PERIL OF OUR COUNTRY. Col. Edwin A. Sherman Says It Comes From Romanism. Awake, Americans, and Crush the Religio-Pohtico Monster Which Threatens Your Liberties. ifr. Chairman and Citiunt of Boston: If I Ml to meet your expectations It will be on account of a bad etilJ, which I took cm my pilgrimage to Washington to attend the triennial conclave of '.lie Knights Teuiplar. However, I tru.t you will bear with me, though I Khali not enter into any argument upon thin occasion, for I believe, like Cromwell, that it is well to watch and pray and keep your powder dry. Applause. I shall not apeak from a religious stand point, but from that of the soldier, the citizen, the patriot and the Freemason. In the first place, I was a Boston boy. I was born under the shadow of the Flymouth rock. Whatever I am today as an American citizen I owe in gnat measure to Boston, thin home of my early boyhood. For up to the time 1 wan thirteen years of age, entering the public schools of Boston at six, all the education I ever received, I roceived in Boston. I wish to pay a tribute to a distin guished citizen of Massachusetts, the Hon. George Bancroft, to whom th people of these United States are in debted that the flag of these United States waves over California. When he was secretary of the navy, a Jesuit plot which resulted first in the murder of that pioneer missionary, the Rev Mr. Whitman, then in Oregon terri tory, now the state of Washington, was discovered. A plot was entered into by the Jesuits, among them Father Me Namara, who was landed by the English frigate, Juno, at Santa Barbara, by which Mexico was to cede to England in payment of its indebtedness, that portion of its possessions for the pur pose of planting an Irish colony there, and California was intended to be an Irish Roman Catholic colony. But thanks be to God and the foresight of George Bancroft, while the waves of war broke upon the borders of Texas, yet nevertheless Lieutenant Gillespl, who was sent overland, made hi way to Mazatian, and there placed his erders in the hands of Commodore Bloat, and on July 7th, 1846, he landed at Monterey, and secured California to the American nation forever. I left home when a boy and made my way to Chicago. I was the first local reporter in that city in the years 1843 and 1844. You will remember that the world was to come to an end about that time. Father Miller had so prophesied, and I thought I would go to Chicago before that cataclysm occurred. Sub sequently war was imminent on Ameri can soil on account of the annexation of Texas. Having a relative who was an officer in the United States army, I went to Join him. I did not meet him. However, I entered the service of my country, and of only about fifteen per tons now living who saw the first and last gun fired of that Mexican war, I am one. I remember, in coming to this ques tlon in which you are all so deeply in terested, (and whose echoes we have heard upon the shores of the Pacific, when la the city of Philadelphia, in 1844, the fight took place when the Hibernian engine company broke into a school house, threw the Bibles out, and a riot commenced. It ended, how Ter, in American principles being triumphant, and in sending the right congressman to Washington. I had when a boy, drank in the spirit of pa triotism upon tho fields of Concord Lexington, Bunker Hill and Dorches ter Heights, whre such noble battles were fought and the Americans were ucccssful in driving the English from BoBton harbor. During the Mexican war, there was circulated among our army propositions to those who were Roman Catholic soldiers.to desert. Those who belonged to the infantry, the cavalry, and ar tillery, were to receive payments in lands and money, and everything else accordingly. One man, by the name of Riley, deserted before hostilities broke out, and others followed him. Then after the battle of Monterey, and after fifteen thousand men under armistice were allowed to pass out carrying their arms with them, fifty of those Roman Cathoiio deserters led the Mexican army out. It was with great difficulty that our men could be prevented from hooting them, but the armistice had to be kept. When our division was called from Monterey and Taylor's lin on the Rio Grande to go to the south, from Vera Cruz to the city of Mexico, we found ourselves confronted bv deserters from our own ranks a complete ba tall ion known as the Legion of San Patricio (St. Patrick) composed of deserters from our army, and Riley, a brigadier general commanding them At that time the United States were appealed to and they removed the bat teries from their shipB of war, and filled them with provisions for starving Ire land, and at the same time these men deluded by priests of their faith to vio late their oaths, ungracefully, In our wn clothing and with our arms, at the battle of Cherubuaeo, near the city of Mexico, turned upon their former com rades and laid them low. It waa im possible to estimate the feeling of our men. Sometimes muskcta were thrown aside and simply with the bayonet alone In hand we met the enemy and captured over sixty of