The Hawaiian gazette., 1907-09-17
WHITLEY AGAIN
IN HOT WATER

| The following article reaches the
Advertiser through the roundabout
/ medium of a marked copy of the China
/ Gazette (ShanghaD of August 20:
! JUDGE WHO DESERVES REBUKE.
| Were a Catholic public oificial-say 4
Justice of a leading court who owed
his appointment TO a President or
Governor-to make an uncalled-f for
attack upon the Methodist church or
the Presbyterian church or any other
church, how long would he be permit
ted to hold office and openly and cruel
I ly insult great number of his fellow
citizens? We may be sure that his
term of office speedily would be cut
, short. Furthermore, we believe that
Catholics would be as insistent upon
! his removal as Protestants. Judge
Wiley, the head of the new United
States Court for China, whose methods
in other respects have been severely
criticized has, while acting in his Off
cial capacity, outrageously slandered
/ the Catholic church. Shanghai papers
give the details.
1t seems that in May last the Pro-
testant missionaries held a convention
at Shanghai, at which delegates from
all parts of China, Japan and Eng
land, as well as the United States.
We're present. Judge Whitley presided
at one of the meetings. During this
session there were attacks made upon
the Catholic missionaries and their
methods The Rev. ]. n. Lowrie said
in part: The Catholic church makes
lawsuits while the Protestant church
makes converts. The Catholic church
is easy to enter, but hard to leave"
| This sentiment met with a hearty
demonstration of approval from the
audience, and II is said that Judge
Whitley was particularly conspicuous
with his applause. Owing to his
prominence as an American official the
apparent sanctioning of these remarks
caused comment in Shanghai, which
has a cosmopolitan citizenship. The
American Protestant missionaries met
in secret session that night, indorsed
Judge Whitley and signed a petition
aSking President Roosevelt and the
State Department to retain him in
Shanghai.
A few days later the will of Capt
J. P Roberts, an American citizen,
ted States Court. There was no legal
contest involved. Judge Wiley filed
a decision on the right of the United
States Court to admit will to pro-
bate, in the course of which he made
the following attack upon the Catholic
clergy: THE Popish clergy take to
| themselves under the name OF the
church and poor the whole residue OF
| the deceased after the two-thirds Of
the wife and the children are divided,
without even paying his debts or other
charges thereon. The trust thus vested
in the prelates in the course Of time
has been grossly abused" Judge Will
| fey also said in his decision that the
| power the Catholic clergy had seized
in former times was so abused by
them that 1t was necessary for the
State to interfere TO protect the people
from their rapacity.
Naturally these uncalled-for remarks
were resented by Catholics in Shang-
hal The Rev. VI. E. Coleman, Of St
Joseph's church, Shanghai, wrote TO
the China Gazette protesting against
the comments in Judge wilfey's de-
cision, declaring that they were more
LldH lTIElcSdnL anu CFAAtAttg P1N III
for the purpose Of attack upon the
Catholic church. such an insult 10 the
Catholics OF Shanghai. a great many
of whom are Americans. cannot be al
lowed to pass unnoticed. Why an
American Judge in a foreign land
should so far forget himself as to go
out of his way in this manner to out
rage the feelings OF Catholics is hard
to explain, unless It be that Judge
Wilfiey is totally untitled because u
ignorance and prejudice for the high
office he holds. The Catholics OF
Shanghai who are said to have asked
his removal by President Roosevelt
have done just what the case demands.
Catholic News, New York, 18th June.
The British steamer Windsor, from