Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1913-12-17
MIR. RHssEI.L's REJoINDER.
Washington Frelate Makes Reply TO
Charges of Rev. DIR. Mckim.

! Monsignor William T Russell, G
rWashingtcn, III one of the papers o
that city, Today has lengthy repl.
to the ailegat ons made by Rev. Dl
fR. J.. :.IcNim last Sunday Afternoon
lin the New National Theatre befor
an immense audience. The prelat
iquotes many paragraphs from colon
ial history to disprove certain charge
made BY d.. McKim. In the intro
duction to his reply Mgr. Russell
quotes tie following from DR.. Nc
iiim's address.
'Is it not time for all Protestant:
10 take counsel together fol
| the preservation of the heritage Of
, personal liberty, liberty Of conscience
liberty of speech, liberty of action
The monsignor then says: Now
! Everybody knows that this meeting
was intended as protest against
the President of the United States
for having exercised his right of
personal liberty and liberty of ac-
ton" Yet these self-appointed Of
fetal censors Of the President cody
admonish Catholics to cease "medd-
ling in politics." DR.. McKim at
tacks many of the doctrines of the
Catholic Church. | shall not here
discuss them. The pulpit is the
place for such discussions. The press
is for the general public, and tn.
public at large is tired of the relig-
ious discussions of ministers.
81 shall take issue with DR. Mckim
on one topic only. He says: Colo
nisl America was Protestant. TIE
principles which lay at the root Of
the American Constitution were born
Of the reformation. Now, | submit
that the two principles Of our Con-
stitution which Americans prize most
are liberty of conscience and the right
of every citizen to vote. | hold that
these two principles were first pro-
claimed and maintained in colonial
America by Catholics, ans that the
spirit of the reformation, whenever
it had an opportunity to express it
sell. was against these .fi!tcsPeS u
our Constitution"
Mgr. Russell makes many extracts
from colonial history to prove his
statements. especially from the ar
chives of Maryland, in which he
states that it is his purpose to show
that Protestants prosecuted Protes-
tants as we'll as Catholics, while the
latter manifested a spirit of good
will towards all faiths, especially In
Catholic Maryland. He says:
'The asylum of Catholics was the
remote spot, where, in remote COR
ner of the world, On the banks OF
rivers which as yet had hardly been
explored, the mild forbearance of a
proprietary adopted religious free
aom as the basis of Maryland ko-
man Catholics, oppressed by the
laws of England, were sure to find a
peaceful asylum in the quiet waters
Of tho Chesapeake. and there, too,
protestsnts were sheltered against
Protestant intolerance.
as it not true that Immediately
unon the restoration of Maryland to
its rightful lord, Cecelius Calvert a
Catholic religious liberty was re-
stored by him to all including Jews!
During the period of religious
liberation in Maryland, were not
Protestants prosecuted ana exiled by
protestants both in Virginia and
Massachusetts! =,
IN conclusion Monsignor Russell
"sone years ago I made an offer to
DR., Mcklm. L IePSeAI ~ -
Kim can prove that | err in the aoove
fifteen propositions, | pledge mysel1
to give any charitable object he may
name 500 for every case in which
he succeeds am willing to accept
as Judges any fair-mlnded Pro'eS-
tants.'
81 shall have nothing further to
say until my propositions are .e'pher
iassentesi to or denied. There is no
sense in prolonging the controversy.
81 should like to ask 1urUhet
question: When has any important
meeting of Protestant ministers as,
sembled together in this country
without attacking their felio"-cl'i
zens? and when, has meeting ol
Catholic bishops ever attacked theli
fellow-Protestant citizens! sumo
neon,e never seem to realize that CO.
lonial Protestant institutions nave
ceased to exist.
az, :. NOT possible for Protestant