these destriers. There came an armistice, and during thai armu-tiee they were duly tried by court martial, and at Mlseoae, in the presence of both armies, we hung thirty-two in good order. Thus in my early life I learned these lessons. Parsing through Mexico as I did dur ing that war, I learned much of that then priest-ridden country. This was 8(xm followed bv the discovery of gold in ls-IS, and 1 returned to Philadelphia and there organized a company to go to California, sailing to Tampico, and crossing the oouutry to Mazatian, and thence by 6ea to San Francisco. We had passports to carry arms through Mexico, granted by the Mexican minis ter at Washington. Our passports was signed by Buchanan, who was then secretary of state. We traveled through that country till we came to the city of San Potosi. We secured a hotel, and then started to go around the town in a body to see the sights. This was a city which had never been captured during tho Mexican war. Here we met this same Riley, who had been branded on his right cheek with the letter D. We had not gone far be fore we found there was a commotion. First came music with a company of infantry; after them came tho bishop in his carriage and behind came the rabble. As they came along every person was compelled to kneel in the street 1 said to my company, "You need not kneel, but take off your hats as a token of respect to the customs of the people." The infantry made a move ment as if about to charge upon ub, and our pistols naturally were held in posi tion for use. The bishop looked out of his carriage, found there was trouble, and demanded to know the reason. 1 hapjieued to be the only one w ho spoke Spanish of our party, and I stepped for ward and told him who we were, and that we had jiermission to pass through his country to Mazatian. We intended no disrespect, but if the attempt was made to cause us to fall upon our knees they would pay for it with blood, for Americans knelt only to God. A dis pensation was granted us by the bishop, excusing us from kneeling, and the pro cession passed on. In the course of time, on the 24th day of May, 1849, we celebrated the queen's birthday by entering the harbor of San Francisco. And thus we commenced the development of that mighty empire of the Pacific, the fairest land the sun shines upon, and though you may love old rugged New England, and 1 love the place of my birth, but when I see the sun through the golden gate, it shines upon those delectable mountains spoken of by Bunyan in Pilgrim's Pro gress, and it is a land of paradise to pass from this world to the next. Time rolled on, and we had period ically something of this question com ing up before us, but the enemy was not strong enough to carry their point However, at the present time, they have massed their forces, and getting control of both republican and demo cratic parties, (Konie being a unit, divides on every question to unite to gether that the church may be the winner in the end) our country is now thoroughly sapped and mined, and there is a false security among the peo ple that there is no dnnger. I tell you that we are living upon a volcano. I hold here in my hand the constitution and laws of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. It is a complete military organization, and in every county and town throughout these United States, under the priest, by his direction, the whole of the Roman Catholic popuhv tion of the male pci suasion are being drilled and disciplined. I obtained pos session of this only lust year, when they met atlxmisville and completely or gan ized their national compact. I have made a copy of a portion of it, it will give vou startling information. Bat- tallions, regiments, companies, every where, they are compelled to join this military organization. There is one thing about our country that people do not understand. There are no better census takers, no better ones to esti mate the value of real estate. They have their men among the priesthood. One priest is sent to gather all the data. He leaves it with his successors to take his place, and thus it moves on and on continuously. You have a corps of the most subtle, astute, complete conspira- tors that God ever permitted this coun try to be cursed with, and it is ever active in carrying forward its plots to undermine and overthrow the free in stitutions of this great republic. I am going to relate some facts that are as positive and as certain as that the sun shines. There was no way by which the Roman Catholic church could accomplish its ends and advance its interests and hasten the time when it could seize possession of this coun try, until it could plunge this country into a civil war. Chief Justice Taney, of the United States supreme court, was a Roman Catholic, and by his Dred Scott decision started the wheels of the chariots of war in motion. The whole movement of the rebellion was a Ro man Catholic conspiracy In the beginn ing. And a distinguished brother M.1M.1U, UuW uei.u, k l.u.iu lite M-i- sonio fraternity, our Mooes and law giver, Albert G. Mackay, (God bless hi memory) born In