Evening star., 1896-03-23
PLANS OF THE A.P.
Conference of the Supreme Body
Soon to Be Held Here.
TO TAKE PART IN THE CAMPAIGN
Claims Made by Members of the
Organization.


P LITI @ A L M E T II O. D S
Congressman Linton's fight in the House
against appropriations for sectarian insti-
tutions. and against the placing of the Mar
quette statue in statuary hall, has brought
the American Protective Association to the
front in prominent manner.
The next annual meeting of. the Supreme
Council of the association will be held in
this city the first week in May. The su-
preme officers of the order are as follows:
Supreme past president, Henry F. Bowers,
Iowa; supreme president w. j. H. Traynor,
Michigan; supreme vice president, Judge ].
II. jackson, Texas; supreme secretary of
state, E. H. Dunbar, Massachusetts; Sill
preme chaplain, Rev. ]. NJ. Taulbee, Ken
lucky: supreme secretary, Chas. T. Beatty,
Chicago, Ill; supreme treasurer, Francis c.
Campbell, Minnesota; supreme sergeant-at-
arms, j. H. Woolman, California; supreme
guard, John King. Missouri: supreme SEN
tinel w. B. Howard, Nebraska. The order
IS provided with supreme judiciary boSrd,
t1onal advisory board, the latter correspond
Ing somewhat to the national committees
OF the political parties. It is the duty of
this board to look after the active politics
committee or board is selected an executive
committee of thirteen. the headquarters
which Is at present in Boston. This COM
mittee maps out the practical work of the
order, which, during the coming national
campaign. will be vigorously pushed
through the channels of all political par
tleS, with the object of securing the nomina-
tions Of candidates in full accord with the
principles OF the order. The order is it's
members claim, so well organized that the
secretary of the national advisory board.
Who Is also the secretary Of the national
executive committee. Is in close touch with
every congressional district and every
county in the country.
>. A meeting Of the advisory board. pre-
llIninary to the sessions of the Supreme
Couacfl in May, is to begin here tomorrow.
Purposes and Principles.
A Star reporter has secured from Con-
gresham Linton and others some particu-
lars about the purposes. principles and
power of the organization.
The following is an epitome Of the dec
laration of principles of the order:
Restriction Of immigration
extension OF time for naturalization.
An educational qualification for suffrage.
One general, non-sectarian free public
school system.
No public funds or pnblic property for
sectarian purpe ses.
Taxation Of all property not owned and
controlled by the public.
Ihe opening to public official inspection
OF all private schools converts monasteries
and places of refcrmatory character.
NO support given for any official public
position to any person who recognizes
primal allegiance in civic affairs to any
foreign or ecclesiastical power.
IT IS upon these principles said a men,
ber to Star reporter, that the order has
been operating So successfully. 1t was
upon these principles that It operated in
the elections of 1894. when it defeated many
members OF Congress. Its members dis
avow any antagonism against any class of
citizens on the ground of religion. They
claim, however, that no man can be a true
and loyal citizen of the United States who
maintains divided temporal allegiance.
They recognize TO creed. A member NAV
be an adherent Of any sect or of no sect.
But they maintain that subjection to .any
ecclesiastical pow er not created and con-
troled by American citizens, and which
Claims equal If not greater, sovereignty
than the government of the United States,
Is irreconcilable with civic citizenship 1t
therefore opposes the holding of offices in
national. state and municipal government
by any subject or supporter of such ecclcsi-
dst1cal power. 1t is in this resrect that
the order is charged with opposition to the
Roman Catholic Church, but which. its
members claim, constitutes opposition only
as that RELIGIOUS organization seeks by it's
ecclesiastical power to control the politics
of this country
Claims of the Order.
Regarding the political power of the
organization, the member who talked to
the reporter alluded to the recent speech
or Representative Linton, IT. opposition to
governmental appropriations for sectarian
institutions, in which Mr.. Linton said that
''men whose faces have been familiar in
congress for many years are now resting
quietly by their f1resides wishing they had
voted upon certain questions in accordance
with the desires Of almost their entire
constituencies" When asked to explain
what Mr.. Linton meant and to say who the
order had defeated in the elections of 1894.
the gentleman said: ''Why, what for in
stance, retired Mr.. Bland, the great sill
yer knight and champion of the white
metal? His constituents were almost Who'll
ly without him in his financial views Moth
ing defeated Mr.. Bland but the fact that he
voted in favor of the Indian appropriation
bill in 1894, allowing public moneys to be
given in aid of sectarian schools among
the Indians. For this same reason Senator
Dolph was defeated by the A. p. AS Of
oregon. 1t was the same case with Hol-
man. the chairman of the committee which
sectarian schools. Everybody thought that
the seat OF the watch dog of the treas
ury' was assured him as long as he lived.
Many other conspicuous cases could be cit
ed in proof Of the power of the A. p. A.
In politics. 1t points with special pride to
Maryland and Kentucky, two stanch dem
ocrat1c strongholds, both of which were
completely turned topsy-turvy by the A.
P. A, rot because they were democratic
states, however, but because the dominant
party in these states had seen fit to de-
nounce in their respective platforms the
principles Of the A. P. A., and nominated
men who were avowedly antagonis.ic to the
order. Thus we claim that all other ques-
tions-tariff, finance, or whatever else-are
subordinated by the order to these prin-
ciples, which we hold dear.
The order is growing" said the mem
ber, "at the rate Of $4,000 members a
month, having increased in two years from
100000 members to $500, 600 members. 1t
has at this time 1OS members in Congress,
including, both houses, and governors of
several states of the Union. The member
ship is not only increasing rapidly in the
north, but also in the south, where the
leading members are in the democracy, lust
as in the north they are or have been re-
publicans. 1t is already evident that the
order in some portions of the south is to be
to the democracy what it Is to the repub-
lican party in the north-a balance of
power.
It's Political Plans.
1.-THE advisory board of the order has
fixed upon this plan of operation for the
coming presidential campaign: If one of
the great parties ignores, and the other