The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-11
BISHOP NELSON IN A TUT.
Vicar General Kelley Attacks Him for
Defending The 4. P. A.

The Bishops Gard Brought Out by the
Recent Letter of Patrick Egan to the
National Republican Committee-The
Vicar General Expresses Himself as
Disguised With the Very Littleness
of the Thing-He Also States a Few
Facts to These Latter Day Political
BiRots."
Atlanta, Ga, oct. 10-The Roman Catho-
lies of this city were greatly agitated to-
day on account Of a card published by
Bishop. Nelson. the official head Of the
Episcopal church in Georgia, which was
published this morning, together with a
reply from Father Kelley, the VICAR gen
eral Of this diocese of the Roman church.
The card published by Bishop Nelson
which is in defense of the American Pro-
tecuve Association, was called forth by
the recent letter of Patrick Egan to the
national republican committee. The emf
nent prelate asserts that the association
which is now creating such a furore is
founded on philosophical principles. He
asserts that the American Protective As
ISOLATION movement has been aroused by
a failure on the part of the representa-
tiVes of the people at Washington to do
the priests and potentates of the Roman
catholic church are intolerant, and that
they are bigoted. He charges that the
nuns of the church are allowed to solicit
aims in the departments in Washington
when all orher charitable organizations
are barred. He defends the American
Protective Association from first to last
as a society organized, not against the
state or nation, but to disrupt a deplorable
condition of things which he claims ex-
lists and should be disturbed.
In replying to the bishops Endorsement
of the American Protective Association
rather Kelley severely arraigns the pre-
late of the Episcopal church He states
that the bishop was welcomed in Atlanta
as stranger who came hither as a mes
senger of peace and good will. To the
contrary, he has sent out to the world,
with all the weight attaching to his official
position, defense and justification of the
American Protective Association
In conclusion the vicar general says: 'I
am disguised with the very littleness of
this thing. l grow impatient whenever l
think of it. 1 am now a Catholic. BY
birth, education, belief. am protestant I
am not called upon to defend the Catholic
church. But ] believe in fair play and
honorable dealing, and this / will say to
these latter-day political bigots who
would make aliens of thousands in their
native land because of their religious con-
Vicuons, that many of the most illus
trious names in American history were
communicates of the Catholic church.
To blot their achievements from our his
tory would be to remover many of its
brightest pages and disfigure 1t almost be-
yond recognition. This crusade against
large class of our citiZens-as inteln-
gent, enterprising, moral and reputable
as any-because of their church affiliation
is an unspeakable disgrace to our civiliza-
ton"
AS a general thing, Father Keiley's
statements are endorsed, and Bishop Mel
son, in the phrase of the street, has been
roundly roasted for voluntarily taking up
the fight of the American Protective AS
sociation.