Charleston, South Carolina, was true and loyal to the end. Tho lie was the only crowned head in Europe to recognize the southern con federacy. Jeff Davis' sister waaaeu- ivrior of a convent In Bardtown, Kentucky. When the division of the democratic party in ISM, came tn Charleston, South Carolina, that was the first move ment Then followed secession in Hibernian hall, in thatcity, and Bishop Lynch, of Charleston, Father Ryan, of Georgia and Father Hubert, of New Orleuns, by direction of the pope, con secrated the flags, the arm, the weap ons of the rebell ion of those who were Catholics, and absolved them from their oat of naturalization and allegi ance to the United States government. And why? There was a man loved as no other man was ever loved in these United States; a man, in my opinion, equal to, if not superior to him who was father of his country, who was selected as a victim four years before he was ever nominated to the presidency Abraham Lincoln. It fell to my lot at the time of his funeral in New York, as chairman of a committee of investi gation to follow up and ferret out, if possible, the source from which this hatred came. Why was it? What had Lincoln done that Rome should demand his life? The causs were these, and the proofs are beyond question, and per fectly satisfactory. It was found that the pope had determined upon a general colonisation scheme to take possession of the Mississippi valley early in the fifties. There was a man of the Roman Cathoiio priesthood, born in Canada, who had been selected to lead that emi gration and to plant it In Illinois. He had money and his people followed him first to Chicago, and then to Kankakee county, where he laid out a town, St. Ann's, and built a church. In course of time he fell out with his Catuoiio bishop. O'Reagan, and among other things, the French who had settled in Chicago, determined to have a church of their own. The Irish outnumbered them and they had no chance. They selected a place, built a church, sent to France and bought the richest vest ments, the best pictures and furnish Ings and made ready to go into the church. The next Sunday morning they were to celebrate mass. When they arrived there, there was no church. I have heard of stealing a red-hot stove, but I never before heard of stealing a church, but it waa done, and had been moved away on wheels to another part of the city. They found It filled with Irish Roman Catholics and an Irish priest saying ma9s. They could not get in. They waited their time until the priest should come out, and he treated them with insult and drove them away. They then went to the bishop, but received the same treatment, for he had taken their rich vestments and had them in his own house. At last it became necessary that they should appeal to the head at Rome. Father Chlniquy sat down and wrote to Louis Napoleon in France, and also to the pope in Rome. The emperor wrote to the pope, and the pope sent out his nuncio, Cardinal Bedinl, who came out there and the bishop was finally removed. But before that, matters had taken such steps that they determined to destroy Chini quy. He had the manhood to defend his rights, though a Roman Catholic Driest, as an American citizen. He purchased the property with his own money and that of the members of his own church. They built together. It was theirs; the title was in him. After failing to accomplish their purposes through the courts, though they re duced him to poverty, a most damnable plot wss made for destroying him. A criminal charge was brought against him, and as it could not be tried in Kankakee, a change of venue was taken, and it was to bo tried in Urhana, Champagne county, Illinois Abraham Lincoln being of tho council. While waiting for a tardy juror five priests in black robes entered at a side door and took a seat provided for the witnesses There they sat with their hands de voutly clasped upon their breast, look' ing as if it was a most solemn event They came to give their aid to a most damnable plot. Before long Lincoln looking over and seeing this row of priests, comprehending their object, and bending over the table to the op posing counsel, in a loud whisper, in tended to be head by everyone in the room, said, "Norton, Norton." "What is it?" said Norton. "I have a question to ask you in confidence," said Lincoln. "What is it?" said Norton. "What have all them fellows got men's creden tials for?" It was not in that exact language, but it was language that gentlemen will understand by them selves. It broke the spell upon the court In a few moments a laugh ran through the court. Judge Davis, him self, laughed heartily upon his bench. But Lincoln had accomplished his pur pose. He had broken that spell which could be done in no other way. He un covered the viilany, and the result was that the priests, fearful of being lynched, fled from the city. The next morning, knowing that the case would be dismissed, he would net permit It, without his con9et, and therefore ad dressed the court and pervris these l Ink.