Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-06-07
FROM CANNON MOUTH.

ing dale reformed church of New York would deliver a lecture in Waterbury a short item was printed in the DEMOCRAT stating that Peters lectures were principally devoted to abuse of the Catholic church and its priests. A few days latter the following letter was received at this office:
 NEW YORK, June 3, 1895.
 Dear Sir:-Judgipg from an item sent me which appeared in your paper some time ago you are entirely ignorant of whom you wrote. I have had some controversies with priests in such papers as the New York Herald, magazines like the Forum, but free discussion is not crime in America. l have lectared in all parts of our country under the finest auspices and your paper is the first to inveigh against my coming to any town. The Item was TO doubt not written in your office.
 Respectfully,
 MADISON c. PETERS.
 After the receipt of this nothing more was said about Mir Peters or his lecturs in the DEMOCRAT although it was known that he was canning to Waterbury under the au- spices of the A. P. A. and E. A. Moree, and even though an insult was implied in the last sentence of his letter.
 About two hundred persons listened to Mir Peters address on "The Need of Pa triotic Revival" in Leavenworth hall last night Two-thirds of this number was com posed of former residents of Scotland and England and the flashing the green, the Catholic religion and Monsignor Satolli re- ceived at the hands of the speaker tickled the little band to such an extent that they fairly went wild and shouted and cheered the speaker vociferously. It was plain that most of the audience belonged to the same organization, for there was handshake and ''How do you do'' accord ing as new conner struggled in. The re- porter has had personal acquaintance with | about dozen men whom he saw in the meeting extending over period of almost 1 quarter of century. and he can safely | say that during that time he has known l them to be unsparing in their denun- citation of all things pertaining to Catholicism, 50 that he was not surprised last night to see them hold their sides and laugh while Mir Peters orated on their pet theme
 Rev W. P. Elsden of the First Baptist church introduced the speaker and said | that while he had never met the gentle man until that night he had known him by reputation and was plta sed to intro duce man of his views, possessing the | courage to give expression to them. to the audience. Mir Peters is a man of thir- ty-tve or forty years of age about five feet nine inches tall, with heavy eyebrows, black moustache and dark complexion. He also sports bald head. For about half an hour he talked interestingly on immigra- | ton, but after this he appeared in his true colors and before he got through proved to the satisfaction of every honest man pres | ent that le Is the first class blackguard and monumental which he has been re- peatedly termed in different newspapers of the country. He spent con- siderable time looking over the Waterbury police manual. reading the names of members of one church who held positions. There is not an officer on. SAe force or an officinl in City hall from the mayor to the janiter who is il Roman Catholic. but what he could poit ont Tn the book He said that they had been marked | for him by man who knows every man Tn Waterbury. II also took peep into the meeting nt Ina district commit fee and the board of education and found the two chairmen, thr cleIk and the major ity of the members belonging to one re. | ligion. Out of l23 school teachers 6S are Catholics, and all the saloon keepers except seven belong to the same religion. He | also went through she wa=ds Tue repre- | sentatives from the first an l sscond dis. districts were respectable He did not say much about the third, but when he reached the fourth the speakers face was study, It was skilltul piece of business and or t would think by the time Le got through that there WIS not a Protestant holding of. flee in the city. Most of the offices he dId refer to are filled by men who were born in Waterbury and received their education in the public schools of this city, but thai made no difference. They Were handled as though they just como from over Sht ocean.
 After reviewing the field ho shouted Wake up." Kick like men who arc about ninety per cent mule. I was pleased to hear that on the occf sion of the observ ance of Memorial day in thls city, tho members of the K. of P. had refused tC walk behind the green flag. the badge ol national disloyalty and religious bigotry It was too bad it was only relegated to tn, rear. It should have been relegated out o existence in America years ago and hurled back into its original filth and ignomin, in the country where it has long since beer trampled to the dust and supplanted by { fitting emblem of nationhood.
 This brought down the house. Aftel paying his respects to the parochial school. the speaker switched off onto th, papal delegate, whom he stIgmatized Al l monkey and monk, where seventy-eigh per cent of the people can neither reat nor write.
 "When we need A delegate" he said "apostolical or diabolicsl, We will be able tC find one who is more converSant with tn, institutions of this country than this (Here the applause drowned the speaker words "If we had the spirit of our fore fathevs," he continued, i've would siez Satolll and his satellites and put them il cannon and blow them back 10 Ital, whence they found their way to thes shores"
 At the close of Mir Peters speecl he gave his hearers a rub which wa amusing if not offensive. He said he ha, book to sell containing a good deal 0 information which the people of this tow ought to know "A careful perusal of it contentI," he said, would make cul tured mind out of the dullest intellect il Waterbury, and think some of my audi , tors and their families could put such work to good advantage" He hoped b had not said anything to offend the mem bers of the order who at a meeting hel, last Monday night were fearful lest hi incorporate speech should cause a tumul in the city.
 , After the meeting A reporter of th DEMOCRAT met the speaker and asked hin what was the object in summing up tn names of Catholics who hold official posi- tions in Waterbury, stating that the mayor all the city officials and teachers il l the public schools were borl } in America and had receive } their education in the public schools. H 5 said he was not aware that there were an
 others worth speaking of. holding office il 3 this town. The reporter started in t , enumerate some offices which are filled b ) others than Roman Catholics, commsncin with the three selectmen. town clerk, tow , and city attorneys. city engineer. a major F ity of the members of both branches of tn 7 citygovernment, but before the scribe coul f say any more MT Peters wanted to kno'