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JHE PUBLIC FORUM
."MARRIAGE COST. The article
dh' "Marriage Cost" by Wm. Burton
waff"very good. 43e outlines a very
simple way to get ahead of the rich.
he more children the poor man
brings into the world the more poor
people there will be, the more suffer
ing, the more cheap factory labor, and
more profit for the master class. It
fe at least a sure way of solving the
problem of the working class. A
Reader.
3rCHURCH AND POLITICS. 1
would like to reply to J. A. Clark,
"Fool Convincer," of Feb. 24, in re
gard 'to the Roman Catholic church
not ' being in politics. He offers
Walsh's "hot shots" as proof posi
tive that the aforesaid church is not
hi' politics. He says Walsh is a Cath
ode and a Knight of Columbus and
that many will be surprised to know
it.1 Personally, I am not surprised.
The name implies much.
''But why all this enthusiasm? Is
jf'unusual that a K. C. speaker has
s'pme real American ideas? There
are some good men in the order in
spite of their religion. He says that
tfiey have been pictured as cowards,
sneaks and murderers. So they have.
Who killed the anti-Catholic lecturer,
Wm.,Black, at Marshall, Tex., a week
or so ago? Four K. C.'s in good
standing armed with automatic- pis
tols Who mobbed Spurgeon and
Sittier anti-Catholic speakers of re
ieHt date? Not the Masons, surely,
fi in their efforts to suppress free
sjiech and free press, they are tak
ing, the law into their own hands,
fflir nickname, "Knights of mob and
nrurder," is a just criticism. In poli
tics? Yes, up to their ears.
J. W. Freund, chairman legislative
committee Catholic Union of Illinois,
sent out from Springfield cir
cular letters to every candidate for
t"he legislature in the state asking
tleir attitude on the list of political
questions pertaining to the church,
and state and school affairs.
As further proof of the K. C.'s non
political aspirations, J. A. cites the
instance of Gov. Dunne, a K. C,
stumping Chicago for Harrison, a
Mason, against Sweitzer, a Catholic
K. of C. Horrible, I must say. Per
sonal animosity, no doubt. Harri
son's whole family are Catholic.
Maybe he took them into considera
tion. Heretofore, Protestants have
always voted that way, indescrimln
ately. If there's been a change of
heart, "there's a reason."
Read Father Phelan's "Western
Watchman," "The Sunday Visitor"
and other official organs of the
church. Their attitude toward civil
government is plain enough without
referring to the Menace.
Pope- Leo Xm. in his official let
ter of Nov., 1885, says all Catholics
must make themselves felt as active
elements in the daily political life in
the countries where they Hve. They
must penetrate wherever possible in
the administration of affairs. All
Catholics should do all in their pow
er to cause the constitution of the
states and legislature to be modeled
on the principal of the true church.
In another letter to the Roman
Catholic church in 1890, Pope Leo .
said: "The faithful should always
take as the rule of their conduct the
political wisdom of the ecclesiastical
authority." L. M. Hall, 611 S. 2nd
av., May wood, III.
REAL SPIRIT OF DEMOCRACY.
It has been said that nations and
communities achieve democracy in
thought and life only to the extent
that the indivicHtals become truly
democratic in their own hearts. If
this statement is true it is clear that
not only every German-American
who understands the democratic sys
tem of government and believes in it
would prefer all of Germany to be
ruled by Franc0, but Germans in
Germany, especially toilers and farm
ers who understand and believe in
"
