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Show Federation of Catholic Societies Its Necessity It Averts Discrimination and Adverse Legis- j j lation It Will Solve Many Perplexing Questions. j I Is there any necessity for federation? The question comes like a rifle crack. Is there any necessity for federation? Let me reply that even though Catholic Catho-lic rights were not insultingly ignored or unjustly denied, the advantages of federation along the lines of moral and intellectual work would still most strongly commend it to all thoughtful Catholics. O Is there, though, again it is asked, is there denial of Catholic rights? What need of even partial enumeration? Let the commissions to our newly acquired Catholic possessions speak. Not a single sin-gle Catholic upon either of them. Recall Re-call the Cuban civil marriage decree. Insulting by refusing to recognize the Catholic rite. Study the lnsiduous effort ef-fort to despoil the friars and drive out the Catholic, spiritual advisors of the Catholic people of the Philippines. We earnestly protest against the schemes foisting upon the Catholic millions of our new possessions a sectarian or atheist school system. No candid man can study the subject and deny that the avowed object and aim of the narrow-minded few is to make use of government gov-ernment instrumentalities to proselytize the people of the Philippines. What we insist upon is that our government, directly di-rectly and indirectly, keep hands off 2nd leave the conscience of this Catholic Cath-olic people free and untrammelled as American citizens to worship God as they seet fit. Why should not our own school systfc.n be so reasonably modi- net ' -" 1 ' " - - the bun tem? ,k. ., c.ct land ar oi '.aome rule" Ger many in tu matter of recognition of God in their - educational system, shames America. Recall the action of congress upon the question of Indian schools. What representation have we upon the various national and sjate board and commissions controlling the penal,, charitable and educational institutions insti-tutions all equally supported by Catholic Cath-olic taxation. If the public libraries in all our larger larg-er towns and cities are poisoned with slanderous misrepresentation in their literature, as undeniably they are, should we not be entitled to have the antidote, partially at least, go with it? Why not a fair representation of Catholic Cath-olic history and literature in the public libraries? Go into the state universities universi-ties throughout the country and count the number of Catholics sharing in their direction. How many Catholic chaplains are there in the army and navy? You can count them almost on the fingers of one-hand. .Catholics discriminated against! Why pursue further the Irony of inquiry? Why, the very children are made to feel the distinction between Catholic and Protestant until, looking into each others' eyes they wonder and try to guess the why or the wherefore. The fact of dsicrimination is so glaring as I long since to have caused Protestants themselves to wonder at our too timid, I eternal policy of silent sufferance. It Is not so much a disposition on the part of the government to refuse to hearken to fairness And justice, as it is the timidity of Catholics by united. and respectful re-spectful protest to insist upon their rights. The fault is more in ourselves than in our stars that we are underlings. under-lings. Some one has truly said: "God hates a coward." Americans knowing the disgraceful truth of the situation must come to despise us as Poltroons. The federation standing upon the rock of constitutional right now summons to firm but kindly remonstrance. It calls for proper, well advised, but timely action, and prepares to defend the religious re-ligious birthright of every American. There can be no question that legislation, legis-lation, national and state, hostile to Catholic interests is constantly aimed at. True, such legislation, as also executive ex-ecutive action, is sometimes without intentional hostility. More often, however, it is with malice afone thought. Those who do not clearly see this fact must live far from Washington; Washing-ton; they seldom visit the state capitals, capi-tals, or possibly belong to the "inclosed" "in-closed" orders. This assertion involves no lack of appreciation for the general opposition of our government to be broad in its relations to all creeds. Because Be-cause this is our government we need a Catholic public opinion forceful enough to keep it what the founders intended it to be an impartial protector pro-tector of the rights of all religions, with special favor to none. It is not, in the main, the government govern-ment nor the executive 'officers in the city, state or nation that are at fault. It is not so much this as it Is that large class of ubiguitous jealous, narrow nar-row meddlers who persist in poisoning the wells of public sentiment upon the subject of the Catholic church in America. Amer-ica. These disturbers of the peace and harmony unfortunately are too often of-ten found in high places; their work goes on unhindered for the most part unless when lamely opposed by some chance individual effort. The constant admonition is: "Keep quiet; things might be worse." Our reply is that things would be very much better if we had fearless,' prudent, pru-dent, systematic opposition, backed by the united effort of nearly half the professed pro-fessed church-going people of America; Amer-ica; if they were but assertive enough j to call their souls their own, forceful and tactful enough to take their church out of the slough of continual apology for its very presence in this country. How can federation change existing conditions? Not by noisy declamations against grievances which sometimes have no foundation in fact; not by exaggerated ex-aggerated denunciation of executive or legislative bigotry; not by hurling dire threats against this or .that political party; in a word, not by blusteringly stultifying ourselves in the eye of public pub-lic opinion, which, if thoughtful, discreet dis-creet and tactful methods were taken to win, might be made our stoutest . shield. Not by such methods can Federation Fed-eration hope to