Federation Among Catholics

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Aug 23, 1906

Federation Among Catholics

OUR special correspondent has furnished the readers of the REVIEW with an interesting report of the meeting of the American Federation of Catholic Societies at Buffalo, N. Y., which deals quite fully with this movement as he saw and heard its representatives in session. Some thoughts concerning the significance of this movement in connection with two others, the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America and the international Peace Congresses, are presented in another article in this department. In this article we shall call attention more particularly to the real work of this comparatively new organization among Catholics. In order that we may do this with justice and fairness we shall quote largely from official and Catholic publications.

A statement of the aims and purposes of the American Federation of Catholic Societies has been issued, bearing the approval of the two leading promoters of the movement, Archbishop Messmer, of Wisconsin, and Bishop McFaul, of New Jersey. In this statement the object of this “grand organization” is declared to be, “to promote and defend Catholic interests and Catholic citizenship.” As more fully stated in the constitution, the objects are “the cementing of the bonds of fraternal union among the Catholic laity and the Catholic societies of the United States; the fostering and protecting of Catholic interests and works of religion, piety, education, and charity; the study of conditions in our social life; the dissemination of the truth; and the encouragement of the spread of Catholic literature, and the circulation of the Catholic press.” In the opening sermon at Buffalo Bishop Canevin declared “the principal objects of our organization and labors” to be “(1) The Christian education of youth; (2) the sanctity and perpetuity of Christian marriage as the basis of the family, and the preservative of the morality and happiness of the home; (3) to correct error and expose falsehood and injustice, whether in misrepresentation of history, doctrine, or principles of morality; (4) to oppose and root out the great social and political evils which confront and menace us—socialism, anarchy, perversion of marriage, divorce, dishonesty in business, corruption in politics and offices of public trust, the lawlessness of wealth and the law-defeating power of money, the evasion of justice and wide-spread disregard for law.” The real spirit and meaning of these somewhat formal and general expressions can best be determined as we note how they have been translated into action during the brief existence of the organization.

From the opening sermon preached at the meeting of the federation in 1904 we make the following extract:—

The solution of the school question is the burning question of the hour for American Catholics, who are unjustly compelled to support the public and parochial schools, and even buy free books for the public school children, a practise that exists in many cities, among them my own city of Toledo. This double taxation is weighing heavily on our poor Catholic people, who are not blessed, as a class, with an overabundance of this world’s goods. If the two million Catholic voters in the United States can not relieve themselves of this unjust burden, they are no good and deserve to be robbed. This is not politics; it is business. The united strength of the Catholics in America can remedy this injustice. Will they unite?

At the same convention the following resolution bearing upon this question was adopted:—

First, Let no public moneys be paid for religious instruction in any school; second, let the educational per capita tax be disbursed for results in purely secular

studies only, in our Catholic schools, our teachers receiving their salaries as other teachers receive theirs; third, to ascertain these results, let our schools be submitted to State or city examinations. Thus will the great principle of our government, “No public moneys for sectarian purposes,” be preserved intact.

It thus appears that when the federation mentions “the Christian education of youth” among its objects, it means to include a division of the public money for the benefit of Catholic schools, and “the two million Catholic voters in the United States” are called upon to relieve themselves of “this double taxation.” It is declared that “this is not politics; it is business,” but how are “the two million Catholic voters” to secure their demands unless they combine “business” with politics?

In the same convention of 1904 one of the speakers said:—

There is one resolution, I think, that it would be well for us to adopt in this convention, and it has reference to the observance of the Lord’s day. We know perfectly well that there is given in many parts of our country a considerable license—a freedom and an unbridled license—regarding the observance of the Lord’s day. Now, any country that will ignore the proper observance of the Lord’s day, the Lord will turn his back upon that country, and that country will suffer, and that country will become miserable. . . . The commandment of God is before us, and that commandment, the third [according to the change made by the papacy], says to us—the Lord said to us: ‘Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day.’ . . . So, on account of this great laxity, on account of this forgetfulness of the Sabbath day, on account of the lack of legislation and civic legislation regarding the observance of this day, I think that, assembled in convention, the Catholic societies of the different parts of the United States, true Christians—I think it would become us very properly in our series of resolutions to have one resolution which would call the attention of our civic authorities to the proper observance of this day.