- Ii ,U 1 ... i.i III clear through, and this is the starting point of the enmity ot Rome to Abra ham Lincoln.) He said: "May It please your honor, gentlemen of the jury and American citizens, this conspiracy, I am aware, ha failed In 1U efforts, but I have a few word which I wish to say." He went on and depicted the career of Father Chlniquy how he had been unjustly prosecuted, and thee in conclusion, said: "A long as God give me a heart to foel, a brain to think, or a hand tocxicute my will, I devote it against that Hwer which ha attempted to us the machinery of the courts to destroy the rights and character of an American citizen." A day or two after that Father Chlni quy went to have a settlement with Mr. Lincoln. "How much do you thiuk you owe me?" "1 don t know." "Well, you are broke," say Mr. Lincoln. "I am," said Chlniquy, but I waut to have you draw up a note, aud I will sigu it and pay you as I can, lor I must know what are my liabilities." "How much do you think you o we?" "Well, I owe Judge Osgood 11200, Judge Paddock $150), you, perhaps, 12000; hut I must have a settlement and know what I have to work for." Mr. Lincoln turned around and drew up a note, and hearing sobbing behind him, he said, "Father Chiniquy, what are you orylng about? You ought to be the happiest man alive. You have beaten all your enemies and come out triumphant; they have fled in disgrace, and you ought to be the happiest man alive." Father Chiniquy pluced his hand upon his shoulder, and said: "1 am not weeping for myself, hut. for you, sir. They will kill you; and let me tell you this, if 1 were in their olace, and they in mine, it would bo my solemn, sworn duty to take your life nnsi If or Hud a man to do it." Mr. Lincoln turned around, and with a peculiar look upon his fiu said, "Father Chiniquy, please sign my death warrant." That was a simple promissory note for $."0. Lincoln re celved tho note and vanished. Now, I hold the note given to me by Father Chiniquy. (exhibiting It.) He was of fered ljO for it in London, but in view of what I had done in rendering him assistance in ferreting out this thing from the beginning, ho gave it to me, and I had It lithographed, and sent him the lithograph and kept the origi nal note. This was the beginning. When Lincoln started on that tour of political discussion with Douglas, tho entire Roman Catholic lntluenee was thrown in favor of Douglas. His wife was a Roman Catholic. There was a greater question rcfore the people caused by the admission of the state of California into the union. When we came to organize the state government and form our constitution my maiden vote was cast for the dele gates to that state convention which met in Monterey, In September, 1849, and In that constitution wo declared that California should have no involun tary servitude or slavery save for criminal offenses. The admission of the state of Cali fornia was tho cause of those principles coming up which divided the republl can and democratic parties into two factions. Tho political wheel was set in motion and though Abraham Lin coin got the popular vote, Stephen A Douglas got the legislature. The next turn of tho wheel gave Lincoln the nomination for the presidency. Then from that very moment came the re leasing of every Roman Catholic from their allegiance to tiie American gov ernment. They followed it through. Our countrymen north and south were hurled against each other, the great mats of them Protestants, as it was in tended to be. The scum of Europe now tramples over the graves of our dead countryman, north and siuth alike. Mr. Lincoln was continually In receipt of these threats of assassination from the time he entered Into the defense of Father Chiniquy. lie was continually warned from time to time, but at last knowing that the opportunity was favorable, they could make use of the instrument and Abraham Lincoln must die. Of the men engaged In that con spiracy, Dr. Samuel Mudd was the chief director. Ho was a Roman Cath olic, as was also John Wilkes Booth, Mrs. Surratt and her son: and in the judge advocate general's office at Wash ington, there mav be seen the Roman Catholic medal taken from Booth's neck. A short time lie fore that Booth had received the sacrament from Arch bishop Spaulding, of Baltimore, and al most identically at the same time the pope sent from Rome the arms and ac coutrements in exact counterpart of the papal guard at Rome, and when Archbishop Spaulding died he was buried with military honors by the papal guard at Baltimore. In this con spiracy every one was a Roman Catho lic, either a jesuit, priest or layman, who made every effort to conceal it. I do not state this simply u ion my own authority, but refer you to the official report of the trial before the military commission. Read it carefully and you will find that all along the line it was for ths interest of the Cutholic church that even Mrs. Surratt should die. (Cries of "That Is so, yes.") Rome Is a sow that eat her cwn pigs. ("ie3, yea.") Her son, John B. Surratt if he had been capturted, would have been hung at tae same time. nit he had huii uilcti uiiUi Le .i .uiii tut rU I. His escape had been prejiared