all afraid of it, and it
will have a lot of opposition to meet, of
course; but we expect It and we are pre
pared for It. The politician know
that any position they tako will hurt
them with one party or the other; but
wo do not care for cither party. The
Catholic hold the balance of power and
they will not permit tbo politician to
forget that fact. The politicians now
have hold of a poker that Is hot at both
ends, but It i hotter for them In the
middle, and they will have to take hold
at one end or the other,"
The pope, a greater jiowor than the
press in Catholic circle, has been mak
ing earnest appeals to his followers to
make their influence strongly felt In the
political arena, Jn an encyclical Issued
by Loo XIII. a few year ago, the fol
lowing significant sentences occur: "We
exhort all Catholic to take an active
part In municipal affair and elections,
and to favor the principle of the church
in all public services, meetings and
gathering. All Catholics must make
themselves felt as active elements in
daily political life in the countries
where they live. They must penetrate
wherever possible Into the administra
tion of civil alfairs, and should do all In
their jsiwer to chumi the constitutions
of states and legislation to be modeled
in the principle of the true church."
In another eti'-yel leal, 1 'ope JJOgive
till more explicit direction to his
subservient subject in reference to
tiding their political power and Influ
ence to promote tne jnicrois 01 ioe
church. He says: "Furthermore, Jn
polJtlci, men ought alway and In the
first place to serve, a far as possible,
the Interests of Catholicism, ihe
church cannot grant Its patronage or
favor to men whom it know to lie hos
tile to It, or who openly refuse to
respect it rights, On the contrary, Its
duty Is to favor those, who, having
sound Idea a to the relations between
church and state, wish to make them
both harmonize. These principles con
tain the rule according to which every
Catholic ought to model his public
life." How tbo utterance of the pope
on ail subjects are to bo regarded and
treated by all true Catholics may bo
learned from the following extract from
a sermon preached by Vicar Oeneral
IWon In New York, Jan. J, WH
"Kvery word LcosjNiakt from hi high
hair I the voice of the Holy Chost,
and must Iws obeyed. To every Catholic
heart come no thought but olsidlenee,
It I said that polities is not within the
province of the church, and that the
church has only jut-Infliction In matter
of faith. You say, 'I will recorvo my
faith from the pontiff, but I will not re
ceive my politics from hi in. This as
sertion is disloyal and untruthful. You
must not think us you choose you must
think as Catholics, The man who says,
I will take my fuith from I'eter, but
not my politics from reter. Is not a
true Catholic,"
Huch ex Vathrdra statements as these,
coming from the highest authorities in
the Catholic hierarchy arc sulllcient to
convince any fair-minded person that.it
Candidate
on
Tkhi, ami, J lis
havi.
your Vof, wo Jtatr What he ujirtfimtt."
i the purpose und intention of the par
tics who dominate Iho Catholic church
to use Vm members as their agent in
the political arena for the aggrandize
ment of the church; and that the Influ
ence and vote of it adherent must bo
cast at their dictation for that party
and for such candidates as will pledge
themselves to best subserve tbo Inter
ests of Catholicism.
How shrewdly, even when compara
tively few in number, the Catholic
vote, under the direction and astute
leadership of Catholic prelates, Is made
most effective, may bo learned from a
statement made by Cardinal Wiseman
concerning their method of operation In I
Kngland a number of years ago, He
say that at that time "only one Catho
Ijc men ler wa to bo found In parlia
ment: yet we did not despair. Catho
lic observed that the electors wi
divided between two parties, and they
found that by combining their strength
and then bringing It to bear In favor of
one side or the other, they could cause
that sldo to succeed which appeared
the most dispo.-ed to do them justice,
Thus we Jiave taught the two parties In
the state to count the Catholics as
something."
