The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-09-17
WHITLEY AGAIN
IN HOT WATER
Judge of New United States
Court at Shanghai 0ffends
Catholics.

| me following article reaches the
Advertiser through the roundabout
medium of a marked copy of the China
Gazette CshanghaD of August 20:
| JUDGE WHO DESERVES REBUKE.
Were Catholic public oficial-say a
Justice of a leading court who owed
his appointment to a President or a
| Governor-to make an uncalled-for
| attack upon the Methodist church or
| the Presbyterian church or any other
| church, how long would he be permit
! ted TO mold office and openly and cruel
! ly insult a 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
/
at Shanghai, at which delegates from
all parts of China, Japan and Eng
land as well as the United States,
were 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. J. n. Lowrie said
in part: THE Catholic church makes
1av re whit he oh
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 it 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, Endorsed
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.
T. P Roberts, an American citizen,
ted States Court. There was no legal
contest involved. Judge Whitley filed
a decision on the right of the United
States Court to admit a will to pro-
bate, in the course of which he made
the following attack upon the Catholic
clergy: 1.-THE Popish clergy take to
themselves under the name of the
church and poor the whole residue of
~. 4l,p hi lie #
the wife and the children are divided,
without even paying his debts or other
charges thereon. The trust thus vested
in the pre1ates 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 it was necessary for the
State to interfere to protect the people
from their rapacity.
Naturally these unca1led-for remarks
were resented by Catholics in Shang-
hal The Rev. M. E. Coleman, of st.
Josephs church, Shanghai, wrote to
the China Gazette protesting against
the comments in Judge Wilfiey's de-
cision, declaring that they were more
than irrelevant and evidently put in
for the purpose of attack upon the
Catholic church. such an insult to the
Catholics of Shanghai. 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
of hnn
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.
"a +holic News New York 18th June,