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Show I j - I Timely Plea for j Catholic Action. ; J I I fhc Christian Filipinos arc CatholicsThe Authorities at j Washington Have Put Their Fate Exclusively in j the Hands of Protestants. f I I "Washington, D. C., March SO. T.'v. and Dear pather Lambert: ." In several of the recent issues of the f ' jv-'inan's Journal you call the laity to I n.'Mutit, charging them with the re- i sponsibility for an injury which mother 1 church may suffer by reason of govern- juvnt discriminations, encroachments, I iv. You close an article in the Free- man of March 22 with these words: I "From this time forth wherever im- j't!';a!k;m casts its black shadow there I will he a systematized and energetic finti- 'atholic campaign, backed by lim- iili-ss financial resources. It is time I ih;tt ("'atholic Americans shoujd wake I nji to this fact. If through their list- J i..SSU(.ss or indifference they permit the ? govrnmont to become a sik-nt partner 1 in this anti- 'atholic crusade they will I cuilty of rank disloyalty to the 1 church." i' j My Catholic Americans you are un- I 1-rstood as meaning: Catholic laymen. j In response to the above allow me to V t I'y.pross a single idea. r J Th"fe may be something- wrong f .li'-re may be mischief in the air. but t 4 'r '10 government becomes a silent i i .i.utnr in the anti-CatholiV crusade j I Hip fearful responsibility will rest, not f wiili the laity, nir with the clergy, I but w ith ihe hierarchy. The welfare of I church has been confided to the I hierarchy. It is their particular and os- ' ircial duty to promote and guard f atholic interest.1--. Now, if the hier- ; nvchy bestir not themselves, what need iliink you is there for the laity to eon- fin themselves? Surely, if the rumors I which leak out from time to time merit j er receive from the hierarchy only a j ilismissing wave of the hand or a sniff f the head, the lsitynrr not railed on ; cx,-rt themselves in any way; for if I liiT" were anything dangerously ! wr-'ng the hierarchy would necessarily J the nj-t to move. This is the men- 4 ta i and the logical attitude of the vast j majority of the laity: and as the hier- nn hy ?ro making- no special demon-s demon-s stration in the defense of ('atholic in- : f 1. -rests, it is useless to atlempt to place ! the responsibility upon the laity. Let j I 3! go where it legitimately belongs I upon the hierarchy. f There is another and equally cogent I reason why the laity are devoid of ' guilt. Because of the constitution of the church the laity are to be led. They i c'.e not lead the hierarchy. The hier- .-ip hy is to lead them. The commission ! siid credentials of authority are exchi- Mvely in the hands of the hierarchy. I Th- party who. lacking authority, I takes the initiative, would have few I followers and would soon get himself j ivo bad odor. The laity, therefore. I j "v to p led. not because they lack I courage, but because it is the duly of Hie hierarchy to lead them. i Lft the hierarchy first thoroughly oris or-is ganize among themselves. -onsider the I various problem": pressing for solution, 1 :crc-f upon a mmrncn plan of action, I tiitu. presenting themselves at the I halls of legiu'ation. boldly demand a halt in the steady Row of encroach - Hi' nts. direct or indirect, on Catholic rights in this country and in all insular J possessions, '-ailing, at the same time, I upon ihe laity at large for co-operation "-.Mi ballot, stump and newspaper. Think you that the voice of the hier- I Fv.-hy ringing with the earnestness of n indomitable purpose and in tones i unequivocal, net requesting, but de- I Tnanding th fullest measure of re- i litious liberty and a cessation of all I encroachments would receive no re- spouse from the laity? I I have written you these few lines ; ' in defense of the laity I really do I J.ot think they need any but hoping I that you may bring the combined and I va-t influence of yourself personally and of the freeman to bear on the 1 hierarchy. As an universally esteemed priest who has traveled much through the country in the discharge of his duties, du-ties, remarked to me: "The clergy are not to blame. The responsibility lies with the hierarchy. 1 am afraid they will have much to answer for." There is mischief in the air. Let me tell you of one little incident of whicii I know. As you are aware, Taft is. or Fhcrtly was. giving testimony here at the capitol before the insular committee of which Mr. Cooper is chairman. My aunt had business with Mr. Cooper. During the course of conversation Philippine Phil-ippine matt?rs were reverted to. Regarding Re-garding the morality of the friars, Taft had testified that he knew one friar j who, without reference to the number ' of sons he had brought into the world, had fifty daughters. "How many wives had he?" inquired my aunt of Mr. Cooper. "None at all." he answered. "They just take the Philippine women wherever they please." Taft has evi dently given the impression that the friars are alike, rotten to the core. As this testimony is not published, the church has no opportunity of refuting it. You may suppose, however, it is doing its work among our national legislators. leg-islators. Believing that there is a de-I de-I sire in many quarters to confiscate the 1 property of the religious communities of the Philippines and to expel, if nee-l nee-l essary by force, from the islands the. religious themselves a very natural in-frrence in-frrence can be drawn from the above, viz.: that as soon as those who arc interested in-terested fabricate a cock-and-bull story of sufficiently ample proportions the confiscation and expulsion trick will be executed and the fairy tales then published pub-lished as a justification. The confiscation, confis-cation, etc., once having been officially executed, it would matter nothing it the church (Teinbnst rated six months ther.psfte?" that the charges were groundless. In connection with this matter it is pertinent to ask: "Where is the one, isolated person, Arshbishop Chapeil?? Echo answers Where? for he has not mail" his appearance officially offi-cially at the capitol. The Catholic Federation of Societies, though almost fatally late, is a great, good thing. "We should have had many I months ago and at the present mo ment, a Catholic commission, not of one man. but of ten or a dozen, composed partly of the clergy and partly of the laity, being our most learned archbishops, archbish-ops, bishops or priests and our most distinguished linguists and most brilliant bril-liant (.'atholic lawyers. "We should have had and should now have a number of distinguished AMERICAN witnesses on the ground, abl to refute the absurdities ab-surdities Taft is disgorging, and the most eminent legal talent to see that the Philippines receive the benefit of every existing law as to the free exercise exer-cise or their religion and all matters pertaining thereto, schooling, etc. Regarding Re-garding the morality of the friars it is to be observed that an isolated McNa-mara McNa-mara or Rlattery in the Philippines (if indeed any such exist) is no more extraordinary ex-traordinary than a McNamara within the states. The ecclesiastical portion of the commission should have power to correct anything imnrorer. which, by the way, th administration, for its own reasens. might wish not corrected, until ready itself to do the correcting. The expense of such a Catholic cunmis-i sion would of ootvse be large, and could be defrayed only by a federation of societies. The Federation of Catholic Cath-olic Societies, however, could easily meet such expense, for an infinitesimal per canita assessment would mean many thousands. The federation, or-tr.mized. or-tr.mized. led and encouraged by members mem-bers of the hierarchy, has a. great future fu-ture before it. and I bless God for its institution. With great respect, I beg to remain, vcrv slneerelv yours. MAURICE R. ALEXANDER. |