"Dear brother citizens! Once again sadness enshrouds the villages of our kinspeople, especially the ones under the Russian yoke. The Tsar has issued a a ukase forbidding the existence of Catholic churches in two cities on Polish territory, which is nothing but an order to prohibit the of continuation of Catholicism in in Poland. The aim of this inhuman step is to fill the land of our fathers with the ruins of the Catholic churches, so that after the disappearance of their debris, the Russian monarch may beast that the Catholic religion does not exist on Polish soil.

"The spread of typhus, the ever increasing poverty that obtains throughout the villages of Russia, and the presence of irresponsible 2and unscrupulous government administrators, who instead of looking after the needs of the people misappropriate funds and plot against, the Tsar himself, are conditions not strange to us. What is strange is that the Tsar should carry on such unjustifiable attacks upon the Catholic churches. What can be the reason for this action? There is only one answer: He attacks the Church with blind hatred because, as all enemies of the Church, he has come to a sad end.

"Whoever God wishes to punish, says a proverb, He takes away his mental faculties. Therefore I presume that the good Lord has shrouded the Tsar's mental powers and chilled his heart. This is nothing new. We have had examples such as this repeated many times throughout history. I will not mention all of them because I do not wish to waste precious time that can be used to better advantage by my fellow-speakers. Instead, I will give a brief outline of some of the most outstanding ones.

3

The Emperor of the eastern part of the Roman empire, that is, Grecian Constantinople, not satisfied with wordly power alone, and to gratify his ambitions, was constantly involved in religious affairs, having his men incite and promote heresy. This he continued even after the Turkish crescent moon had begun to show its Asiatic horns over the city of Constantinople and to threaten the Grecian rulers. Yet the Emperor wasted the precious time of the soldiers in a war against the Church. Most of the soldiers' efforts were wasted in religious attacks, but this was of little concern to the Emperor. What was the result? The Turks invaded Constantinople, took control of the city, proceeded to the massacre of thousands of Christians, and put to death the mighty Greek Emperor.

4

When the great Napoleon rose to his unparalleled position in European affairs, he began to wage war against the Catholic Church. He imprisoned Pope Pius VI and later Pope Pius VII. Then he made a triumphant announcement that the papal state was no longer in existence. Today the pope of Rome still maintains his chair and the Catholic Church holds the same position as before. However, Napoleon met with an untoward fate. The wrath of God fell upon him and he was defeated by the British and exiled to St. Helena Island. The constant battering of the ocean against the shore, the continual re-echoing of thunderous skies, and the tropical fevers brought premature death to Napoleon. And this is not all. Other persecutors of the Church, such as Nero and Julian the Apostate, who during their lifetime tried to wipe out religion, met a similar fate. Alexander II was assassinated, and not by a Pole at that.

5

The same fate is awaiting Alexander III for his attacks on our Church, and the proof is that God already has taken away his power of reasoning, a punishment which was brought him to the border line of insanity. This is a direct result of his malicious assault on the Virgin Mother, the holy patrons of Poland, and our brothers who, because they prayed the Lord to deliver them from his evil land, were put to death. It is evident that God is with us, that He is fighting for us, and that He will answer our prayers. But prayers alone are not enough. Prayer and work, as the familiar saying goes, is necessary. Prayer is not enough from our side; we need action! Nevertheless, the time is not ripe for armed action against the bloodthirsty tyrants who are permitted to commit these atrocities. Furthermore, we do not have enough power to wage an armed attack.

"Are we to sit and wait in a dormant state? Are we to cross our 6hands and look with sheepish eyes at the persecution of our oppressed people who are dying by the thousands in the cold Siberian steppes?" Are we to gawk while our brothers' are being preyed upon and hanged from village trees? Can we look at the destruction of churches in Poland without feeling any emotions? Are we to be silent while the Russian Mongols wipe out the language of our people under their rule?

"No, a thousand times no! That would be an indication that we have forgotten our people abroad and feel no pity for their misfortunes.

"It is said that some of our larger animals are afraid of the smaller ones; the lion is supposed to fear the crow of the cock, yet it is feared by man and beast. Russian's Tsar is likened to the King of animaldom because he has a foothold in European affairs. There is a force in the world that looks weak outwardly, yet internally its 7strength is unparalleled; yes, it is so powerful that even the mighty Tsar shrinks away from it. This great force is public opinion. Naturally, this is not true in Russia, where the press is under the strict censorship of the Tsar. But the European press, as well as the American, enjoys a free reign. The central figures of the world consider the press as an important political factor and seek its support. Alexander III desires to be in its favor, but his barbaric actions stamp him as a wolf in sheep's clothing, and the press does not hesitate to say so. He shrinks from the echo of its voice, just as the lion runs from the crowing rooster.

"If the European powers will not help us by responding to our pleas, we will turn to the press for support. We will arouse the interest of the alliances of Europe through our appeal in the papers.

8

"Through this medium we are bound to win the sympathy of many a noble heart in America and Europe. This is why Father X. W. Barzynski, pastor of St. Stanislaus Kostki's parish, brought this timely and important suggestion to light. By this means everyone of us, regardless of party affiliation, can awaken others to the realization of the enormity of the Russian violences upon our people. Mass protests can get their support. Let us all make our protests to our selected committee of fifteen, for they have contacts with individuals who understand our situation. Through your support, the efforts of the committee, and its connections, we will be able to have our protests published in the Polish, German, French, and English press.

"All of you have nobly responded to the pleas of our beloved pastor, and I judge you all agree to his suggestion.

"From these protests our people, who have been left behind across the sea, will find greater encouragement. Their hearts will be 9warmed and their struggle for freedom will be easier to bear because of this sympathy from the new world. Our fight, our efforts, and our help will make the light in their dulled eyes brighter.

"From these solemn declarations, millions of peace-loving people will learn of this brutal Muscovite attack upon our peaceful people, of this unjustified assault which has been waged for a hundred years.

"I judge that all of you will sign this protest and get all your friends to do the same. This, verily, will be a true patriotic gesture on your part and its echo will be heard the world over, wherever there is a Pole, wherever there is a peace-loving person. As one of our poets says:

10

'Truly, there is no person, truly there is no country that has not heard of the cruelty and the cries of our people.'

"Let us all sign this denunciation like one father, and I feel certain that God will bring us great results."