Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1879-04-11
a HOLY WAR
Between the Protestant and Catholic
Clergy OF 81. AOuIs-SpiriGed Sews-
paper Controversy over the
Marriage License Bill
Pending before the
Missouri state
Legislature.

st. Louis special to the Cincinnati En-
qni,er: For some time past there has been
a very bitter feeling between the Protestant
and Catholic clergymen of this city, arising
from the opposition of the latter to marriage
license bill which the Prote ,tant ministers
are attempting to have passed in the Missouri
legislature. Each side has ventilated its case
IN the newspapers, and without paying that
regard which usually chardcteriZes a news
paper controversy. charges of stupidity, and
even mendacItyy being inteTchanged In a very
reckless manner. The affair eliminated
yesterday In an open declaration of war bv
the Protestant ministers, who, IN q meeting
of the Protestant churches, to hear q report of
a special committee of their body, appointed
to visit Jefferson City, as to the progress and
status of the marriage license bill, indorsed
the suggestion OF one Of their mem
bers that they should, to use his words, form
a league of the Protestant minis ry of the
State of Missouri, for the protection of their
civil rights, against the ministers of a power
which does not hesitate TO threaten and defy
the legislature of the State The organize
ton to be one which would throw the influ
ence Of the ministry of the State, not in the
support OF ecclesiastical laws, but in SUPPORT
OF those civil laws in which they are inter
ested, IN common with the people of the
State, outside of that ecclesiastical BODY that
goes before the State legislature and saws.
10.
speaker gave the result of his researches at
the recorders office, which showed that
hardly any of the Roman Catholic ministers
make returns of their marriages. as demand
ed by law, and stated that the Catholic blsh.
ops SAID they could not take the trouble to do
so. This action of the Protestant ministers
has caused good deal of stir in ecclesyasti-
cal circles, and Rev. Father Walsh, an au-
thority of the Catholic church here, whose
word may be taken as representing the spirit
or MS fellow priests, to-day published state
meDt in which he said that anything like a
! league with a derelict animus against the
Catholic church would be apt TO be met ia the
spame spirit. He thought the action Of the
Protestant clergy simply ridiculous, and re-
lied upon the Democratic party to sustain
the church IN It's struggle with the Protestant
minister's, adding: The idea of trying to in
augurate q persecution here In Missouri, and
IN the broad light Of our civilization, is alto.
gether foolishness and stupidity The Demo-
cratic party owes US too much to allow itself
TO be lnvelgled into a position of hostility
toward u.s. The Catholics have at all times
held the true doctrine of States rights and
the relations TO the general government. At
the same time the church has nothing to do
with this; 1T is only the individual who has so
acted When the war was over, and the Con-
servatlve party has no existence when the
old time Democrats were everywhere ignored,
who first restored them? The Catholics in
New York and Missouri 1t Is believed that
the trouble which the attempted passage of
the marriage license bill will cause is onlv
just beginning. and that the introduction of
the religious question into the legislature NAV
lead to very dlslgreeable results"