The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-06-06
The Head Of the Deutsch Amerikan-
ischer Priester Verein Makes
Himself Understood.
ut Is a Lie, Whether Father
Phelan or Anyone Else
Said It."
Trouble That Has Grown From the Luz
corne Observation-Disclosures Religious
Bodies now in Session.

Sr. Louis, June 5.-German intermed-
ding in Catholic matters in the United
States has caused trouble in st. Louis.
Very Rev. Henry Muchlepen, German vicar
general of the Catholic diocese of st. Louis,
has in public called Father Phelan, the most
noted irish Catholic priest in st. Louis and
editor of the Western Watchman liar. In
a recsnt issue of the Western Watchman
appeared the following editorial:
"The petition dated at Zurich, in Der
Schweitz, and signed by Cahensly, was writ
ten in st. Louis. Mo-, u. s. A. This is con-
fdential.''
ut is lie," said Father Muchlepen to a
reporter who was sent to see him regarding
the charge made in Father Phelan's paper.
mo matter who makes it, Father Phelan or
any one else, l say plainly that the state
ment is falsehood."
Father Phelan said: "The letter was the
production ofithe Deutsche Amerikanisoher
Priester Verein, at whose head is the Very
Rev. Father Henry Muchlepen. Whether
he wrote it or whether members of this So
ciety wrote it, would be hard to determine.
Germans are great people to discuss
matters among themselves. and it is
likely they ali had hand in it. This agita-
tion commenced here ten years ago, and
has spread from here to other places, but
st. Louis has always been considered the
hotbed Of the agitation. 1t commenced by
German priests wanting their jurisdiction
made de jure instead of de facto, and their
parishes made permanent German parishes.
At the same time they wanted to be Ameli-
can bishops"
''The Dsutsche Amerikanischer Priester
Verein, Of which am the head, was organ
lied only four years ago." said Father
Muchlepen, land the only cause for it's Or
ganization was to provide for. arrange and
properly conduct the annual German Cath
olic congress. which itself originated first,
four years ago. the first congress being
held in Chicago, and the fourth last
spring in Pittsburg. There has never
been any element of secrecy in the meet
ings of this society, and surely if such a
paper had originated in it's membership or
ut Its councils the facts would have been
generally known. Many bishops and abbots
have taken part in our meetings, and while
the meetings are, of course, confined ex-
clusively to the clergy, they are open to
the clergy of all nationalities. The Priests
society in realty succeeded and took the
place of the Central verein of the German
Catholic layman, and its central commit
tee has no other business than that of at
gress. I cannot believe anyway that the
paper known as the Lucerne petition has
been correctly reported to this country, as
some of the features Of it are absurd. The
reports state that one feature Of the peti-
tion provides for the establishment of
national schools in America where children
of immigrants shall be taught the language
and manners of their parents This ex-
preston, national think sonfers wrong
impression. do not believe it is intended
to teach children their parents Ian
guage exclusively. 1t is simply
to provide against children being
entirely cut soff from their parents,
as they would be if educated in ignorance
of that mother tongue which their parents
speak. There must be this connecting link
between immigrants and their children,
and it is not i'll any manner whatever
threat against the Americanizing of immi-
grants to ask that their children be taught,
in addition to the English language, that
tongue which alone their parents can speak
huently.''