abinet; under him the Cardinal's Mass became a
government institution, a Catholic College came to the fore in
Washington, and Catholic prelates were introduced in the role of
eminent publicists, their reactionary opinions on important questions
being quoted with grave solemnity by a prostitute press. It was Mark
Hanna himself who founded the National Civic Federation, upon whose
executive committee Catholic cardinals and archbishops might work hand
in glove with Catholic labor-leaders for the chloroforming of the
American working-class. Hanna's biographer naively calls attention to
the President-maker's popularity among Catholics, high and low, and
the support they gave him. "Archbishop Ireland was in frequent
correspondence with him, and used his influence in Mr. Hanna's
behalf."

And this tradition, begun under Hanna, was continued under Roosevelt,
and reached its finest flower in the days of Taft, the most pliant
tool of the forces of evil who has occupied the White House since the
days of the Slave Power. President Taft was himself a Unitarian; yet
it was under his administration that the Catholic Church achieved one
of its dearest ambitions, and broke into the Supreme Court. Why not?
We can imagine the powers of the time in conference. It is desired to
pack the Court against the possibility of progress; it is desired to
find men who will stand like a rock against change--and who better
than those who have been trained from childhood in the idea of a
divine sanction for doctrine and morals? After all, what is it that
Hereditary Privilege wants in America? A Roman Catholic code of
property rights, with a supreme tribunal to play the part of an
infallible Pope!

Under this Taft administration the country was governed by the
strangest legislative alliance our history ever saw; a combination of
the Old Guard of the Republican Party with the leaders of the Tammany
Democracy of New York. "Bloody shirt" Foraker, senator from Ohio,
voting with the sons of those Irish Catholic mob-leaders whom the
Federal troops shot down in the draft-riots! By this unholy
combination a pledge to reduce the tariff was carried out by a bill
which greatly increased its burdens; by this combination the public
lands and resources of the country were fed to a gang of vultures by a
thievish Secretary of the Interior. And of course under such an
administration the cause of "Religion" made tremendous strides.
Catholic officials were appointed to