by Archbishop Bourget of Montreal, Canada. He went there flrHt, and re turned to do jturt of his work, and he made his escai itiul wns protected by that archbishop. He was pluced in the charge of Futher Charles Boucher of the parish of St. Lelxiire, Canada, there he kept him several months. finally ho took him to Montreal, to an other house of tho archbishop, and there they kept him until they got ready to take him away. They took him in a carriage at Montreal to a small steamer which couveyed him down to Queliee, from whence ho sailed on the steamer Peruvian to Liverpool, and thence to Havre de Grace, and from there went to Paris and Rome, and enlisted in the pojwi's body guard. Rome now thought she had him secure, but through Father Chiniquy our gov ernment got track of him. A detective was put uiou his track, and when the poje found that our government knew where ho was, he nuiilo a pretense of being willing to give him up, but per mitted him to make his escape. But he was captured at Alexander, Egypt, and brought back on the United States war-ship Swalnra, and tried In the court of the District of Columbia. It was a pity that the civil law had taken the place of the military. A jury that was never intended to agree was drawn, and this Jesuit priest, the accessory Iwfore and after the fact so far as John H. Surratt was concerned, hud the effrontery to come directly from Mon treal, appear In that very court and give this very evidence 1 am now giving you; and if you turn to volume 2 of the trial of John II. Surratt, you w ill find all that 1 have said to you to be the exact truth. The investigation of this matter has been tho work of years of the most patient research, and at an expense of thousands of dollars, mostly to myself itnd a few others. The hatred against Lincoln continued after his death. Among all the tributes of tho nations of tho earth, of socluties anil organizations, nearly one thousand that aro bound in a book by the government, resolutions of sympathy and consolation, that came for the American people and among them were some from thirty and more Masonic lodges of Europe, supposing that he was a Muson, who draped their lodges in black, in France, Italy and elsewhere, yet you may ex amine that book from beginning to end not from one single Roman Catholic society is there the first resolution of sorrow at this damnable act. Then still farther, Romo determined to des troy all evidence, if possible. Her hatred goes into the ground. She be lieves in cremation from the beginning, but not of her own nieiultcrs, and to destroy the body of Lincoln she plotted its robbery. I had visited his tomb in IBiti, at Springfield, Illinois, and saw the dangers to which it was exposed and there aro some of us who have taken a solemn oiitli, (it rests upon us today), not only to perpetuate his mem ory, hut to preserve his remains. It became necessary to keep a guard there, but notwithstanding this pre caution, they broke open the surcopha gus, run out the cedar colli n, and were about to break into It when our friends were at hand. The ghouls were cap tured and every one was a Roman Catholic; they were tried and each sen tenced to serve out his time in the state penitentiary of Illinois. Then" fearing it might be robbed again, tho sarcophagus was replaced and the body was placed in the side of the walls of the mausoleum, but the rascally con tractor who built that monument had put in pieces of wood, and these rotted and made it unsafe, though the body was not exposed. It was then deter mined to remove it and plnce It In the front of the shaft and there bury it be side his wife" There it was kept, and four years ago when I came out there to hold memoi i il services. I binught earth from the tomb of Edward linker. at Lone Mountain, San Francisco, and mingled it with that of Abraham Lin coln, and then took some buck with me. and the bodies of the union soldiers of California rest under the same sort of earth as that of Abraham Lincoln. A few years ago, In order to place the bodies securely where they could not longer be disturbed, they were placed beneath the floor of the catacomb, and the resting place sealed with Roman cement; and there in a muss of stone, in an adamantine casket, to remain un til the angel of the resurrection shall smite It and say, "'Come forth." The lock that was put there is still there, and I hold the key to the broken lock of Lincoln's tomb. And now to the work. I have said this subject needs no argument. It needs action. The moral cowardice of the American people at this time is contemptible. Eight per cent of the employes in the department at Wash ington are Roman Catholics. They control your telegraphic system; they are upon your newspapers, and prevent honest reports. And thers Is not a square politician belonging to either of your parties that dare stand openly as an American citizen. It was my pleas ure to be a delegate to the national re publican convention which met at Cin cinnati, in 176, when for the first time in the historv of America it became necessary for both political parties to enf U tiir