The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1916-01-13

ships or any unlawful conditions by
the Government are imprisoned and
untrue. For the express purpose o
preventing any interference with the
rights of the Catholic churches or
clergy or nuns, Mr.. Carranza has
given official orders to all governors
to abstain absolutely and scrUp0lOus-
~ from any medGling Or interference
with the churches or the clergy or
the nuns.
"By the continuous meddEing Of
the chnrch and it's clergy III the
politics of Mexico, it has inflicted
upon that country much sorrow and
suffering during the last four hum
dred years. BY such meddling The
church has controlled the Govern
ment almost continuously to the
present day. The Catholic clergy and
the church have uniformly opposed
all measures of reform
During the presidency of Pofirio
Diaz, the church and its clergy usurp-
ed and monopolized many privileges
in disregard of the Constitution and
laws. The present Constitution was
adopted in 1857 and has not been
materially changed since that date.
But under Diaz it's provisions and
restraints were ignored, and the
Catholic priests were permitted to
have many privileges and advantages
to which they were not legally en-
titled. Their opposition to the Con-
stituti0nal Government now is due
to the fact that they know the Con-
stitution and laws will be and are
being enforced.
''AIr Carranza stands for complete
separation Of church and State. The
Catholic church and it's clergy in
Mexico have always been and are now
opposed to this. All factions and
parties in Mexico have cheerfully
accepted the Constitutional Govern
ment as now established, except the
Catholic church, which alone con-
tjnues hostile opposition and seeks
to perDetuate the strife. It is the
purpose Of Mr.. CarranZa and the
present Government to give the
church and the clergy and the nuns
and all others in Mexico complete
protection in every right and priv
ilege to which they are entitled under
the Constitution and laws, and to
withhold from every one all priv
ileges to which he is not legally en-
titled This is being done now, which
is one and the only cause Of Catholic
hostility to Mr. Carranza and the
present Government"
The fact that, if Cardinal Gibbons
has any reliable information of out
rage against Catholic churches or
priests or nuns by the Mexican Gov
eminent, he would have every in
centive to publish the facts instead
of making vague illusions to the
conditions, brand the statement pur-
porting to come from him with un-
mistakable marks of deliberate false
hood while the clear and strong
declaration made by the official rep
resentative Of the Government of
Mexico is in perfect accord with the
known facts Of Mexican history and
law and bears the strongest evidence,
both internal and external, of truth
and verify.
SO does the papal harlot that has
Toasted on the life blood OF the pros
trate Mexican people four hundred
years now add the vilest insult to
the most brutal injuries by falsely
charging the established Constitutions
al Government Of that outraged and
lOng-suffering nation with gross i'll
famies, hoping thus to accomplish
the fendish purpose Of misleading
and inflaming public sentiment
throughout the world and so sub
verting the Government Of Mexico