The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-12
TILT OF THE PRELATEs.
Full Text OF the Cards of Bishop Nelson
and Vicar General Kelley.

/
ing the public mind, will be read with in
| terest on account Of the prominence of the
| Two principals and the well known ability
/ OF each.
| The American Protective Association
| movement is now engaging public atten-
! ton from Maine to California, and in poll
tics has assumed the proportion of a re-
| ViVal of the old know-nothing wave which
/ made things lively before the war and
| which plunged actively into more than
! one political campaign in Georgia.
/ Bishop Nelson, who writes the first of
/ the two following cards, is the head OF the
| Episcopal diocese of Georgia, having sue
| ceeded the late Bishop Beckwith. He was
| called to Georgia from Pennsylvania,
| where he resided until a little more than
| year ago, when he became Bishop of
| Georgia.
| The Very Reverend Father Kelley, who
| replies to Bishop Nelson, is well known
| IN Atlanta as one of the ablest of the
| Catholic clergy of the south. He is vicar
| general of the Catholic see of Georgia,
| ana came TO Atlanta about eight years
| ago, having been assigned by Bishop
| Becker to the Church of the Immaculate
| Conception in Atlanta. He came TO Geor-
| gla at the same time that Bishop Becker
| was transferred from the bishopric of
| delaware to that of Georgia, the bishop
| transferring Father Kelley with him, and
| aItefWard making him the vicar general
! of the state. He is a master of the art of
! controversy, and can hold his own with
1 the best.
| Bishop Nelson's communication, when
| received by the Constitution, was given
| Ior reply, to Father Kelley, in order that
| poth might appear simultaneously, and
/ that the public might have the benefit of
| each presentation at the same time.
The controversy is thus put:
! BISHOP NELSON'S CARD.
Editor Constitution: From the begin
nlng Of the movement until now I have
| read carefully and with interest every
thing which has appeared in your valued
! columns on the subject of the American
| protective Association, including the ad-
| mirable sermon of DR.. Hawthorne in con-
| nection with the appointment of Mr.. Pat
| rick Walsh and its bearing on this new
| organization which may be- as is pre-
| dicted, ephemeral merely. But short
| lived organizations sometimes do a great
| deal OF good or the other thing.
! i have also read, yes, studied, the Sc
| RES OF articles in the same line appearing
| from time to time in the North American
| from the pen Of Bishop DOane, Mr. Lath-
| rop and prominent Roman Catholic clergy
| The last notice which focused my pur-
| poses to the situation is the report of Mr.
| Patrick Egan's letter submitted to the
| executive national republican committee
in New York, which you published on
! oct. 6, page /, column 8.
| For the clear comprehension Of those
| who read, 1 wish TO state that [ have
| never belonged to any sort of secret So
| ciety or order in my life, that I never shall
! 50 connect myself; and that so far from
! approving the line of organization, the
| plans, purposes, methods, language or ma
| chtnery of the American Protective Asso-
/ citation, l most heartily abhor them
| But it is perfectly clear to me that
| whether, ignorantly or unintentionallv
every speech or writing in reference to
! this society has completely missed the
| point of the whole business. Not one has
touched on the philosophy of the move
ment and it is high time you and all
| public teachers were given the OBJ
| portunity to hear the other side
! whether it is pleasant sound or one that
| is harsh, grating and discordant
Il. The American Protective Association
| has as its underlying philosophy certain
| great rights and duties, the one set of
| which have been refused the other left
| undone 1t is an emecute, produced by
| causes which have been barely touched
| upon. Hopes of justice frustrated, the
assured protection of citizenship under a
| national constitution having proven a
! dream, the separation of church and state
| OF that same constitution having been
! base!y violated by our legislatures from
! the highest to the lowest, the rights of
| four7hfths of American citizens being con-
tlnually denied to please the remaining
| one-fifth, and to secure those votes this
| sir, l submit is the secret which has not
| been told. These have produced the Sc
| cret fires of which the work of the Amer
| lean Protective Association is but the
| smoke. The American Protective Assoc
| citation is nothing more nor less than a
! single manifestation of American citizen
| ship goaded to frenzy by fostering woes
| liberties bartered, and the infamous traf-
! nc which has gone on for years in our
national capital even to the point of trad
Inc In -. IL
| the nation, and browning the countrys
| splendid (0 achievements with the red
| men, after having taken away their lands
| and goods, by selling them for adherents
| of foreign church and for the still
! further increment of the same vote which
! already exercises tn most dispropor-
! tionate sway in American politicS
| The American Protective Association
| therefore, and thousands more who have
| taken an oath in the secret chamber Of
! their own hearts alone, will not vote for
| Roman Catolic for political office of any
! sort under the sun. But it is an oath
against oath-that is all. An honest Ro-
| manist (there are plenty of them) will not
| a dishonest one need not deny, for It will
| disprove nothing, that by consistency
| with his profession with loyalty to his con
| Yictons and by solemn vow he is bound
TO consider his church first, last and all
| the time. This position persistently main
tanned has had its effect, but it has had
| too much effect The fact has been over
looked, which the conscientious Romanist
does not and cannot admit that the relig-
! ious liberties of non-R omanists must in
| this country be preserved, bat above all
| that in America favoritism in the dis
| pensation of the rights of citizenship will
! not be permitted and that the substituting
of any denomination by tho United States
| congress is high crime and nlisdemeanor
Tor which every member who is a party
| thereto should suffer the penalty of his
head, and the abettors thereof be ex-
| PEELED.
Let intelligent men look into the state
| OF affairs in Washington and then at the
| American Protective Association and
they Will know what draws the tears.
nay, that is woman's language they viii
| know why people who cannot be led to see
| because they have too often been de-
ceiyed before, a better way, turn to pro-
soription, boycott and other Illicit forms
! of Protest
i do not hesitate to say that for every
act OF unkindness, every objection of
Tered, every insult received Roman Cath