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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1917)
6 0 0 ,1 Hi r . MAY, 1917 The Commoner A New Era Dawning When the Knights of Columbus in stituted a Commission on Religious Trcjudice we expected nothing else from it but perfunctory findings and apologetic platitudes. But by its fear less honesty the commission is doing more for the church in America than anything that has happened since the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore. It places the blame for anti-Catholic prejudice not alone upon Protest ants, but courageously calls upon Catholics to bear their just propor tion. "If Catholics can not thrive in this country," says Hon. Joseph Scott, a member of the commission on re ligious prejudice, "they have no chance anywhere. We are living among a class of people who are fair-minded and sincere and who wish to do the riglit thing by us and our Church." "Religious prejudice," the report says, "has come down to us from centuries of strife when Catholics and Protestants took turns in perse cuting one another, and together persecuted the Jews. . . . We plead for that sympathy and unity among neighbors which the common his tory, the common interest, the com mon destiny of the whole American people make imperative in the ful fillment of their hopes and aims. . . The appeal to the people of Buffalo, N. Y., by 100 of the leading Cath olic and non-Catholic citizens of the" city for more sympathetic relations in all civic affairs, though setting a worthy example to the nation, was not a complete success because pro fessional politicians, Catholic as wel1 as non-Catholic, undertook to incite their respective sympathizers to vote according to a preferred list. ... To vote for a member of any, denomination solely on account of his religion, or to vote against him solely on that account, is equally reprehensible. Religion and politics must be kept separate in this coun try, or both will be ruined." The commission in its report urges the Knights of Columbus to enter with clean hands the work of elim iiating religious prejudice; to sub stitute lectures and educational methods for popular pastimes; to enlighten themselves on the prob lems confronting the citizens of this country; to become closely identified with right movements in every com munity for the betterment of public morals, the furtherance of social justice and the very best citizenship. The report recognizes that our ap parent connection with . the liquor traffic is one of the main causes of religious prejudice against us, and reminds all of the urgent appeal of the Council of Baltimore that Cath ol'cs should get out of the dangerous ""uor traffic. It truly says that some Catholic Papers "are edited entirely for profit and are not truly representative of Utholic teaching." It fitly describes others as "rash propagandises which furnish ammunition to professional Jion-Catholics." It deprecates vio lence toward anti-Catholic speaking and every interference with free 6PMi and free press. Father L. Johnston,-though much more prone to condemn than to com mend, especially laymen, says of the eport: "It is a masterly survev of entire subject. Coming from avmen it is classical." ((DLouiSvme Evening . Times . says: -esldes untiring-energy;- Mr. Calla nan br ngs to this great work high "vie ideals, a warm human spirit, mf ,f devotIon to the advance ment of iiuman happiness." Col. P H. Callahan is president of the Peoples' Forum in Louisville, Ky and vice-president of an organization formed within the democratic party to obtain the passage of a state con stitutional Prohibition amendment for Kentucky. His broad-minded Catholicity and his deep interest in civic righteousness fit him for the great work of the Commission on Religious Prejudice, of which ho is the chairman and the soul. The Rev. B. L. Powell, a fellow townsman of his, complimented the Colonel ononis address to the Junior Order of Mechanics in Louisville thus; "Your admirable address was a real contribution towards better feeling, and a prophecy of a time when this country shall not permit its politicians to exploit religion, and thus divert the minds of the voters from issues vital to the common wealth." Col. Callahan's wide range of thought and observation help him to get a good perspective of men and their motives. He wrote to the ed itor of the Columbiad: "It is with keen enjoyment that I read the Yel low Jacket or the Menace as com pared to my mental feelings when I read the Iconoclast, and realize how Catholics' are having their legs pulled. This paper is an organ of the liquor interests living on the, reputation of Brann its former edV itor, who boasted of infidelity. It fights prohibition, and throws a sop to Catholics occasionally in the form of criticism of the Menace, just