San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-04-05
HITS BACK HARD.
Mr.. Wahrenberger Replies to A. p A.
Questions of Mr.. E. P. Smith.

To the Daily LIGHT:
SAN ANTONIO, Tex, April 4, 1924
Absence from the city has preVllnted
my giving earlier attention 10 the picSure-
esque communication OF Mr.. e. p. SEoitb
In Tuesdays LIGHT. From the fact That
Mr.. Smith does not attempt to replyIto
the statements contained In my first let-
ter, l conclude he admits them TO be sur
stantially correct. He now comes iDtS
the field with a string OF questions, most
OF which could be disposed of by reference
tative work on Catholic doctrine and
practice.
1t would be impossible within the limits
OF newspaper article to answer them al
in detail, so, for the present, will con-
fine myself to satisfying his consuming
thirst for Information upon few of t1k
more prominent points.
He asks: when has the America
Protective association ever interf9fed
with freedom Of speech or press?"
| The A. P. A. is the worst enemy v free
speech and free press, because its Hotori-
Gus and persistent abuse of boX is cal
culated to bring them into disre6nte with
selt.resspectlng and intelligent people.
judged by their public utteEances. their
ideas of free speech and press are. free
dom to distort and nis0note facts
and resort to the most Baseless fabrica,
tions for the purpose of casting odium
upon the religious Belief of a large body
of Christians. l9/ the questions under
consideration thewriter plainly seeks by
.n piicaIioh Wy charge Catholics with
crimes WniGc1>every unprejudiced person
KNOWS tneHatholic church condemns, and
every trye son of the church abhors.
ne aSks: when has the A. P. A.
stlrSeg up strife, melted riots, etc., etc !?
III ask I'm return, when have they not? |
/ will undertake to cap Mr.. Smiths 10000
quotations" with 10, 900 more mot garbled
extracts, the falsity Of which has been re-
peatedly exposed-not fugitive clippings
apocryphal pronunciamentos from far Oft
Ecuador or Peru-but the authentic ut
Ierances Of protestant newspapers, relig-
ious and secular, published in every Sec
tion Of these United States, In the last de-
cade OF the nineteenth century; and they
bear unanimous testimony TO the fact
that whenever the A. F. A. has come into
literature, its speeches and its politics
have stirred up strife, provoked riot and
jeopardiZed lives to gain its ends.
Again he asks: when has the A. p. A.
sought to belittle, defame, ETC., the free
public school ?"
l consider the membe of the A. P. A.
the most insidious enemies that the pub.
IlC SCuOOlS udNG, UbCduSc bucy nave bTltu,
In some cases successfully, to introduce
into those schools such sectarian practices
as bible reading, thus destroying their
non sectarian character. But, Mr.. Smith
evidently seeks to imply that Catholics,
as body, are hostile to the public
schools.
Let me explain our position on this
point. l believe that our free public
school system is necessity to the contin-
uation and prosperity of our republic l
belive too, with all Catholics, that the
best place for the education of American
children is where patriotic. conscientious
American parents choose to send them.
The private schools of the past gave to
America the greatest patriots and the
greatest statesmen In her history, and !
decline to admit that the private schools
of the present are in any degree inferior.
Freedom of teaching and healthy rival
ry between state institutions and private
enterprise are the true American ideas In
the matter Of education. Because the A.
p. A. tries to destroy the non sectarian
character Of the public schools and
attempts to abridge the right
of American parents in the education
Of their offspring, am opposed to it. l
am the more opposed to IL, that the lead
ers of the A. 2. A. show by their writings,
their speech and their spelling, that they
are but little acquainted with the inside
of any school, public or private.
Mr.. Smith and his. followers are dis
tressed by the fact that 100000 armed
Hihernlans" arsready to slight England,
and would HE to hear of some similar &C!
ton sgainst Catholic Spain" 1t is not
the first time that "Hibernians" and
9Sher Catholics have expressed their
rreadiness to offer:their lives in defense Of
our government, and we need not fear
that, II the emergency arises, they will be
as prompt to defend the flag against
CATHOLIC Spain" as they. did in former
is neither law nor gospel to prevent all
the members Of the A. P. A. from enlist
ing. However, the manliness of the SOL
dier does not appear TO be congenial to
A. P. A. ism, and 1t is fortunate that the
government Is perfectly capable OF main
tanning itself without thelaid Of a body
which owes allegiance to foreigner
Traynor, the grand master Of Orange
ism-whose denuncistion of the presi-
dents stand against foreign ag
erosion Is still fresh in our memories.
In this hour of crisis" this day Of
destiny" Mr.. Smith solemnly assures an
anxious listening world that he proposes
no educational qualification in this state,
l suppose he has vote. No one, so far
as / have heard, has sought to deny him
the right given,by the constitution to vote
just as he sees fit. But when any man in
defiance of that same constitution would
make religions belief condition for Office
and oppose candidates because of their
creed, i say such man is unworthy of the
franchise, and hostile to the constitution.
A society Of such men has no excuse for
existence in country boasting Of civil
and religious liberty.
An American Protective association
forsooth; as Though iAmericans needed
protection at the hands Of such as they.
The American flag needs no protection
| from dark lantern brigade. God made
IL to fly In the blessed sunlight, and every
color in its folds abhors the night. When
the bats come out Of their caves to pro-
| tect the eagle, and the moles emerge from
their tunnels to defend the lion, then will
1t be time for the A. p. A. to pose before
the world as the guardians Of these
United States. Respectfully,
| JAMES WAHRENBERGER.
Fixed For Chicken Thieves.