Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-10-19
WATSON READY
To FIGHT MAIL
MISUSE CHARGE
Georgia Editor Declares Others
Have Published More Extreme
Charges and Escaped.
Continued From Page /.

mails, but the line Of Mr.. Watson's
! defense was that while the printed
matter did not come within the pro-
nibitory regulations, il nevertheies -
was not matter for which Mr.. Wat
son personally was respons BILE, IN
that the magazine was published Icy
the Jeffersonian Publishing CompI,
ny, Of which Mr. Watson is president.
The Government held Mr. Watson
responsible, however. i'm that he IS
the editor-iu-c chief Of the magazine
Claims Prior Publication.
Mr.. Watson further undertook to
show that the very same matter sat
up against him was circulated
through the mails, time and again,
IN the past, and without protest by
other publishers, including Professor
Peck Of the University of Virginia.
Mr.. Watson claimed at the hearing
that the entire matter then up was
attempted persecution by Catholics,
against whom the editor for months
had been Ieveling his deadliesJ and
most venomous darts.
Mr.. Watson developed the fact that
the pOstOttiCe inspector proceeding
against him was Robert r. Sharp,
and that the specific work objected Ia
was In his book. The Roman Cath
Ole Hierarchy the Deadliest Menace
90 our Liberties and civilization
This work is bitter attack on
Catholicism in general and upon n
priesthood in particular.
Mr. WatsOn's defense on trial to-
morrow viii be practically the same
a . that advanced prigin3lly
Questions Asked in Latin.
on the first trial he said that he
was a historian, who had written 4
number Of books now on the market
that he had been a great student and
had studied eXhaustively the meth
DDS Of the Roman Catholic ChureD,
and had begun several months before
"A serial in his monthly magazine on
the Roman Catholic Hierarchy" and
had printed number Of questions In
Latin which priests are said to ask
women in the confessional. He said
that he used Latin because he ex-
pected only those who We're deeply
Interested in the queg' IN to have the
words translated.
The defendant stated that Professor
Chiniquy, former Catholic priest,
had written two books which were
published by Fleming II. Reville &
CO.. New York, Chicago and Toronto,
containing the same questions. and
that one Of those books had gone into
it's forty-third edition, and yet Chini-
guy had never been prosecuted. The
two books are FIFTY Years in the
Church of Rome" and THE Priest,
the Woman and the Confessional"
Watson said that the same ques-
tions were also printed in a book
issued by the Jordan Publishing Com
pany, Philadelphia and New York,
In 1895 and that "Castillian Days,
by John Hay, former Secretary Of
State, published by loughton, Mihiin
& Co, Riverside Press, Cambridge,
Mass, contained language far worse
than that charged against him.
Quotes Other Exceptions.
"Why Priests Should Wed" a book
written and copyrighted by Justin
Fulton and having the sanction of
Anthony ComstoCk. has questions
worse than the questions printed by
The JeTersonlan. said Watson. This
book was published by Rand, Avery x
Co. The Franklin Press, Boston. All
OF these books, said Watson, circu-
lated in the mails without protest.
Mr. Watson claims that he always
got along well with the postal au-
thor!ties until certain eminent Cath
OllCS prevailed upon postmaster Cen
eral Hitchcock to attack him. and
that Hitchcock undertook the attack
through the proceedings then on trial !
Mr.. Watson stressed the fact that he
copyrighted his book before entering
in the mails and that therefore it |
was all right The Government holds |
however, that a copyright does not I
give the unquestioned right of the !
mails.
While the case was first being
heard in the Commissioner office, |
there were many pro- Watson dem |
onstrations, and finally the hearing |
had to be adjourned to a private |
room. Out of this trial grew the in |
diCtment to be heard tomorrow. |
Watson was bound over by Commits |
sioner Goodwin to the Federal Grand |
Jury, which promptly indicted him.
Because Of his eminenCe as an au- !
thor and his wide reputation as an
editor and statesman, the case against |
Mr.. Watson has attracted universal |
attention. The bitterness of his at
taCks upon the Catholic Church also |
have operated to rivet attention upon /
the defendants.
There is no doubt that the hearing I
to- morrow will be both spectacular /
and brilliant. Mr.. Watson is a great
lawyer and a marvellous pleader. He
viii fight this charge to the last ditch,
although he realizes that much feel
ing has been aroused against him