The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-09-25

BUFFALO, N. Y, Sept. PA clever
stroke to-day marked the final session
OF the Priesten vereino or German-Amer-
ican or clerical Union. Anon-member,
and one who speaks German like na-
tive, SO that it cannot be said point
could escape him, was brought into the
meeting aI its beginning and given an
opportunity to see it through to close.
As if to make the action still more re-
markable the outsider wasan Irishman.
with the unmistakable patronymic Of
O'Byrne. Seemingly the Verein took
this method with the purpose OF coun-
teracting, in way that could not fail
to attract notice, the unpleasant i'm
preston caused by their exclusion OF
Father Zurcher.
The gist OF Father Zurcher's charges
was that the Clerical Union was an
un-American secret organization, de-
signed TO Germanize, Us far rs possible,
the control Of the Catholic Church in
the United States by securing the ap-
pointment OF members OF the union to
higher ecclesiastical offices, displacing
particularly bishops OF Irish extraction
who were not in favor Of the German
language in America. From all ac-
counts nothing dangerous to the public
veal took place at the meeting, which
was occupied nearly the entire time in
balloting for officers to serve during the
ensuing year. :
A number OF candidates received
votes for every office on the list, but
the well known clerics who have
hitherto guided the projects of the
Verein easily distanced all competitors.
Vicar General Muehls, OF st. Louis, re-
tains the presidency OF the organiza-
ton; DR.. Meisner, OF Peru. Ind, svice
president; Father Taeber, OF St. Louis,
secretary; Father DuiTner, of Buffalo,
treasurer.
A committee was appointed to name
the next place OF meeting. There are
three places naned-Newark, n. j.,
Milwaukee and st. Louis. A fine spread,
at which Archbishop Katzer, Bishop
Zqardetti, Bishop Wigger and some 200
German priests participated, closed the
congress.
A SENSATION.
Tho greatest surprise connected with
the meeting of German-American cler-
ical union came out tonight. The
sensation was caused by the leaking out
Of thefactt that Herr Cahensly's personal
representative has been present in the
city throughout the weeks de-
liberations, from start to finish, and
was only prevented at the last moment
from making the opening address OF
the congress. DIR. Hoelscher and Father
Heiter, the leading priests on the COM
mittee OF arrangements, were the ones
who, it is understood, at the conference
in the Genesee hotel on Monday, made
plain to Herr Cahensly's envoy the in
tolerable position in which the clerical
union and the congress would be placed
by him in the event of such connec-
ton between them being publicly
established.
The full text OF the speech that was
thus suppressed was tonight secured by
the Associated Press. Paul Mario
Baumgarten is the full name Of the en-
voy, and the Cahensly plan, as faras
known publicly, has been made to se-
cure what would amount to German
American hierarchy in America, indie
pendent of the present Catholic bish-
ops, whose authority would thus be
relegated to the non-German speaking
Catholic population. Failing in this
the vacancies occurring in the heir
archy OF the United States were to be
filed to the greatest extent possible by
German ecclesiastics.
A representative Of tho Associated
Press succeeded later in finding DR..
Baumgarten himself. The latter was
IN ignorance at the time, and doubtless
is yet, that his suppressed speech had
become public property. he said his
trip here was one OF pleasure and that
he happened to bc here ut the time of
the congress; that he had only attended
two public meetings and that he had
nothing to do with the Cahensly mat
ter and did not approve OF his ideas.
Lady ComposItOr Shot by Her Lover.
TOPEKA, KAs., Sept. 24-About three