Where they have a larger following
they will take a bolder course us the
following fact will show: In 1875 the
seven bishops of the Catholic church in
Canada, when an Important election
was pending, Issued u pastoral letter to
thelr people. They Instructed the
priests In their pastoral letter to direct
their parishioners how to vote, what
candidate to support and whom to ojc
pose; and the sole basis of their favor
or hostility was to be the friendliness
or the hostility of these various candi
date to the papal church. The ejec
tors in Canada were threatened with
excommunication If they should voIaj
differently from what the priest di
rected, It was sworn by many electors,
when tbo matter were brought before
the courts after election, that they
voted under tbo threat of excommuni
cation, and believed that they would be
damned In hell If they voted differently
from what the priests commanded
them, Huch occurrences substantiate
the truth of the statement made liy the
eminent Kngllsh historian, James
Anthony I-'i-oude, that "every true
Cathoflo Is bound to think and act as
hi priest tells him, and a republic of
true Catholics become a theocracy ad
ministered by the clergy,"
It wa because the archbishop of To
ronto knew that he could control every
Catholic vote In Canada that ho re
cently audaciously wrote tea Ilrltisb
peer that hi church held the balance
of power In Canada, arid that It would
direct that power acaording to its
preference, and that tbo home govern
ment might take notice and govern It
self accordingly.
In July, 1H.VJ, Itlshop Charbonnel, of
Toronto excommunicated four momlicrs
of the Canadian government for not
voting In the provincial parliament ac
cording to bis requirements,
Similar clforts have bi-en put forth by
Catholic prelates and priests in this
country to Influence and control elec
tions In the Interest of persons and
parties favorable to the plans and pur
pose of their church.
In October, ISil, Archbishop Hughes
Opponent in a Non-Vtt.hoVu. Id
publicly appeared Worn a large audi
ence of Catholics and gave his episcopal
approval to a political ticket for sena
tors and assemblymen from New York
City, advocated their election, and re
quired from his auditors a pledge of ad
herence to his nomination, which was
at once heartily and enthusiastically
given,
llishop Cilmour, of Cleveland, In his
Lenten pastoral of IM7.J, Instructed his
parishioners that no candidate forolllce
should receive their vote without first
pledging himself to support the divi
sion of the school fund.
In Heptember, 18HII, a convention met
In Hanta Fe, N. M,, and framed a con
stitutlon to be submitted to the people,
under which It was hoped that New
Mexico would bo admitted Into the
union. The 1 toman Catholic arch
bishop warned the convention that If
provisions should be made for the crea
tion of an uiisectai-lan system of public
school, the lloman Catliolic church
would oppose thu udoption of the con
stitution. Undeterred by this threat,
the convention Inserted u provision for
a system of unsectarhtn public scliools,
On the Sunday before the date for vot
ing on the adoption of the constitution,
the pulpit of forty-two 1 toman Cutho
lie churches In New Mexico fulminated
doecos against thu proposed constitu
tion, telling their parishioners "they
would bo permitted to go to hell-flru If
they voted for the constitution," In tlio
cathedral In Hanta I-'e, the vJcar-general
commanded hi hearers to vote against
"that wicked constitution." l'rlests
went from house to house commanding
tlio women to see that tlio male mem
ber of tlie family should vote a In
structed by the church. When the
election tisik place, It wa found that
the American cltle and town gave tbo
constitution good majorities, while the
Mex lean population voted al most sol Idly
against It, In accordance with the In
structions given them Jy their priests,
Ilia Iiennetand Kdward school laws
adopted by the states of Wisconsin and
Illinois were repugnant to the Catholic
hierarchy because they provided that
all children between tbo ages of seven
and fourteen must uUcnd, for al least
twelve week In the year, some school
where reading, writing, arithmetic and
United Htate history were taught In
the Kngllsh language, and giving the
school authorities power to decide
whether given schools, other than pub
lic scIkmiIs, were fulfilling the condi
tions of the law. The Catholic bishops
of Wisconsin issued a manifesto against
the law; a similar manifesto was read
in the Catholiij churches of Illinois,
calling upon the Catholic of that stute
to vote only for candidate who would
disfavor this law. The result of this
Catholic campaign is still fresh In the
public mind.
XSot content, however, with cis.-reing
their own people In matters of politics,
the Catholic leaders seek by threats of
"sill I leal damnation" to Intimidate
legislators who manifest unwillingness
to yield to their behests, or who opKiso
any of their measures. Such an uu
seemly menace- was made a few yeiir
ugo In the Cnlholk lit viiw, a periodical
In high favor with the hierarchy, and
commended ty the liishop of llnsiklyn,
Cardinal McClosky, the bishop of Now
York, Cardinal Cullcn, and many other
the ( htiolic" CmulUhita
prelates, Commenting on tlio refusal
of the legislature of New York to grunt
certain favors to tbo Koman church,
tlio editors I masted tliat thoso legisla
tors, through the political Influence
wielded by the Catholic church, had
lieen retired to private life, and tbev
allirmed that they bad a list who would
follow them Into political retirement
unless they yielded to do the bidding of
llieir Catholic constituency.
