The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-12-12

fore bound themselves to accept re-
sponsibility for the deeds and mis-
deeds of that faction.
Blood on Hands of RevoIutionists.
Not long ago President Wilson, in a
speech at Swarthmore, Pa, declared
that Nowhere in this hemisphere can
any government endure which is
stained by blood" and at Mobile that
I'VE will never condone iniquity be-
cause it is most convenient to do So"
At the very time he uttered those lofty
words the leaders and lieutenants of
the faction which he was actively sup
porting were shooting their prisoners
in cold blood by scores after each en-
gagement, were torturing men reputed
to be rich, were driving hundreds of
peaceful people from their homes,
we're looting and defiling churches and
treating ecclesiastics and religious
women with every species of abomin-
able infamy, from murder and rape
down. In other words, at the very
time that the President was stating
that nowhere on this hemisphere can
any government endure which is
stained by blood" he was actively en-
gagged in helping install in power a
government which was not only
stained by blood but stained by much
worse than blood. At the very time
that he was announcing that he would
never condone iniQuity because it was
convenient to do so," he was not
merely condoning but openly assisting
iniquity and installing into power
set of men whose actions were those
of ferocious barbarians.
"AII Behaved AtrociousIy."
Remember that am not engaged in
defending the factional opponents of
these victorious wrongdoers. There is
not evidence sufficient to decide which
of the many factions behaved worst
But there is ample material to decide
that they all behaved atrOciously. Ap-
parently the administration took the
ground that inasmuch as Mr.. Huerta
and his followers were bad men, it was
our duty to condone the evil COM
mitted by their opponents. Father Il.
H. Tierney of New York City, an en-
tirely responsible man, informs me
that when Tin company with two other
gentlemen whose names he gives mel
he called upon Mr.. Bryan to bring 10
his attention the abominable outrages
committed on certain nuns by the
followers of CarranZa and Villa, Mr..
Bryan informed Father Tierney that
he had information that "the followers
of Huerta had committed similar out
RACES on two American women from
Iowa!" This sentence has been read to
Father Tierney, who states that 1t
describes the interview with eXactness.
The originals of the affidavits herein
quoted are in the possession Of Father
Tierney, SO East Eighty-third Street,
New York City, and Father Kelley, and
will be shown by them to any reput-
able person.
Apparently Mr.. Bryan believed this
disposed of the situation and relieved
the revolutionaries of blame.
Bryan's "IncredibIe caIIousness."
Surely, It ought not to be necessary
to say that if the facts as thus stated
to Mr.. Bryan were true (and If there
was any doubt immediate investiga-
ton as to their truth by the govern
ment was demanded), then the way to
get justice was not by treating one
infamy as wiping out the other, but
by exacting the sternest retribution
for both and effectively providing
against the repetition of either. Even
assuming for the moment that the
attitude of the administration had not
so committed the government that it
was it's duty to interfere on behalf OF
the nuns thus outraged, Mr.. Bryan's
statement to Father Tierney shows
almost incredible callousness on his
part to the most dreadful type of suf'
fering, to acts far worse than the
mere murder Of any man. 1t seems
literally impossible that any repre-
sentative of the American government
in high Office could fail to be stirred
to his depth by such wrong, or could
have failed to insist on the immediate
and condign punishment of the wrong,
doors and on the amplest safeguarding
against all possible repetition of the
wrong. Apparently the only way in
which it occurred to Mr.. Bryan to
take any action against the faction
whose adherents had perpetrated these
hideous wrongs on the two American
women was by encouraging another
faction which he must have known in
advance and certainly did know after
the event, would commit and had com
mitted wrongs equally hideous.
Catholic schools almost everywhere
in Mexico have been closed, institu
lions of learning sacked and libraries
and astronomical and other machinery
destroyed, the priests and nuns ex
pelled by hundreds and some of the
priests killed and some of the nuns
outraged. Archbishop Blenk of New
Orleans, Father Tierney, editor OF
America, Father Kelley, president OF
the Catholic Church Extension Society
Mr.. Petry, one of the directors of the
Catholic Church Extension Society
and a Mexican bishop whose name
do not give because it might involve
him in trouble, came to see me at my
house, and in Chicago / saw other
priests and refugees from Mexico, both
IoNv hVsnR