The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1907-09-07
LIBELING A WHOLE CHURCH

LlBELlNG A WHOLE CHURCH
One of the most extraordinary perversions of
fact in an attempt to give tale sensational inter
est, appears in the September number of Nc
Clure's Magazine over the pen of George KEENAN,,
who has been in San Francisco some time study
ing municipal conditions. Referring to Schmitz,
the convicted mayor, Mr.. KEENAN, writes:
"The Roman Catholics favored Schmitz be-
he appointed many of their people to office
and gave to their fairs and charities money he
obtained by sharing the earnings of prostitutes
If such a statement were published in an OBJ
scure magazine or by the authority of an unknown
writer it might not be worthy of notice; coming as
it does from a source which usually is given ere
dence and written as it is by man of interna-
tional reputation, it is a criminal libel though
fortunately there is redress in court for the
crime. However, it can be made matter of pros
ecution in the court of public opinion, and we
propose to give the evidence against Mr.. KEENAN,
in this case for the information of every fair
minded reader
After this outrageous charge appeared, the
Monitor of San Francisco asked Mr.. KEENAN, to
produce his authority. In reply he had nothing
to say except that he got his information "from a
gentleman who sat next to him at a banquet he
had not got any of it from the prosecutors of the
bribery cases, and he had no further authority to
cite in support of this cruel uncalledfor assault
on the Catholics of San Francisco, and by infer
ence on the Catholics of this country everywhere
Now as to the real facts: Former Police Com
missioner Reagan, whose name is coupled with the
Schnitz case by Mr. KEENAN, in an unfavorable
way, is known for his brave stand against the
boodlers, made KEENAN, back down. Unhappily
SANDER on a sect cannot be punished as libel on an
individual can be, and Mr.. KEENAN, escapes re-
sponsibility in law for his assault on the church
The fact is that Catholics have been conspicuous
IN the fight against graft and corruption in San
Francisco since 1905 when the first protest against
the Schmitz regime was made.
The executive committee of the Republican
league, which began the fight for reform on the
Republican side in 1906, consisted of Fairfax
Wheelan, Daniel A Ryan, Richard J. Welsh, John
D. DAILY, David Rich, John Lackmann, Edward
Bowers and George D. Clark These were the men
that inaugurated and led the Republican end of
the reform movement against Mr.. Schmitz. The
Monitor is positively certain that the Catholic.
members of this committee had good following
from the ranks of their own people.
Daniel A Ryan was chairman of the Republi-
can convention of that year Calling the vice
chairman to preside he got on the floor and in
speech that aroused the convention nominated
John S. Partridge for mayor of San Francisco.
The Democratic convention, with Thomas W. Hick-
~ representative Catholic, as chairman, also
nominated John S. Partridge both conventions
agreeing on a fusion ticket The joint campaign
committee of both parties consisted of ten mem
oers; six of these were prominent and practical
Catholics. Had they no following from among
he Catholics Of their city?
The campaign orators for the Fusion or Reform
party that year were: Judge Robert J. Ferrall,
Jesse Bryan Henry Brandenstein. E. Myron Wolf,
Senator E. I. Wolfe William A. Kelly, Thomas W.
Hickey Charles j. Sweigert, Joseph S. Tobin and
Daniel A. Ryan.
That doesn't look very much as though the
Catholics of San Francisco were III league with
Schmitz and municipal vice, does it?
Mr.. KEENAN, had not the remotest idea that Dis
riot Attorney Langdon, William J. Burns, J. j.
)wyer, John O'Gara, Judges W. P Lawlor F. H.
)unne, Thomas H Graham and James V. Coffey,
elong to the Catholic body. Even the foreman
nd many of the members of the Oliver grand jury,
which indicted the boodlers children of the old
aith which, with one sweep of his mighty pen
Ir. KEENAN, aligns with saloonkeepers, brothe
roprietors, prize-fght promoters, booksellers and
ambers.
As matter of cold fact the Catholics of San