Father McGlymi, In Ills speech on
'Tlio I'ope In I'olltlcs," delivered In
New York before an Immense audience,
accused tlio Catholic prelates and
priests of that diocese of seeking to con
trol their parishioners In political mat
ters, He declared that political tract
were sent through ecclesiastical chan
nels at the direction of the "vicar
general and the boss of Tammany hall,"
which Is a political Catholic Institution,
to be distributed In the pews of the
churches, directing the member bow
and for whom to cast their votes, He
urged Jiis beurers to refuse to take
their politic from Koine, "For," said
he, "the more you take your politics
from Home, the less religion you will
have; and the more you refuse to tuko
your politics from Homo, the more
likely you are to preserve your re
ligion In Its purity, and to win for your
religion the respect, the friendship,
and perhaps the fellowship, of your fellow-countrymen."
Neither tlichlcrarchy nor the church
Is disposed to hear and heed Father
McClynn's sensible and timely advice;
but with their constantly Inereasirik
numbers they are endeavoring to secure
for themselves a commiiudlmr iiosilloti
In national as well as In sectional politi
cal affairs, and, as In Canada, by hold
ing the balance of power, becomes a
controlling factor In national elections;
and thus, In some degree at least, be
able to determine the jsillcy of the
government,
Shortly before tlio late presidential
election, llishop Hpauldlng, la an ad
dress before the Catholics of Peoria,
Illinois, directed them "either to vote
the democratic ticket or not vote at
all," The priest in charge of St.
Joachim's Koman Catholic church In
Octroi t preached a sermon the Sunday
before the above-mentioned election,
which was published In the Cleveland
Isiitbr, and In which the following sen
tenccs occur: "Vote for the democratic
party, It Is the party that support us,
and ills our duty to support the demo
cratic party. The. rhnnh in lite, voire of
(lod, itml the churrlt, thtouyh, it priiltt,
Uih you whom to ml 'e for and whom not
to vote for." And all true Catholic arc
bound to obey the dictates of the priest
and church, Hut neither church nor
priests care anything for the party
with which they act, save as that party
can be made a tool to further their de
signs and carry out tlu-ir plans and pro
mote their Interests, The 1 toman
Catliolic church Itself is a compact,
wily and unscrupulous political party;
when unable alone to curry out its de
sign It uses other organizations to fur
ther It purpose If possible; but when
ills strong enough alone It employe
Its own methods and men.
For many years It has been the jnilley
of the Catholic church to concentrate
Its forces In our great and growing
cities. In 1W3 D'Arcy McGoe, editor
I it i I J
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llll.llll- tqi'jllxl lit )'"!, I'll l lt
ti u ;i nisi i r in Sty -M;i .
I Nl !) il 11 1- li. . l- I III' '' ft')-
(tun 1 1 1, , ti ,i, hIc I t.i 5 1 ini iiii-i.ii mill
n .im u-O; in sun Pmin-t-in V. y ly
; c'liilil t,l lueli ltd!) I'lil I s'-f ltn' ii'j'i
: i'1'iithl inn; hlle In I .i ngu, Ni I r
li ii, lli'nl'-n, I ii'i'it.imll Itml M l'iiU
Wtt l i sl!) 11(111,1, it, lluli I it, lb, ) ilil
I'Ul iil 'S'. I he I "li-ti -lAItt I !i Ilii Isl nf
1l,i' pepiiliitii'ti ' l,in,r liny pie
ilemilinti' I'll) liisc lin liu' sliiiir-,
ninl ii tin linn i nil i t lie- til!it' i-fllii a.
Tin t 7iiii?iin,iii ef New Yel k, eomini lit
leg i ii lie- h el Inn Unit nuiili' Hugh J.
loiuil major of NiWiYelk, caUiil al
li iillnn to Iho fuel linil "the immiclpnl
eltlei i s jli-l linw i 1, cti d nl e, ithout
except Inn, ItoliilllilhtH."
