The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1917-10-06
Request For Triple Number
Of Present Chap|ains
JOINT COMMISSION OF ALL RELIC
lOUS DENOMINATIONS WAITS
UPON PRESIDENT WILSON,.
New Basis of One for 1900 Instead of
5000 Men as at Present.
Sec. Baker Favors Two to Regiment.

-~>Se
blue room of the White House, when
President Wilson received large dele
cation, made up of representatives of
all religious denominations, who are
making an effort to have the number
Of Chaplains in the United States army
increased.
In the Catholic delegation were Rt.
Rev. Owen B. Corrigan, DID,, AuXil-
iary Bishop of Baltimore Rt. Rev. Mgr.
e. Mccarthy, of Brooklyn, NJ Y. Rev.
Lewis j. Okern, c. S. p, appointed
by the Catholic Hierarchy in charge
of the spiritual and moral welfare of
the Catholic soldiers in the National
Army; Very Rev. P. o. O. Callaghan,
G. S. p, Rector of the Apostolic Mis-
sion House; Very Rev. II. Skinner,
G. S. p, President of the College of
ST. Paul the Apostle, Rev. John Smyth,
G. S. p, Rev. DR.. j. A. Ryan, Very
Rev. John f. Fenlon, end Rev. John j.
Featherstone, of the Catholic Univer
sity; Rev. ]. Delaire, G. S. p, of the
Marist College, DR.. John Cooper and
Rev. e. Buckley, OF St. Matthew'S
Church, Washington; Rev. VIM. J. Glib
son, Scranton, Pa, Rev. Geo. j. Bryant,
Immaculate Conception Church, Wash
ington, Col. p. II. Callahan, Chairman
of the *. of c. Committee on War
Activities, Mr. A. G. Bagley, secy. Of
the Committee and Mr.. Paul Martin,
Of the Press Committee.
al, Of <l,,1o 4<,
secure the support OF the President
and the War Department for bill
introduced by Senator Chamberlain
on September 25, which is intended to
authorize the Presiden. to appoint with
the cooperation of the Senate, such a
number of Chaplains in the army as
will raise the proportion to one chap
lain for every twelve hundred men.
With the reorganization of the army
the number is now on the basis of one
Chaplain to a regiment of thirty-siX
hundred men.
The spokesman for the Protestant
denominations were Bishop VIM. T..
Mcdowell, of Washington, d. c.; Bish-
op VIM. Lawrence, G: Massachusetts;
DR.. Prettyman, Chaplain of the Sen
ate, and DR.. Chas. S. MacFarland,
General Secretary of the Federal Coun-
Gil of Churches-while Rev. Lewis J.
O'Hern, G. S. p, spoke for the Cath
Ollie Hierarchy.
DR.. OHern, who is one Of the ablest
and most convincing takers in the
Church today, and who has labored
untiringly for the spiritual welfare of
our Catholic soldiers never spoke to
better advantage. He said in part:
"Mr President, as the representa-
tive of the Catholic Hierarchy in mat
tiers pertaining to chaplains, | respect
fully request your assistance in help
ing us to increase the number of
chaplains for the Army. We are not
asking anything new from Congress,
but simply requesting that the former
legislation concerning chaplains be
now carried out. When the chaplains
were provided for the Army it was
with the understanding that there
should be one for each 1900 officers
and men, but these provisions were
regiments SO that as matters now
stand only one chaplain is provided
for each 5000 men. We have come
before you with the request that one
chaplain be provided for each 1900
men.
AS matters now stand the supply
of chaplains is totally inadequate, and
there are thousands of Catholic sold
iers scattered through the different
camps who have no spiritual admins
tration on the part of the clergy Of
their own church. Unless some rem
edial legislation is provided, it will be
necessary for the Church authorities
to place non-commissioned priests in
the various military posts throughout
the United States at the expense of
the church organizations. However,
| it is not the expense feature of this
program that concerns us most. but
the fact that these supplementary
chaplains have no official standing in
the camps, and are therefore greatly
hampered in their work as only the
commissioned chaplains have full op
portunity to carry on their spiritual
administrations to the best advantage
''In view of these conditions now ex
listing in the Army, we respectfully
request your aid in asking Congress
to pass the bills that have already
been presented to the military com
mittees in both houses
The President in replying said he
had been giving the matter his atten
ton, and was sympathetic with the
purposes of the delegation. He point
ed out that both he and the Secretary
Of War desired an increase of chap
lains, but the session of Congress was
about to close, the members were anx
ious to get home and the constituents
were anxious to see tfem, but, he con
tinued, if the bills were not passed al
this session, it would be taken w
when Congress reconvened and some
thing would be done.
At the close of the audience. the