The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1895-04-12

fhe Ssvasssh Rjet-As Exact State
| oest ef TIE Affair iron City Alter
sey Adams.
Catholics will read with interes
and pleasure the following letter ad
dressed to the Christian Advocate
the official organ Of the Methods,
Episcopal Church South:
Editor of the Nashville Advocate:
/ feel compelled to ask the priv.
lilege Of Loticing an editorial in your
issue Of the 7th inst, headed "A
Romanist Mob" which am sure
was written under misapprehension
OF the facts. l was saying only the
other day to some of my brethren ol
the ministry that / always read
your paper with great pleasure and
interest, and had vet to see q line in
its editorial column to which
could not say amen" But read
this editorial with regret, feeling
sure that it was due to misinforma,
ton, but fearing that it would ex,
tend an erroneous impression.
chance to be the City Attorney
for Savannah, was in conference
with the Mayor in regard to thu
lSlattery lectures, was in full sym
lpathy with the position taken BY
him, and have been present in coun.
|cil meetings as the legal adviser ol
the city at the trial Of q number ol
parties charged with disorderly con.
duct upon this occasion, upon ap-
peal to Council from the Recorder
Court, and l may, therefore, claim
Ito be informed as to the facts.
In no just sense could the mob
be called a "Romanist mob" In
all probability majority Of the peo-
pile present were not even members
of the Roman Catholic church, hav-
ing been drawn there from motives
OF curiosity to witness what prom
ised to be an excitement. l am
satisfied that the number of riotous
persons present would not exceed
100, if SO many, and while most of
these were probably nominal ad-
herents of the Catholic church, they
were in no sense representatives oi
the church. / believe, from reli.
able information, thai many oi
them (the noisiest Of them) had
not darkened the doors of a Catho-
lie church in years. The great bulk
of our Catholic citizens, notwith-
standing their very sore and trying
provocation, were as heartily upon
the side of law and order and OF
free speech as were any Of the Prot
estants. Reports that were grossly
exaggerated and sensational found
their way into the press Of other
portions of the State, and you have
probably been reading some of these
reports. The fact is that no dyna-
mite was used, there was no effort
70 blow up the house, and there was
no damage done or attempted to
any property save only the break
ing Of some panes Of glass.
Before the lecture our town was|
Hooded with handbills, which mol
Christian or gentleman could have
yotten up, suggesting that Slatteryl
md his wife proposed to make vile
md filthy charges not only against
he church, but against its priest
rood, and even the Sisters Of Char
ty. This was not said in terms,
,ut the handbills were certainly cal
:ulated to create that impression,
ind the impression was confirma-
ory Of the reports that had reached
,ere from other sections as to theI
character of these lectures.
l am decidedly Protestant and
he chairman of the board Of stew Il
lrds Of one Of the Methodist
'hurches of this city. / need not
ay that | would be among the frst
o resist Catholic or Protestant ag- L
,ression upon the rights of free
peech OF against the law, but dol
lot hesitate to say that l can not
understand how a Christian, or al,
Gentleman, or q decent man could h
ave been, Is Slattery was, the au- L
hor Of these handbills. The Cath II
lies were, naturally and properly, Il
cry much exasperated, and it'll
GEMS to me that all fair-mindedl
'eople ought to have been indig- L
ant. Notwithstanding this, thel,
lumber Of those who prol osed anyIe
orcible or unlawful prevention oflt
he lecture was very small and COM II
'osed largely, if not entirely, Of all
lass Of young tnughs for VIII, m mol /
hurch could Justly he held respon-
ible. The Mayor did not like the
dea Of calling upon the military at
II, and the truth is there was mol,
e1l necessity for IL. a l understand !,