Forces in Active Antagonism to the Fundamental Principles of the American Government
By C. M. S.
THERE was recently organized, through the efforts of Bishop McFaul of the Catholic Church, what is known as the American Federation of Catholic Societies. This federation is composed of nearly all the Catholic secret societies of America, and the avowed purpose of the organization is to bring political pressure to bear upon State and national legislatures to promote the interests of the Catholic Church. This was emphatically stated by Archbishop Chatard in their Indianapolis convention in July, 1907, when he urged the members of that federation to use their strength not merely as American citizens, but as Catholic citizens. That organization now numbers about7two million members, and makes its numbers known when impressing its demands upon Congress. This was notably so when our government was about to take action in reference to the atrocities in the Kongo. The American Federation of Catholic Societies spoke officially and emphatically to President Roosevelt and to the senate committee having the matter in charge, and this government took its hands off the case at once. We have, therefore, within this nation's boundaries a power that is able to say to our government, "Thou shalt not," and be obeyed. That same power can just as easily say to the government, "Thou shalt," and be obeyed. The flood of gold poured into the lap of the Catholic friars of the Philippines was the result of the activity and the demands of the American Federation of Catholic Societies. Said Bishop McFaul:— We gave notice to our enemies that there was no power beneath the flag that could expel the friars. You know the result. Our government listened to the voice of federation, and the friars received a reasonable compensation for their lands. Yes, we do know the result; the friars were paid handsomely for land which they had taken from the Filipinos, and it was not a matter of just appraisal and compensation in harmony with the facts of the land's acquirement, but a matter solely of demand and compliance,—a matter of political pressure brought to bear upon the government by a strong religio-political organization, under threat. But that is not according to the principle of American government. It is not government by law, but government by threat and fear. And we shall see more of this as the organization becomes stronger and more perfectly under the control of the Roman hierarchy. Having accomplished what it has while still in its infancy, it is but reasonable to suppose that its demands will be complied with when it demands of the national government Sunday legislation and the enforcement of Sunday laws. That it will do this, is as certain as that it exists. That is, in fact, one of the purposes of its existence. The Roman Catholic Church has expressed its intention to join with non-Catholics in an effort to bring about a proper observance of Sunday. The National Reform Association has expressed its intention to join with the Catholics for the enforcement of Sunday observance. The purposes of both these organizations are antagonistic to the principles upon which our government is founded; for they are both opposed to the rights of the individual in religious things, and that is what our government is set to guarantee. And the American Federation of Catholic Societies is the political trip-hammer which the Catholic Church will use to accomplish that double-headed purpose. Then there is another federation, composed overwhelmingly of Catholics, which is also set determinedly against American principles. I refer to the great labor federation of the country. It is antagonistic to American principles on two counts:— First, it would disbar all men from the sale of their labor except where and to whom it may choose to permit, and would disbar all who are not within its organization from any kind of labor anywhere. That is un-American, inasmuch as the individual, in his rights and in his desires, is made subservient to a corporation. While professing to liberate its members from the slavery of capital, it institutes a slavery of its own. On the part of some, that servitude is voluntary; but on the part of the many, that servitude would be involuntary; and involuntary servitude, save as a punishment for crime, is forbidden by the Constitution of the United States. Secondly, it is antagonistic to American principles in that it proposes to do what the National Reform Association and the American Federation of Catholic Societies have agreed to unite in doing; that is, to enforce a rest day, a sabbath. Mr. Samuel Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor, in a letter to the president of the International Federation of Sunday Rest Day Associations, dated Sept. 14, 1907, said:— May I take the opportunity of conveying to you my hearty commendation of the principles and purposes of the association which you represent? Not only am I personally in hearty accord with any movement which has for its object the preservation of one day's rest in seven, but the American Federation of Labor, representing, as it does, over two million working men and women, has emphatically declared itself in favor of the Sunday rest day, and it has done as much as any other organized body of men and women, if not more, to enforce the observance of the Sunday rest day. These two last-named organizations have each a membership of about two million, and are stout allies of the National Reform Association in its purpose to overturn the principles of the American government. Then there was recently organized in this country a branch of the Lord's Day Alliance, whose purpose is the same as that of the National Reform Association, —compulsory Sunday rest with whatever alterations in our government and whatever legislation may be necessary to bring about its purposes. In addition to these we have the International Federation of Sunday Rest Day Associations, whose purpose is to oversee them all and assist in carrying out the purposes of them all. But greater than all these, more inclusive in its scope, and, if possible, more determined and