The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-02-17

ROME. Feb. 16-At the Catholic congress
held at Baltimore in 1889 committee o.
prelates and laymen was appointed tC
make arrangements for Catholic congress
TO be held in Chicago IN connection with
the Columbian exposition. The committee
was also charged with the preparing OF q
program of matters to be discussed by TINS
congress. Among the members of the com
mittee was Judge Dunno OF ONO. Under
date of Dec. TO- Judge Dunno wrote per-
sonal letter to Condo b. Pallen, editor OF
the Church Progress and Catholic World
of st. Louis. giving his views IN regard &c
certain decisions of this committee. This
letter, in some way, came into the hands
of Rev. c. Kulhman, who sympathlZed
with the views expressed therein. He had
the letter put in print and sent copies to
all the cardinals.
This letter was received here in Rome a
few days ago and created no little sensa-
tion in ecclesiastical circles hulhman
prefaces Judge DUNES letter with state
1nent over his own name, to the effect that
the decisions reached by the American
prelates with reference to the Catholic
congress to be held in Chicago were dis
pleasing TO himself, to Palien and to
Dunno. and to many other Catholics. Ihe
authorities at Rome were therefore IN
voked to overrule these decisions. Judge
Dunne's letter gives Il review OF the his
tory of the committee and It's meetings.
He saws that at the Baltimore congress a
committee was appointed to organize the
congress at Chicago. This committee WAS
Or making harmonious progress until, at an
inausDicious moment, it offered TO submit
its decisions TO the appeal of the arch
bjshons of the church who should be
assembled at ST. Louis on Dec. !, 1891.
In the proposed program OF subjects Tor
discussion. Judge Dunno had placed, as
nj fha
pOral power and the question of Catholic
education. The prelates Of Boston, the
letter goes on to say, objected to these
questions: but the laymen on the com
mittee obtained the assent OF the New
York prelates to them. The work OF the
committee, the letter says, was submitted
TO the archbishops At St. LOUIS Inc
archbishops, who were presided over oy
Cardinal Gibbons, changed the whole plan,
and took the congress into their own
hands, recognizing the laymen's com
mittee only as auXiliaries.
Judge Dunno criticises this act of the
archbishops as an usurpatlon of authority.
He complains chiefly against Archbishops
ireland, Williams and Feehan. He asserts
that Messrs. Onahan of Chicago and
O,Brien of Detroit abandoned their fellow
laymen on the committee and played into
the hands of the prelates. On the other
hand Messrs. Kelley, Harrison, Farrelly
ana Fanster stood firm, while Spaunhorst S
attitude was doubtful Bishop Spaldiug,
Judge Dunno says, was the only prelate
who defended the laymen, and he did so
feebly. Archbishop Ireland, the letter
continues, is reported as saying that the
questions of the temporal power and of
Catholic education would be rapidly dis
posed of by the congress, whose time ought
10 be given to the consideration of social
matters.
The correspondence has been translated
into Italian, and has been received not
only by the cardinals, but by many lesser
ecclesiastical lights at Rome. Special in
terest attaches TO it at this time, because
Archbishop Ireland is now here. The
sending of the correspondence to Rome is
regarded as a continuation of the Cahensly
movement. Since last year hundreds OF
documents have been circulated III Rome,
from America, declaring that the Catholic
church would die if the process of Amer
- iCanizing the church, which Cardinal Glib
bons and ArchbishOpS Ireland and Will
Jams are said TO be the leaders in bringing
about, should be allowed to proceed. In
the meanwhile the ecclesiastical authori-
ties at the Vatican deny that the questions
of the temporal power and of Catholic ed
ucation are TO be omitted from the pro-
gram of the Catholic congress.
CHICAGO, Feb. l6.-Mr. Onahan, a men,
ber Of the committee on organization of
the Catholic Columbian congress, was
shown the Rome dispatch tonight, and
denied that the committee had submitted
TO dlctation from the bishops. The com
mittee had merely sought the advice of the
bishOuS