The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1914-11-14

NcwS,
Dear SIR
viii you kindly allow me space
in your valuable paper TO answer
a statement that has been sent
broadcast over the county. In ref
ercnce to the oath taken by all
members of the Knights of Colun-
bus. as a Knight, knowing the
obligation taken by members of
that Order, would not pay any at
tention to the matter were II not
for the fact that several Of my
Protestant personal friends have
asked me about it and called my
attention TO a newspaper known
as the PERIL that has been
distributed over the country.
thereby endeavorlng to create blg
otry among people who hold dlf-
ferent religious views. | cannot
understand how a person Of nor
ma mind, who comes in daily con
tact with his Catholic brethren,
can believe the foul matter pub
lished in his sheet. However, there
are some people who seem to be
lieve the bogus oath. | present
the following statement and il can
be verified as | give names and ad-
dress. A. NJ. and g. E. Morrison
of the Mankata JOURNAL
charged Brother E. NJ. Lawless Of
the Watarville, Mimi, Sentinel
with having taken the bogus oath.
Brother Lawless sued the Morri-
sons for criminal libel. A Protes-
tant jury was selected with the
Reverend Thomas Billings, pastor
of the Methodist Church, Water
vile, Minnesota, as foreman of the
jury. The jury brought in a YER
diet of guilty and the Morrisons
were sentenced to thirty days in
Jail. They appealed the case.
Now let us present what the Ma
sons of California found in the
Knights of Columbus. I'VE here
by certify that by the authority of
the highest officers of the Knights
of Columbus, in the State of Cali
fOrnia, who acted under instruc-
tons from the supreme officers of
the Order in the United States, we
furnished complete copy of the
work, ceremonies and pledges
used by the Order and that we
carefully read, discussed and ex-
amined the same. We found that
while the Order is in a sense a
secret organization, it is not an
oath-bound organization and that
its ceremonies are comprised in
four degrees, which are intended
to teach and inculcate principles
that lie at the foundation of every
great religion and every free state.
Our examination of these cere-
monials and obligations was made
principally for the purpose of
ascertaining whether or not a GER
tain alledged oath of the Knights
of Columbus, which has been
printed and widely circulated, was
in fact used by the Order and
whether, if it was not used, any
oath, obligation or pledges used
which was or would be offensive
to Protestants or MasOns, or those
who are engaged in circulating a
document of peculiar> viciousness
and wickedness. We find that
neither the alleged oath nor any
oath or pledge bearing the remot-
est semblence thereto in matter,
manner, spirit or purpose is used
or forms a part of the ceremonies
of any degree of the Knights of
Columbus. The alleged oath is
scurrilous, wicked and libelous and
must be the invention of an impo-
tent and venomous mind. We find
that the Order of Knights of Co.
lumbus, as shown by it's ritual. is
dedicated to the Catholic religion,
charity and patriotism. There is
no propaganda proposed or taught
against Protestants, Masons or
persons not of the Catholic faith.
Indeed Protestants and Masons
are not referred to directly or in
directly in the ceremonies or
pledges. The ceremonies of the
Order teach high and noble pa
triotism, instill love of country,
a reverence for law and
order, urges the conscientious and
unselfish performance of civic
duty and holds up the constitution
of our country as the richest and
most precious possession of a
knight of the Order. We can find
in the entire ceremonies
Of the Order that to our minds
,o,,ld ho nhiacfod In hY any ner.