energetic in its policy, is the great federation of the so-called Protestant churches of this country known as the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America. It is a federation and a confederation. Its attitude toward the fundamental principles of our government is the same as that of the National Reform Association, the Catholic Church, the American Federation of Catholic Societies, the American Federation of Labor, the International Federation of Sunday Rest Day Associations, the American Sabbath Union, the Lord's Day Alliance, and the International Reform Bureau. All are against the present form of government, and all are against liberty of conscience because they are against our present form of government, which guarantees liberty of conscience. But to show that this great organization, which claims to represent 18,000,000 communicants, and through them about 50,000,000 of the inhabitants of this country, stands with these other organizations in relation to the matter of Sunday observance by compulsory human law, we quote from the report of their Sunday observance committee:— We have no objection to reading the commandment: "Remember that thou keep holy one day in seven." Consecrate this day unto the Lord as the Lord's. Let it be unlike other days. Sanctify it. From this base of operations—a law of their own in place of God's law—they went on to declare, by resolution, in their Philadelphia convention,—that all encroachments upon the claims and sanctities of the Lord's day should be stoutly resisted through the press, the Lord's day associations and alliances, and by such legislation as may be secured to protect and preserve this bulwark of our American Christianity. Thus with a law of human making, fashioned to suit their purpose, they commit themselves, with all the weight of their transcendent influence, to the work of destroying the guaranties of our liberties. Their campaign does not end with their efforts to overthrow the fundamental principles of our government. They have inaugurated a campaign whose purpose it is to establish a veritable counterpart of the Inquisition of old. In the first place, this federation assumes jurisdiction over the entire country, over every square mile of territory, and over all the people in it. The federation says:— The time has come when the churches may and must know every individual in the entire community as accurately as they now know their own membership. Each local federation is to have a committee on "civic righteousness or civic affairs, to keep in touch with all the moral issues of the community." The churches are to be organized by political divisions so that they can be sure the whole State is covered. They state plainly that "the enforcement and improvement of law often becomes the imperative duty of local or State federations, especially in regard to Sunday rest, liquor selling, sexual immorality, and child labor;" and "civic action on the part of the churches, that is, in law enforcement, must proceed on lines of township, etc." But this is not the extent of it. The purpose of the federation is further expressed in these words:— The churches have as great an opportunity as ever to-day, if they will combine to meet the real needs of each community, from building roads and organizing industry, like John Frederick Oberlin, to swinging the thought of a whole great metropolis to religious things by concerted evangelism. The federation . . . should emphasize the importance of the "responsibility districts" which it establishes. When these cover the State, and the churches so appreciate their opportunity and responsibility that each church will know the position of every voter on moral issues, and tirelessly work to place every one on the right side, moral reforms will come swiftly and permanently. That is the machine which is to mobilize the forces of Protestant Christendom in the backward march toward the rallying-ground of the papal beast; and that organization is perfecting the image to that beast. It now awaits only the enactment of religious legislation by the national government in order to put life into that image and set its ponderous and relentless machinery in motion. The summary of its purpose is this:— 1. Jurisdiction over all the territory. 2. Jurisdiction over all the people in all the territory. 3. An inquisitorial system to pry into the secrets of all the people and report upon them. 5. The improvement of law. 6. The enforcement of law. 7. Looking after all the moral issues of the community. 8. Looking after all the needs of the community, from the building of roads to the evangelizing of a metropolis. 9. Superintending every phase of the life of the entire community. 10. Exercising power over men. It is not out of place, then, to ask, What is left for the state to do?—Nothing; everything is covered. It is not merely a union of church and state; it is the church become the state. The state is swallowed up in the church, and all that the Papacy was, that will be,8except in name. It will be the living likeness of the Papacy, the image of the beast. Will it have a tendency to speak "as a dragon"? It has already so spoken, in the Philadelphia convention, when it was proposed to take action guaranteeing one of its constituent denominational members against interference with religious convictions. The proposition to guarantee the right of one of its members to exercise its conscientious convictions was voted down with a tremendous No! These are the forces which have set themselves against the fundamental principles of our government, against the religious liberty of the individual, against the freedom of conscience. In doing so, they have set themselves against the process by which the mighty progress of our nation was achieved, and against the spirit of the gospel of Jesus Christ, who said, "Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." But in the promised power of that gospel we go forth to proclaim the last message of Jesus Christ in the face of, and against the prohibition of, these confederations, knowing that to him belongs the victory, and in him our triumph is sure. C. M. S.