STRETCHING THE CONSTITUTION 271 



ments and going through an imitation of the Catholic Mass. 

 Evidently the garb question — when it comes to masquerading 

 in Catholic altar vestments for Presbyterian purposes, — is not 

 of so much moment, as when he seeks to deprive Catholic Sis- 

 ters of what they have been doing consistently and legitimately 

 for the past thirty years. 



The writer is not of Mr. Taft's political party nor is he a 

 member of the Knights of Columbus, but he believes that the 

 facts of this latest attack upon Catholic Sisters and the con- 

 tract rights of Catholic schools should be known, as well as 

 the energetic stand so promptly taken to prevent their loss ; 

 and there is no body of men throughout the United States who 

 can better assert the rights to which Catholics in their relations 

 with their fellow-men and with the government are entitled 

 than the Knights of Columbus. The arbitrary act of Commis- 

 sioner Valentine constitutes one of those acts against which 

 protest was made in the Declaration of Independence : "de- 

 claring himself invested with power to legislate for us in all 

 cases whatsoever," and it should be characterized accordingly, 

 whilst the action of the President in stating that, "The Com- 

 missioner's order almost necessarily amounts to a discharge 

 from the Federal service of those who have entered it 

 * * * without giving the persons affected an opportunity to 

 be heard" is a call to exercise the square deal and fair play. 