accomplish anything. ; There are those who fear there may , not be quite enough fight in Federation ; methods. One of the most courageous once modestly said: "Let not the soldier sol-dier putting on his armor, but rather the one laying it aside, boast himself." Large professions and little deeds j often go linked together. The leaders j of Federation appreciate keenly the fact of Catholic grievances. They know. however, that noisy vaporin;s carry i no force; that the hardest blows are not always struck with mailed hands. It by no means ' follows that one 13 made of milk and water, amiable stuff, ' . because he is not boisterous. The f greatest exemplar of Intellectual power i in the world today, Leo XIII, has been as gentle as he is firm. Leo's power has been that of the Almighty inspiring inspir-ing hie tactful, diplomatic, intellectual ! grasp. The results of his great pon- i tificate have been felt they were not j heralded. I Cardinal Gibbons' Influence and j ; achievements are surpassed by no oth- i er churchman in America. The bells j throughout the country, though, do not ring in every church tower before he "touches the button." ) Federation does well to make no j loud, high-sounding professions or I threats. As a matter of fact, the only fear of the really masterful leaders j seems to have been this very fear that ; --.3. bluster for nt imprudence, j might become jrse rather than need not worry about or que ie firmness, the absolute - fearie- css, by proper, prudent methods meth-ods on 'the part of Federation, to face., and circumvent injustice, intolerance ' and bigotry. For state and national affairs, and in ; dealing with those in authority, ft-d'-r- " ; ation. appoints a committee on law. The -business of this committee, act- ing with an executive and advisory j board, is to closely watch executive and legislative action involving Catholic interest with the special view to forestalling fore-stalling hostile measures. The work of this committee, whether it be one appointed ap-pointed by county, state or national federation, is so hedged about with ' safeguards that the reasonable conser- vative can put aside all fears of indls- J cretion. Nor is the work of this committee com-mittee so hampered as to prevent it3 I meeting the full expectations of the j prudently aggressive. The federa- tion's'work along this line, once the movement crystalizes into a thorough, ' disciplined organization, will -b; felt rather than proclaimed. The living fact of a thoroughly organized body, with a membership of one or more millions, mil-lions, such organization once accom- - ; plished, there would be no need to pro- claim its power from the housetops. 1 Its existence alone will bespeak its in- ; flnpncp. Further than along such lines, fed- eration has no interest whatever in j politics or party candidates. Its mem- . ; j bership Is of all parties. It expressly I forbid3 the endorsement of any candi- t ! date. Partisan politics cannot even he ' , ' discussed in any of its gatherings. We ' can unhesitatingly declare that federation feder-ation will always Keep its face firmly set against the danger or disgrace of mingling mere politics with a neces- j sary and m;t effective defense of . j Catholic interests. Why insinuate par- ' tisan political influence in connection with Catholic federation any more j than apply the same insult to the f ' Young Men's Christian association? We resent all absolutely groundless in- 1 sinuations of a Catholic party. ; Federation, we believe, can be ' trusted, not only to devise proper s methods of action, but it will make f fewer mistakes than mere individual ? effort along the same lines. Many instances might be cited of such ill- j advised methods as makes us some- i times hope for some means to defend us from our" friends no matter how eminent or obscure they happen to be. i An instance .of the advantages of f federation. A tramp villifler. such as Margaret Sheperd an oft-repeated j edition of Maria Monk comes into a j community, and by calumny, abuse f and indecency, makes an effective bid y j for newspaper notice. Unfortunately, the daily press too often weighs fear- ! Iessnes3 and manliness in the scale of f dollars and cents; it sometimes avari- ciously suffers itself to be used, when common decency would counsel at least silence. Let the combined action of thousands in the city, hundreds ii the town, openly put their patronag with the press that will make common cause and fearlessly, vindicate the crr-stitutional crr-stitutional right of religious belief ami practice free from public scandal, and it will not take long for newspaper managers to realize that cowardice does not pay. The cash drawer is the susceptible nerve for a powerful Catholic Cath-olic public opinion to press in order to reach the open sesame to editorial politics. pol-itics. In other words. Catholic unity alone can enforce a hearing that will . be respected, and thus gain a voice of power in the forum of every community, communi-ty, large or small. No matter how large the number of your Catholic societies so-cieties as long as you remain mer broken fragments instead of links in one grand chain of Catholic unity; as long as you refuse to recognize the power of "All for each and each for all," just so long must you expect to be an unrecognized cipher in the prob- I lem of how "fairly and properly to ! create and enforce a Catholic public j opinion with power enough to be re- 1 spected. i Very little reflection is required to recognize that if federation were even I partially organized on the magnificent I scale it aims at; if it were in position ! to take up and successfully carry out . its purposes, opportunities and . occa- I j ; slotis by the score await it. There an i I ' projects to the large grasp of its banc I ' ! .whose practical accomplishment voul( I Easily win the recognition and esteen f i ' . of nil true Americans; projects whicl I M 'would largely contribute towards rc- I i ' moving tin? deep-seated, but realrj I -Fuundless. mistrust, which several bun- I " ' dred years of -persistent, sliKired; oper I and insidious misrepresentation has I succeeded in planting in the Americai; I Protestant church. (To be Continued.) |