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Show THE PRIEST IN POLITICS. Some time ago the mail from Washington brought a letter to the editor of tin's paper from a professor or an ex-professor of law at the Catholic Catho-lic university. Accompanying the personal letter was yet another that, if printed, would fill a column of space. It showed the hand of a master of composition. There were a few paragraphs of general Catholic information gathered at the capital. The rest was a clever brief in support of a straw assumption that Catholic interests in tho Philippines could be promoted only through the re-election of President Roosevelt and a calamity would overtake the church in the islands if the Democratic candidate succeeded. In the personal letter to the editor, the writer was good enough to bestow some blarney anent the merits and influence of the Intermountain Catholic, adding that he acted "upon information" regarding our political choice to make bold in sending "the enclosed." "The enclosed" along with the blarney was con- j signed. to the waste basket. The name of the professor of law, even the incident inci-dent itself, lapsed in memory until revived the other day by a printed leaflet bearing this title: "'One of the Xoblest of Presidents so Rev. T. A. Dwyer says in the Sentinel of the Blessed Sacrament." Sacra-ment." The leaflet did not come through the mail to this office. - Perhaps the Republican circulating bureau got "a hunch" as to the true character of this non-partisan and Catholic newspaper. The copy at hand was directed to a Catholic whose business and associations belong to corporations, and he had a goodly bunch of the leaflets sent to him to distribute. The bureau of circulation, with a keen perception of corporation influence, undoubtedly un-doubtedly thought they were safe in taking chances upon this gentleman, who is also a member mem-ber of the Knights of Columbus. But this time they were mistaken. The whole bunch was laid upon our table; and all but the one before us, like the almost forgotten lawyer's letter, was tumbled into the waste basket. . About this eulogy to "One of the Xoblcst of Presidents," not much need be said. When the priest started out by saying that, "Whatever may bo 'his political views, we have reason to believe that every fair minded citizen will agree with us when we speak of President Roosevelt as a 'Providential 'Provi-dential man ".the impression is conveyed that a number, or at least one "Providential' " man is not yet canonized and enrolled in the Calendar of Saints. And again, when the president's eulogist carves an imaginary statue, "standing in the fierce light that beats upon a throne," if we are not convulsed with the humor of that figure we arc at least prepared for the contents of an ordinary campaign document, its purpose differing from others only that it speaks for and is intended for Catholics, and differing from others, too, in its superabundance 6f literary "slop over." Nobody can, nobody will deny Rev. T. A. Dwyer of Brooklyn, X. Y., full and fair expression of his political choice. He is a citizen of the LTnited States. He may even express his views in tho public prints, even in the. columns of some Catholic newspapers whose editors have an anchor cast to windward. The good or the harm in so doing may be discussed by priests and laymen, but no right of the citizen priest is injured. It is simply deplored as something lacking good taste or good form. But, when, the citizen priest be comes the partisan priest, then the question be-- be-- comes one of ethics. It is'up to Rev. T. A. Dwyer to explain why these leaflets containing his eulogy of President Roosevelt are scattered broadcast broad-cast among Catholic voters. Why wa3 this man especially selected to write a campaign article for "The Sentinel of the Blessed Sacrament;" And, by tho by, where is this paper published, and how often is it published I It needs not much penetration to discover the source of this propaganda. It is located in Washington. Wash-ington. It is likely attached to or directly connected con-nected with the headquarters of the Republican national committee. That letter from the cx-profcssor.of cx-profcssor.of law was a clumsy attempt to conceal its real political character.' He is evidently one of the paid employes of the Republican literary bureau. As such his conduct is not to be condemned con-demned from his own standpoint of political ethics. lie is a lawyer, not a priest; and, generally gener-ally speaking, lawyers feel at home with the devil in a political campaign. But for the priest we have only one bit of advice. ad-vice. Do nothing that will associate your name with partisan politics or soil your hands Avith campaign funds.. Yours is an apostolic mission. "Know you not," says St. Paul, "that they who work in the holy place, eat the things that are of the holy place; and they that serve the altar, partake par-take with the altar? So also the Lord ordained that they who preach the gospel, should live by the gospel." Out here in Utah a bitter strife is now taking place,' all because of priestly intermeddling with politics. We use the word "priest" because it is popularly if not properly applied to all those of the Mormon church as well as the Protestant Pro-testant sects ordained to preach the gospel. Our own priests take no part, neither is it likely they will ever take part. Rare, indeed, is the active partisan ever disclosed in the Catholic priest. When it is, he should be speedily called down. And, almost unanimously, he is called down. |