In keeping with its growth the American Church has a hierarchy and regular clergy with proper rights, but the secular clergy who have the chief burden of the ministry remains unprotected by due rights. They are subject to the bishop's arbitrary command. The acts of the provincial and plenary councils are useless in a land in which their basis, canon law, is powerless. On the contrary these acts aim to increase the seculars' burdens and diminish their safeguards. Their language is an indication of their character. There is left open only one recourse; to the Holy See; but this is fraught with difficulties: because he has no rights the secular cannot claim any ecclesiastical law save the bishop's orders; a journey to Rome is long, time-consuming, beyond a missionary's means; he is unskilled in the formalities one style of written presentations and hence must submit to public suspension, for his bishop always denies him faculties of going to Rome? and is ever ready to suspend him- some bishops think it good sport— the bishop has the means or going or sending someone to Rome to plead his case or stir up hostile feelings against the appealing priest, even before the latter has introduced his case; further it is known that the officials of the Congregation don't like American priests to come to Rome with their quarrels and submit them personally to the Congregation, their sole court of appeal— hence the privilege, if not the right, of making appeals is denied them, as in the case of Father Chambige of St. Louis— finally, witnesses are unobtainable, for they fear episcopal vengeance. Wherefore, justice requires the establishment in America of a tribunal to administer justice to priests suffering harm. Negro slavery has been abolished; may clerical slavery also be. Otherwise, dangers are in store for the American Church. The clergy have stood it almost beyond human endurance. Many already take their troubles to civil courts, reasoning that it is morally, if not physically, impossible to defend themselves at Rome, and that since Canon law does not obtain here, neither can they legally be subject to its punishments. The state of the clergy is confused and dangerous. No wonder, then, that it is said that parents of a higher social stratum should force their sons into the priesthood so that the way may thence be open to them to offices and civil honors ?. In the James Alphonsus McMaster papers. :: I-2-a printed L latin 4pp. 12mo.