Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-15
ATTACKED CARDIN AL
DR.. GUINNESS SAYS GIBBONS
BLOCKS CONGO REFORM.
Declaration Comes as a Sensational
Climax at Meeting in
Baltimore.

BALTIMORE. December 15.-Cardinal
Gibbons was bitterly attacked yesterday in
the presence Of about $50 persons in Brown
Memorial Presbyterian Church by Rev.
Dr. H. Grattan Guinness of London, who is
one of the leaders of the Congo reform
movement in Great Britain and who is in
this country for the purpose of endeavoring
to get the United States to join with Great
Britain IN intervening to prevent a contin-
| uance Of the alleged atrocities in the Congo
Free State.
The attack was made at the conclusion
of DR.. Guinness address in the lecture
room of the church and came as an unex-
pected elimination Of severe arraignment
of King Leopold Of Belgium, the admins
tration and courts Of the Congo Free State,
of which the Belgium monarch is the head.
and the attitude of the Catholic Church in
that connection.
When all his auditors supposed the talk
was at %an end DIR. Guinness suddenly ex-
claimed that he had one thing more to say.
THE United States and Britain long ere
this" he continued, would have gotten to-
getner and put an end to the atrocities in
the Congo but for one man in this country.
The one strong hand that has been keeping
this thing going is none other than that of
Cardinal Gibbons. That is the hand that
supported Leopold in the Congo
Had a thunderbolt from a clear sky
struck and shattered the steeple of the edi-
flee in which they sat the audience could
not have been more surprised. AS the sig
nificance of the speakers utterance began
to strike them with full force one looked at
another In amaZement.
Ministers Defend Cardinal.
Rev. Dr. John Timothy Stone, pastor of
the church. and Rev. DR.. Wilbur F. Sheri-
dan, pastor of Mount Vernon Place Metho-
dist Episcopal Church, were upon their feet
simultaneously.
DR.. Guinness paused and looked from one
to the other, but Rev. Dr. Sheridan was
the first to speak.
Pardon me-" he said, "but I entertain a
profound regard for Cardinal Gibbons,
whom I admire for his catholicity Of view.
I cannot think that such be the case
No less prompt to declare his regard for
the cardinal was Rev. DR.. Stone. In the
few words he had to say he appeared
greatly to deprecate the words of the
speaker, fearing that false significance
might be put upon them.
There are newspaper reporters here he
said, land the address of DR.. Guinness
Is not being taken verbatim 1 hope that
there will be no mistake as to what he
means
DR.. Guinness Surprised.
1t was now the turn of DIR. Guinness to be
surprised. and he showed it very plainly
He looked quite at loss for words for a,
moment, and then in reply to suggestion
of Rev. DR.. Stone that he meant to intimate
that the cardinal was acting upon improper
information and would not seek to intimate
that did he know the facts his attitude
would be the same, Dr. Guinness gave as
sent.
At this juncture the meeting broke up but
not before Rev. DR.. Guinness had requested
from the platform that in the published ac-
counts of his talk his reference to the cardi-
nal should be subordinated.
A carriage was waiting to take the
sneaker the railroad station ba
might get an early train in order to keep
an appointment in Washington.