platforms the honett Ho schools. U waa luy picoauiu us draft the article that went into the re publican platform. That was carried and we were successful. We nominated our man, wo defeated a most popular man, and our country was saved. Let me go back a few years. Wbea Italy was fighting for Its unity with Rome for its capital as It had a right to, and when a strong struggle had ta be made, In all the aid and subscrip tions that went to Rome there went an lul venturer and other volunteers from Ireland to fight for tho hm, and for real or pretended gallantry at the gat of J)el Kocca, that man was created a chevailer of St. Michael and un honor ary aide de camp to Pope Pius IX. That man cunw to this country In time, mid during our war, through Governor Seymour, of New York, and Archbishop Hughes, he was created a commissioned ofllcer In the. Pulled Slates army. His father in law was Imu h a Roman Calho- ie, confirmed a Romnn Catholic, whos father, though a Presbyterian, flva years before his death became a Romaa Catholic, and the mother and father ' nro burled side by side In the Cathoiio cemetery in Brownsville, Pennsylvania. Every one of that man's sister Is a su- leriore,ss of a convent, or nun, except ing one who married and died in Haiti- more aud the brother knelt by thesid of his dead sister while the thundering cannon at Washington were fired when Crover Cleveland was being inaugurat ed. That man who hud given his owa daughter to Rome, and whose children were baptised In that faith that man, whose apostasy from the faith is not lielievcd in, liecuuso to bring forth works meet for repentance, knowing a thing to le wrong, he will not certainly ullow his children to bo educated la that wrong; that man who Insulted th American people by having placed be fore them ut the national republican, convention the Koman Catholic priest, Father Charles O'Reilly, the treasurer of the Irish National Lund Lenguej that man was mado the chaplain of the national republican convention whloh nominated Junius O. Blaine. I am for protection, but I believe in protecting our country, the American publlo schools, and In sending Americans only to represent tho American republl abroad. Think of it for one moment thece la Chill, who has been struggling for liberty from Rome for half a century, and she has measurably succeeded. When In Washington I felt some what Inspired by what I saw there that monument to Washington whloh reaches towards heaven. Thanks ba to the Masonic fraternity who laid th foundation and set the cap stone upon it They protected the honor and saved the American republlo from th dlsgraoe of a stone being inserted in it sent by the pope. It was broken and thrown into the Potomac Some good people dislike secret societies. Then, In the name of God direct your forces against the Jesuits. When the twenty three thousand Knights Templars pa raded In Washington the other day, there was a moral force representing threa-fourths of a million of Masoaa that are ready when necessary to lay down the trowel and grasp the sword In defense of the free institutions at America. We love our God, we lor our country, we love ths Bible. It ta our light from heaven, God's best gift toman, next to women I do not mean the Roman harlot (laughter and ap plause) for without women there would have been no revelation. Now, that country of Chill is follow ing our course, laboring to keep tha priests out of the public schools, sep arating them entirely, endeavoring tn make Chill the rt presentatlve nation of South America, with a free country' totally unpriest-rldden and yet a mad not two years an American citizen la sent tn represent these American peo ple in this republic. Shame, shame. Again, it is only two years since I traveled through the republic of Mei lco, and we have another of that earns sort sent to that country. I wish wa hud In our country the same rule aa they have there. I have traveled safely and alone where murders used to ba committed, and where the crosses ara sot one hundred yards apart to Indicate, the spot where they occurred. Thanks be to President Diaz, himself a Mason, there Is not one convent In Mexico to day. I cannot say how great is the r form that has takn place thera. Where people were compelled to live in concubinage because unable to pay ths exorbitant fees lor marriage en acted by the priests, now there is good order, for ths Mexican government married up all those people, made their children legitimate, and fixed a fine upoa the priest who dares marry a person before the government does. That is the condition there. Whea Grovsr Cleveland was made president ha choose a Roman Catholia for one of his cabinet, Garlaad, and for assistant attorney-general, the infamous Each Montgomery, who has Issued tha most villainous pamphlet against tha public schools. Neither of the great political parties hava the manliness or courage to follaw their convictions. Their pledges are worse than sand, and there is but this ta da: you hare got U rise to your feat and gt to work. I W lievo la praying, ia trusting la tha Holv Oh aad all ka Wt 1 WlWve