The Saint Paul globe., 1900-05-25
ALL FROM A WRONG START
FATHER SHERMAN, THE CHICAGO
OF THE ALLEGED INTERVIEW
BISHOP WHIPPLE's POSITION
Thinks the Interview, whether
Right or Wrong, Stated the
Facts-POsItion of Porto
Rican Clergy.

CHICAGO, May 24.-Bishop H B. Whip
pie. D. D.. the Episcopal bishop OF Min
nesota, and Father Tom Sherman. of this
city, who is a son of Cen w. T. Shcr-
man, are playing at cross purposes with
each other in newspaper interviews con-
corning the characteristics of the Catho-
lie priesthood In Porto Rico. Both Of
them have been in Porto Rico TO study
the people. each has expressed his visws
about the situation. each quotes the 9th
er, and each denies that the other quotes
him correctly
When Father Sherman returned to the
United States early in April year ago he
was interviewed by Chicago paper
which made him say that the Roman
Catholic priests of Porto Rico were gull
ty of gross immoralites, and that th9y
charged such high fees for narrtags
ceremonies that the poor were unable
TO pay the cost of being declars d man and
wife.
Ihat interview was all wrong, said
father Sherman yesterday "It del bar
a1eiy m1sstated my ideas. Although It
got me into trouble in the church and
made me appear to maIign nv frients
among the Porto Rico priests 1 nzyer
TOOK occasion to deny 1t until Bisbop
" nipple quoted me in an article which
appeared in the FaribauIt, MINI. Demc-
crat Then 1t became necessary to se+
myself right with the world and so I
save out statement denying that I was
correctly quoted"
Yesterday Bishop Whipple issued the
following statement in reply to Father
Sherman's denial:
BISHOP WHIPPLE EXPLAINS
Faribault, Mimi, Nav 22-In the
6ioneer Press today is a letter by Father
sherman, of the Roman Catholic church
naoS'lt IN which he tells the public that in my
recent report on Porto Rico I said.
rather Sherman and others have told
me SAD stories of the immortality of the
priesthood and people" I have never
the eog nlea enaS ISIS statement have never had
old and dear friend, Gen. Sherman,
+,o oolnIe do months ago the leading papers of
Ine country published an interview with
fatner sherman, and it was to this in
terVleW /! referred (and which I have not
seen denied by Father Sherman till now)
when said Father Sherman and others
had already told the sad story.
Prominent residents of Porto Rico have
more than confirmed the statements of
that published Interview
Inc fact that multitudes of peoDle are
IlVlnS together without Christian mar
rage, owing to the poverty of the people
ana their inability to pay their marriage
ices, lees, was told me by one who knows bet
or the Island OF Porto Rico
II the moral condition of the island and
me christian faithfulness of the Roman
S5;atholic priests have been what Father
Sherman's letter would imply, no one will
rejoice more heartily than myself. Those
w VINO know me know that I have never
IN my episcopate made an attack upon
any who love the Lord Jesus Christ. 7
aiiuded to the religious condition of Porto
Rlco In order to show the grave respon-
sibiiity which rests upon all Christian
people CT the United States to do all in
their power for the uplifting Of this peo
pie who in the. providence of God have
peen placed under our care.
At the recent election the condition Of
suffrage was that any male adult could
vote who had paid dollar tax the pre-
ylous year, OF could read and write. Cen
Davis informed me that $4,000 votes were
cast. OF which one-half belonged to each
class. He estimated that over 500. .005 peo-
pie could neither read nor white.
H. B. Whipple.
Bishop of Minnesota
PRIEST STATES HIS POSITION
When this statement was shown to
Father Sherman yesterday he at once