The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-12
Atlanta, Ga, Oct. g."
FATHER KEILEY's REPLY.

Editor Constitution: Ever since pub
licity has been given to the aims and
methods of the latest revival Of know
nothingism, the American Protective As
ISOLATION, l have been of the opinion that
we Catholics should leave to our Protest
ant friends and neighbors the condemnar
tion of this anti-Christian and un-Ameri-
can organization.
Il am persuaded that our people are on
the whole a fair-minded and honest peo-
pie, and this persuasion has reached the
stage of conviction when / have seen Pro-
testants, with no sort of sympathy with
the Catholic church, condemn in ringing
words this secret, oath-bound and intol-
Grant aggregation of narrow-minded BIZ
gots.
That unfortunately there have been
exceptions to this rule is notorious, and
yet the petty weaknesses of human ma
ture afford reason for. or at least some
palliation of this action. Our country
has afforded the outside world the spec
tacle of a class who would scarcely be
tolerated elsewhere-men, who, in search
of notoriety, or TO revive a justly wan
ing popularity, will sacrifice principle to
expediency and fan the flames of religious
prejudices by violent abuse of the Cath
Ole church, the pope and the Jesuits. I'm
fortunately, neither the spirit of our age
nor the existing good feeling among men
10 bhA4GitIiL ~ Suppt GSS lIlESS AdIldllASs
who fondly dream, as the Ephesian of old,
who placed the torch to Diana's temple,
that their names will be recalled by pos
terty, even though linked with recOllec-
lions of deeds perpetrated or attempted
against hallowed institutions.
4 have fondly hoped that here in Geor-
gia there would not be found a man of
position who would or could forget the
sacred memory of one, who it seems to
me, but yesterday was among us-weah
and frail of body, a cripple confined to
his chair, with scarcely vitality enough,
one would think, TO sustain life for a
day; but with a spirit as indomitable as
ever the good God placed in human tene-
ment, the patriot the statesman, the
American commonCr, the Protestant Alex
ander H. Stephens, who, half a century
ago, CALAMITY fought and nobly won the
battle of freedom against oppression, toll
erance against bigotry and genuine
Christian charity against anti-Christian
know-nothingism.
Il am proud of my Virginia birth, and
I love my adopted state, and 1 thank
God that Virginia had Henry A. Wise
and Georgia an Alexander r. Stephens.
For, to these two men is due, under God 5
providence, the stemming OF the tide of
know-nothing fanaticism, whose path was
marked by riot, arson and murder. The
modern American Protective Association
is neither more nor less than a revival of
knoW-nOthingism. Its aims and methods
are Identical, and the disastrous conse-
Quences of the one viii be repeated in the
other, if the ignorant and the lawless of
to-day are instigated by appeals to the
passion and prejudices to deeds of vio-
lence. The American people have con-
demned know-nOthingism, and they viii
get put their seal of condemnation on its
legitimate Chid-the American Protec-
tive Association and it's aiders and abet-
tors.
Il depart to-day from the path to which
I had marked out for myself in this mat
ter, and my change is due to a communi-
cation which elsewhere appears in this
paper, and which, to my amazement, was
written by the Protestant Episcopal bish-
op of Georgia. Bishop Nelson is almost
a stranger among us. He was welcomed
when he came, as one whose effort and
aim would be to promote and foster the
true end of Christianity-peace and good
will among men.
"He has, on the contrary, in this letter,
sent out to the world with all the weight
attaching to his official position a de-
Tense and justification Of the American
Protective Association. His letter will
likely enough soon appear among the doe
uments with which the country is being
flooded from the central Offices of the
Orange revival at Washington, D. C.
Bishop Nelson declares, nevertheless,