The Washington times., 1905-03-24
SOUTH D[NOUNCES /
BISHOP POTTER
Richmond Paper Refutes
Race Mixture Statements.
CALLS HIM A SUPERSTITION
Declares the Moral Tone Is Cleaner in
South Carolina Than in the
Bishops Diocese
CALLS HIM A SUPERSTITION

Bishops Diocese.
RICHMOND, Va, March 24.-Because
ae made sneering remark about the !
morality of the South. Bishop Henry |
Z. Potter, of New York, is given q |
broadside by the Richmond News-Lead- |
er, which declares, incidentally. that the |
moral tone in South Carolina is infinite |
~ higher than in Bishop Potter's own
diocese
The editorial is the result of a state |
ment credited to Bishop Potter to the |
effect that, in view of the prevalence
of miscegenation in the South the pose |
of lofty and superior virtue on the part
OF its people anywhere had in it an
element equally comic and pathetic.
A Pet Superstition.
After quoting this. the News Leader
says:
Bishop Potter, of New York, is one of
the pet SuperStitions of this country He
is part of the general New York super
stitfon.
Because New York is big most of us
assume that any man VINO becomes
prominent there must be very large
and great man, indeed. We persistently
forget that as many fakirs, humbugs.
ano lightweights rattle and swell around
In Large places In New York as any
where else in the world
AS Tor Bishop Potter, he has said and
done as many silly things as any old
gentleman We know Of A recent expe-
Tieace of his indicates that his manners
are as bad as his morals, in some re-
spects, are defective, his judgment bad,
and his arrogance extreme.
Refutes Miscegenation.
Regarding the remark on the preya-
lence of miscegenation in the South at
tributed to Bishop Potter, the News
Leader remarks:
An accusation like this cannot be sus-
tanned or diSproved by statistics or affi-
davits. 1t can be considered only in the
light of general and obvious facts.
Virtue is not a thing of sections or of
countries The good are good and the
bad are bad everywhere, and wherever
human nature is. the affections and pas
sions of men and women stray in for
hidden paths.
South Carolina Defended.
Zone thing. however, is certain and
plain. That Is that the moral tone Is in
finitely cleaner and the social standards
are infinitely higher in South Carolina
than in Bishop Potter's diocese. Ger
tainly . woman divorced from her hus-
band and married to another man inside
of tWenty-four. hours would not be re-
ceived in respectable society anywhere
IN the South. Yet woman who did
that very thing is a leader of Newport
most exalted society.
Nobody knows the secret annals of
vice, but every observer who has met
and known the people of New York and
any Southern State knows that in the
South vastly less filth is talked and writ
ten than in New York. The natural and
Inevitable presumption is that lives IN
the South are very much cleaner.
The woman whose conduct and con-
versation are so distinctly loud and bad
as to justify definite criticism IS tahooed
in every Southern State Bishop Potter
cannot say that that is the case even In
the highest and theoretically most ex-
elusive society of his own community.
Ready to Prove He Is Wrong.
After pointing out that legal misce-
eenation is Impossible in the South, be-
cause intermarriage of persons of diff
ferent races is forbidden by statute, the
newspaper denounces Bishop Pottcrs
alleged charge against the social life OF
the South as false, and adds:
We will offer good evidence to CON
yict him of falsehood If he is willing
to dare the issue. We will put on the
stand the Protestant Episcopal clergy
of the& whole South, from bishops 10
deacons. They live among the people
and know them. and have ample op-
portunity for knowing Their lie. we
may. assume that some of them, II
least. are men who are not afraid TO
tell the truth in any circumstances or
at any cost
Acceptable Evidence.
For New York we will take the COM
b;ued evidence of the clergy, the courts,
and the newspapers.
1--WE invite Bishop Potter to take the
evidsuee or to join with us in taking it.
If ii sustains his accusations we will
confess, with shame, but frankly, that
he iSbright If they contradict him will
he be willing to confess that he mas
circulated an outrageous and Infamous
scandal and SANDER? We do not cara
whether he attributes it to ignorance
tecklessness. or malice, or to mixture
Of the three.
IF he eyades simple and honest
test like this, he will stand convicted
OF having disgraced himself by whole
sale SANDER unworthy of a gentlemen
and of having brought shame and in
jury upon his own church, as far as his
Jurisdiction extends"