In harmony with this suggestion a resolution on ‘Sunday observance’ was adopted in which it was affirmed that ‘while it is right that Sunday should be a day of rest from labor and of legitimate recreation, it is imperative that it should be recognized also as the day prescribed for special service of God.’ From the discussion of this resolution it appears that the word ‘Sabbath’ was used in the original draft to which objection was made by one speaker, as follows:—

We all know that the law regarding the seventh day has been shifted from Saturday to Sunday in one way, but, on the other hand, whenever you use the word ‘Sabbath’ in our modern English language, you are meeting the ‘Methodist sabbath’ and the ‘American sabbath.’ This is not the Catholic Sunday. The observance of the Sabbath has been ordered by the church in the name of God; therefore, instead of ‘Sabbath,’ let us put there ‘Sunday,’ that we may have nothing to explain, and may not join the camp of the modern Pharisee.

The federation therefore calls upon the civil authorities to guard by law the interests, not of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment (the true Sabbath needs no such support), but of ‘the Catholic Sunday,’ in view of the fact that the observance of this day ‘has been ordered by the church in the name of God.’ This frank admission that the Catholic Church substituted Sunday for the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, and this open demand that the civil authority should regulate the observance of ‘the Catholic Sunday,’ indicate plainly what we may expect if Catholics should ever control the legislation of this country. The prophecies will be fulfilled.

As showing what the federation has accomplished, according to the estimate of its promoters, we quote the following summary from the official statement to which we have already referred:—

The creation of a Catholic public opinion in the United States; the repeal of the obnoxious marriage law in Cuba; betterment of conditions in Philippine Islands; appointment of Catholics on the Indian and Philippine Commissions; permission granted for the celebration of holy mass in the navy-yards and public institutions, including prisons and reform schools; appointment of Catholic army chaplains; assisting Catholic Indian schools; assisting Catholic negro missions; introduction of Catholic books in public libraries; friendly relations between societies, especially of different nationalities; a move toward stricter divorce laws; revision of histories and books of reference prejudicial to the Catholic Church; restoration by the government of rations to Catholic Indian scholars; the defeat of the Bard amendment affecting the rights of Catholic Indians; final acceptance of the Father Marquette statue by our government; consideration shown to our Catholic Filipino students. In Ohio the State federation prevented the State from interfering in Catholic orphanages and institutions. County support is also being given to Catholic hospitals in many localities. The federation in New Jersey killed a legislative bill which would have made the parochial schools of the State taxable. Several detrimental measures to Catholics have been killed by the Illinois State federation. The Jefferson County (Kentucky) federation and the Catholic societies of Missouri defeated a measure to furnish free text-books in the public schools. Many others could be mentioned, but space will not permit.

From what we have here presented it will be easy to see that the American Federation of Catholic Societies is already doing some very effective work in the interests of the Roman Catholic Church. We have no doubt that its influence will be felt in greater measure in the near future. While it disclaims any purpose to enter politics, yet it is clear that it proposes to bring to bear upon the government all the influence at its command to secure aid and comfort for the Catholic Church. Whether this is called politics or business makes little difference. The result is the same in either case.

We have given considerable space to this subject in this issue of the REVIEW because we feel that the believers in this message ought to have an intelligent understanding of the nature and scope of this movement. With characteristic discernment the leaders of the Catholic Church perceive that the opportune time has come for them to inaugurate a more open and more aggressive campaign for the furtherance of Catholic interests in America. The steps now being taken by both Protestants and Catholics will lead rapidly on to such religio-political combinations as will result in the restriction of religious freedom by oppressive enactments, and finally to persecution for conscience’ sake. The present situation and the outlook ought certainly to stir to earnest activity in proclaiming the truth all those who discern the signs of the times. The prophecies are being rapidly fulfilled. Events are shaping for the final conflict. There is a call now for a forward movement on the part of those to whom God has committed the special truth for this generation. In humble reliance upon the power of divine truth let us meet all these combinations of organized influence with the message of preparation for the coming of the Lord. ‘They that be with us are more than they that be with them.’