to keep them on the side of the liquor interests." To Father J. F. Noll, Col. Callahan wrote: "It is not news to me to learn that there are a great many anti Catholics in the prohibition party; the same is true of the other parties. However, in their national conven tion at St. Paul, where their repre sentatives were gathered, with only four Catholic delegates and very few favoring the movement, when con fronted with the religious issue, the prohibitionists did their very patri otic duty by turning down Sulzer the candidate of the anti-Catholic soci eties." To Mr. Frank McDermott of Se attle, Washington, the Colonel wrote the following, which is good advice to Catholics throughout the coun try: "Catholics in your community can do nothing which will reflect so much credit on themselves and their religion, and simultaneously min imize religious prejudice, as to be prominently identified with every anti-liquor and Prohibition move ment." On the subject of the state of Kentucky deriving revenue from betting at horse races, he says: "Any kind of partnership between gambl ing concerns and municipalities or states ought to be offensive to the sense of decency in the twentieth century." Many a cleric does not possess or at least does not mani fest such a keen sense of morality as this layman. Perhaps no man in all America is better fitted to be chairman of the Commission on Religious Prejudice than Col. P. H. Callahan. His-can-dor with friend and foe is admir able. His progressive spirit breathes out in these words to Father J. Wynne, S. J., editor of America: "Our Catholic celebrations have con sisted altogether of too much praise and compliments. In this twentieth 27 TL co,neratulato ourselves To Uvo on the reputation of our an- CCStora in nnntrnr.. . ..... a- .. -'"" .v mo spirit or t'L T. a.amo Progressive -.... ,a uiuimoai in tueso words of Benedict Elder, secretary of the com mission: "bt. Vincent do Paul held that, instead of pointing out to un- " "ur great men of the paBt, we ahould raako hasto to nil their places now vacant." From Catholics and Prohibition. DRINK IS ENGLAND'S GREATEST DANGER .AwCmarkable speech was made on I, qUor (Juest,0Ii in London at a public meeting recently by Captain John MacNcill of Toronto, attached L TCanadIau Y- M. C. A., says ino London niirnnitin " vi.i. quotes Captain MacNeili as follows: "Today Canada is dry from coast to coast, with the exception of Quo bee, which is four-fifths dry under local option. In addition, our peo ple had the pledge from our depart ment of militia for a dry canteen, with the understanding that It would not only obtain in the training camps of Canada, but in their overseas operations as well. It was with that assurance that thousands of our homes gavo up their Bons. "And our men have come to Eng land with what result?- they have been debauched through drink. "Some of your people may say that they should havo been ablo to stand against it. Perhaps so I am not defending them, though I could. Remember that they are away from all the restraints of homo life and the refining touch of their woman kind. Remember, too, that the ac cessibility of the drink, more than the desire for it, is one-half the oc casion for drunkenness, especially when it is urged upon our men through a mistaken sense of hospi tality. "At this very moment in London there are tens of thousands of traps set for the feet of our men. So far as we can see there is no serious at tempt to restrain or suppress this vice in the streets of London. What reply will you give to the parents of a Canadian boy who, demoralized by drink, and through drink smitten by disease, rendered-unfit for France, listed for home rather than face It he blew out his brains with a re volver In a Canadian camp I visited a few weeks ago? "May I say to you solemnly, if England should lose this war be cause of drink (and drink, wo be lieve, is now the only enemy that can defeat her), or if England Rhnnlrl unnecessarily nrolonrr the war with great sacrifice of life in her effort to protect the drink, or even if England should win the war " spite of drink, which for her own sake we pray she may not do you mill TifiTrA nut UTirtn rim tinnlci rf mn Will UOTV 'UV MJWaY UW SISU0 is. vu pire, in relation to the overseas do minions, sucn a strain as mey nave nnvpr known before, and such a w w . . r strain as we can not promise they . will be able to survive." Subscribers' HflwilslMfl Depf. This department Is for tho bnnoflt of Cornmonwr subnorlbors, and n. special rata of six cents a word per Inxortlon -tho lowest rate nan boon made for thorn. Add all communications to Tho Commoner. Lincoln, Nebraska. EC.RMA SPECIFIC WILL AJ380 lutoJy cure eczema, salt rhaum, bar bers itch ami other fckln diseases, bfnt by mall, $1.50. 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