After the above election tlio .Ifin' mill
A'jprw gave the following summary of
New York i Ulcliilsviho Vieie CatlmlU-s:
"They have the major, tlm shet-ilT, thu
comptroller, tlm counsel to tlio col m
ratlon, llm) w hole IhihiiJ nf tax nsscu
sors, the coiiiinlsslniier of puliHc works,
the superintendent of the street clean"
lug departments, Urn clerk of the board
of aldermen -mid a majority of Hint
board, every member of tho board of
tax commissioners, several of the jus
tices of the supreme, su rior and com
mon pleas courts, the control of tho
board of estimate und apportionment,
the majority in many of the ward board
of trustees, a largo majority of tlio
board of education, tho control of tho
department of charities and correc
tions, the majority of tho police force,
tlio control of tbo lire department, of
the beard of street openings, tho wbolo
of tho armory hoard, the register of
deeds, tbej commissioner of jurors, one
half the commissioners of accounts,
supervisor of the city records, tbo col
lector of the port, the sub-treasury, a
majority of tht commissioners of the
sinking fund, the majority of the dele
gation to congress, and In the state sen
ate and ussembly."
Commenting on a recent, election In
Han Francisco T'tn intern Wilwm
said: "Nearly one-half of the city gov
ernment of Han Francisco will bn In tho
hands of Catholics for the coming two
years." A gentleman widely acquainted
In Marlon county, California, a very
strong Catholic county, said to tho
writer of this article: "I am person
ally acquainted with every county of
ficial In this county, and every one of
them I a Catliolic." The statement
bin recently been made that while
twenty-five years ago there were but
six lloman Catholics among the city
olllclalsof Huston, now there are over
fifty, and that more than 4,001) of tho
employes of that city are Koman Catho
lics, Huch facts as these, and they might
be Indefinitely multiplied did space per
mit, conclusively show that wherever
the Koman Catholics are In the ma
jority, they elect Komunlst to every
office and run the ofllce as far as tliey
can In the Interests of thclrehureb.
Thus it comes that tlu-ir political
power has a money value to the church.
This explains bow It has come to pas
that the Catholic church has received
such large grants from the public treas
ury of cities, ami sometimes from even
the general government, so that It sup
ports many of the Institution of tho
I'hureb out "f II" public fund. Tho
Tweed ring in one year made an appro
priation of MMi,00i of the public fund
of the city of New York for the use of
the Catholic church, In return for If
political influence. Mr. Dexter A. Haw
Klns, In IH!0, gave a detailed account of
how the Koman Catholics of New York
were given by the city authorities flvo
and one-half blocks of city property,
valued at three and one-half million of
dollars, in consideration of political
service rendered. Out of an appro
priation of i;o0,000 made by tho legis
lature of New York for denominational
purposes, ."liO.OOU wa bestowed on tho
llniuan Catholics. Thu partiality ex
hibited toward the Catholics In this
distribution had its origin in tlio fact
that It alone, of all tlm denominations,
use It Influence for purlUun purpose,
and by mean of Influencing the votes
of lis adherents In thu Interest of those
who favor It, seeks to make the church
a controlling factor In polities, and
thereby reap large benefits for Itself
und Its constituency,
Tho ultimate purpose of all this In
termeddling In political alfairs on tho
part of the Catholic hierarchy 1 to se
cure the supremacy of the church In
this country, Dr. Hrownson, a prom
inent Cnlliollc authority, In his lliriem
for July, IHiil, mild: "Undoubtedly It
Is the Intention of tho pope to posses
this country. In this Intention, he Is
aided by thu Jesuit und all the Catho
lic prolate and priests." Under tlio
direction of their wily leaders, they are
advancing to complete control in tlio
nation lis fast as they can. They lire
subjugating our cities; they are de
bauching our politicians; they are
throttling our newspapers; they are
robbing our treasuries; they are plan
ning tho destruction of our public
school; they are seeking to subvert
our constitution' and destroy our Hlxir
lies. The past history of tills mighty
and merciless organization, that is
"always t ho same," ought to convince
our American people that its presence
In tlie political arena Is a menace to tho
public welfaro and presages grave dan
ger to tho state. Kev. F.. D. MeCmiry.
1'h. D., In February American Journal
of Politics.