The San Francisco call., 1895-12-02
The Eloquent Orator of the A.
P. A. Replies to Father
Yorke.
HE WILL MEET HIM IN DEBATE.
The Challenge of the Catholic Cham.
pion Is Accepted With Ger.
tain Conditions.

AS fruit of the controversy now in
progress between the American Protective
Association and the Roman Catholic
church, the gauntlet has been thrown
down by the eloquent champion of the
Catholics and has been accepted by sill
ver-tongued orator of the American Pro-
tective Association. Father Yorke took
exception to certain remarks uttered by
the Rev. Donald M. Ross in Metropolitan
Temple Sunday or so ago. These utter
ances were quoted in the Chronicle.
Father Yorke addressed the following
challenge to the Chronicle, which declined
to publisri it. 1t was then sent to the Ex-
aminer and appeared in that paper. 1t
reads as follows:
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 27, 1895.
Editor Chronicle: In your report of the lecture
delivered by the Rev. Donald Ross in Metro
politan Hall, November ID, and published by
you in your issue of November 25, you state
that the speaker read from clippings of Roman
Catholic publications.
beg to deny that the quotations printed by
you have ever been taken from Roman Catholic
publications. wish TO make a test case OF the
following:
"The Roman church has the right to exercise
its authority without any limit set to it by the
civil powers The Pope and the priests ought
to have dominion over temporal affairs; the
Roman church and her ecclesastics have
right 10 immunity from civil law. In case OF
conflict between ecclesiastical and civil powers
the ecclesiastical ought to prevail.
/ will pay one hundred dollars in gold coin
OF the United States to any charity named by
the Rev. Donald Ross if he can prove 10 the
satisfaction of three non-Catholic lawyers that
the above statements, or the substance of
them, occur in any Roman Catholic publica-
tion as statements of Roman Catholic teach
ing.
On condition that if the Rev. Donald Ross
fails TO prove that these words, or the sub
stance OF them, occur in any Roman Catholic
publication statements of Catholic doc
trine, he shall pay the sum of one hundred
dollars in United States gold coin to a charity
named by me.
The arbitrators shall be lawyers, non-Catho-
lies, one TO be chosen by me, one by the Rev.
Mr. Ross, and the two to choose third:
The money to be deposited with this third
lawyer and 10 be by him paid as the conditions
require. Yours truly, PETER C. YoRKE.
Mr.. Ross responded to thi. published
communication and his reply caused an
other letter from Father Yorke in which
the reverend father outlined his views on
the propriety of wager in the matter at
issue. The letter was as follows:
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. %, 1895.
To the Editor of the ErdnaiRer-SIR: | see by
your issue of this date that the Rev. Donald NJ.
Ross declines to accept the test which you so
kindly published after the Chronicle had re-
fused me the simple justice of inserting il.
The Rev. Donald NJ. Ross, however, is anx-
ious 10 meet me in debate on sundry propo-
sitions. have always made it a rule 20 finish
get through with the Rev. Donald NJ. Ross
quotations it will be time enough to talk about
debates.
Rev. Donald NJ. Ross says that the Chronicle
did not report his exact words. l am afraid
that Rev. Donald NJ. Ross did not examine the
quotation which appeared in my letter closely
enough. did not deal with all of Mr. Ross
speech took issue with four propositions.
II Rev. Donald NJ. Ross will examine them
again he will find that the Chronicle reporter
has reproduced them with remarkable fidelity
cisely for the reason that they were quoted so
correctly They have been distributed broad
cast by tie organization which Mr.: Ross repre-
sents and may be found word for word as
printed in the Chronicle on page so of the first
edition of Josiah Strong's book, known as "Our
Country When Rev. d. NJ Ross is long
enough in the United States to grow acauainf-
ed with the literature published by the as.o-
citation of which he is the leading spirit he
will acknowledge the absurdity OF trying to
saddle these four propositions. on an unfortu-
nate reporter.
For this reason l beg to insist on nv first
offer If the Rev. Donald NJ. Ross is scanda-
lized that money should be brought into the
question, he should remember that con-
science which is too tender to gamble should
be too tender to bear false witness. Speaking
matches" settle nothing, but "money talks"
The question on which l impugn the Rev
Donald NJ. Ross is not deep and difficult mat
ter requiring much discussion. 1t is plain
Donald NJ. Ross can settle in five minutes by
producing the Roman Catholic publications in
which these words are found, or even by indi-
eating their names If the Rev Donald NJ
Ross and his associates are not engaged in the
business OF distributing forgerIes he can bene-
fit some worthy charity to the extent OF 800.
When the Rev. Donald NJ. Ross accepts this
offer or repudiates the literature circulated by
his organization, we can begin to talk about
other matters Meantime, Mr. Editor if Won
have not taken out copyright on the elo-
npt ,E,,r
appear so frequently In your columns, might
be permitted to say to the Rev Donald NJ
Ross, "Put up or shut up" Yours truly,
PETER G. YORKE.
In reply to this the Rev. Mr.. Ross SUBJ
mitted the following letter to the Ex
amlner for publication, in which he &C
cepts the challenge OF Father Yorke under
certain conditions, one of which is the
elimination OF the wager proposition. He
also expresses himself as desirous of de-
batting the four questions in controversy
with Father Yorke in some public hall.
He writes:
GOA DOUGLASS STREET
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL, Nov. 80. 1898.
Rev. p. C. Yorke, Chancellor archdiocese of San
Francisc0-DEAR Sir: My attention was called
to q challenge issued by you to me, but sent to
the office of the Chronicle. Now, while de-
plore the course you took in sending to a third
party a letter the contents of which were in
tended for me, and while l still more deplore
lne lueh vi youT issuing puDl1cly advertised
challenge to me personally to prove the cor
rectness and authenticity of words which did
not use, still, rather than evade or seem to
evade the issue raised by you, am prepared
to meet you on the four propositions and argue
them before three lawyers.
1t would, 1 think, be more professional and
sincere course had you written TO me in the
matter but now that you sent forth the chal-
lenge l shall take up the gauntlet which you
have thrown down.
Do you insist on the bet as the sine qua non
of the discussion? hope not 1 feel that it is
beneath us. IT saNors OF the lanrnape of the