The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-01-24

Ss Nv ' III
81. Louis, l spoke, incidentally, Of tho
archlepi,oopal residence on that ave.
nue Of the former bishop OF tho Wheel.
ing diocese, the RI Rev. John ]. Kahn,
AZ he there was, or tho Most Rev. Arch.
biahop Of the metropolitan SEQ OF St.
Louis, as he now Is. This change was q
big promotion for one nc older In year,
than the former biahop, considering
that be had only administered 90
modest q diocese as that Of Wheeling,
which includes q Catholic population
all told OF say twenty thousand. Terri
torially 1t embraced an area about equal
TO tha twenty.iour thousand square
miles Of West Virginia, although It
does rot follow exactly the metes and
bounds OF tho state. 1t does not In.
clude, for instance, that portion Of tho
state cast Of the east line Of Preston
county, but does take ina part OF south
western Virginia, as far. down as tho
Tenpessee line. This Is tho diocese as
laid of at Richmond away back in tho
i%orties. long before tho state was
divided, aud con,emporaneousiy with
tho assignment OF Richard Vincent
Whelan "a its first bishop.
now He SECURED hts APPOINTMENT.
I asked the now archbishop, our
former townsman, the other day, how
he came to secure such q desirable
hierarchal prize 10 this appointment
over the heads OF all competitors.
"We.l,"' said he, II can hardly tell You
that, for l scarcely know myself, but /
suppose that I owe it largely to the fact
that l held an official position In the
Third Pleuary Council OF Baltimore
Chat Of Promoter" rs It'll called). and
in this capacity became somewhat init.
ma.ely and, perhaps, ~fayorably ac-
quain,ed with tho archbishops OF the
country, who, as you may possibly
know, are the vouchers to Rome OF any.
one whose appointment may be asked
BY the au1ragan bishops and pries.a OF
an archdiocese. I really wa not aware
at The time that nearly all the priests OF
St Louis had asked my appointment to
the coadju.orship here. but such was
the case, and this request on their part,
coupled with the favorable testimony Of
the archbishops, is about all the OK
PLANTATION l can give OF my appoint
ment.n
This conversation with the new arch
bishop occurred lately at hi. residence
at $50 Lindell avenue. In this resi-
dence are two archbishops, the rsner-
able predecessor, Kenrick (now verg.
ing on ninety, aud the man who was
born in Martinsburg, ". Va, "a late as
1871; both wearing the same insignia OF
authority; the former n, tho emeritus
prelate and the latter as the active and
actual incumbent OF the position. l
could not but notice the difference in
the personal appearance OF the two.
Archbishop kenricE was walking the
hall for gentle exercise, wearing tho
every day vestments OF his rank; an
aged, in6rm and stopped old ms6; while
inside tho reception room sat our late
bishop. talking to me. the very picture
OF health and physical robustness.
AwAR TINE INCIDENT.
Referring to the curious fact that his
predecessor was brother to the late
Archbishop Ken.ick, Of Baltimore,
doth born in Dublin. Ireland,l led me
TO recall the alleged fact that it was the
influence OF the Baltimore prelate with
President Lincoln that kept Bishop
Whelan, OF Wheeling. from being sent
across the lines during the war. 10
this reference on my part Archbishop
Kahn replied, that while he was not
posted 10 regard to that episode OF our
border during the war, yet he knew
that thsTe was more or less OF fact
In it, because he had found in
the archives at Wheeling tho draft
Of a protest that Bishop Wheian had
drawn up in nnmistakable anticipation
OF some action looking to his deporta.
ton across tho linen. / remarked that
! had always associated thin proposed
disposition Of his predccesso: with
the administration OF General Rose
Grams and his provost marshal Mt Wheel
ing, Major Darrl. in tho winter OF 1861
90, who were both Catholics, and fur
ther. that I had the incident also $3.50
ciated with come order that Bishop
Whelan had issued commanding Cath
olics to tako down the American ilag in
ON hall in tho city that was to be
used for a church festival. The arch
bishop said he had never known Tho
specific charges againat the bishop on
which action was to be taken, mol who
was 10 take 1t, but he did know that no
was n sympn,hizer with the confedcracy
during tho war and also that he must
have anticipated paying the penalty for
It n the manner described.
IRISH INFLUENCE ~ TIE CHURCH.
In alluding to the loyal status OF
Archbishop Kenrick, Of Baltimore. dug
Ing tho war, I asked how it wa, with
hi, brother, here2 "Oh," he replied.
he was very cautious; very conserva.
tive In The matter OF any manifestations
one way or tho other on that question"
Missouri was q much torn M state in
those days; quito as much so as west
Virginia; and the clergy oil evory name
were mt Crosa.purposes. just no same rs
NE laity. In further reference to Arch
bishop Konrick, OF st. Ioui5, and his
brother ut Baltimore, both Irish boys,
who, like Purcell and ireland, had boon
promoted from the emerald sod on
which they wero born to commanding
positions In tho e~piscopacy Of America,
remarked that somehow it
seemed rs II Irishmen really ran
tho church in this country, nota-
ply az archhishops, to which the arch.
bishop replied that no hardly thought
40, but on referring 20 M official book
near by, remarked, IL guess you are
correct au 10 tho extraction OF II major.
ny Of the urchbishops; they arc oitEor