The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1917-12-22
PAPAL CONTEMPT FOR
LAW BEGETS TROUBLE
Convent Doors Closed to State---
Nuns Who 0beyed Bishop Kelley
Cited for Contempt


Bill providing for inspection of con.
vents, admittance to a convent and
are now hailed before the court to-
show why they shall not be punished
for contempt for failure to appear
before a grand jury investigation
which was held following their re-
fusal.
The Lynchburg, Va, Daily Ne,Vs
for November 9th, contains the fol-
lowing:
MUST APPEAR IN COURT"
"Heads of Catholic Institution
Charged With Contempt"
Savannah, Ca, Nov. 26.-Judge
Meldrin, in the superior court to-
day, ordered Mother M. Clare and
Sister Felicitas, of st. Vincent's con-
vent, to appear in court on Monday,
December 3, to show cause why they
should not be punished for contempt
for failing to appear today at a
grand jury investigation resulting
from their refusal to permit inspec-
tion Of the convent as required under
the VeGzy act. =.
"The two nuns appeared through
counsel, who presented demurrer
attacking the law as unconstitution-
al"
1t would not be just to censure
these deluded nuns tor refusing to
ADMIT officials who were merely
carrying out the mandate of the
Georgia law for inspecting the con-
vents in which they serve the papal
system, for, their condition Of servi-
tude therein is primG fGcie evidence
of their subservience to the system,
subject, exclusively, to the orders OF
the hierarchy, which they have been
taught to regard as superceding
American law in any point where the
two may come in conflict.
To those who know how these poor
women are lured, urged and some
times driven into these papal prisons,
and their very entree into such a
place, is too often an indication that
they are more subject to the influence
of priests and bishops than to ra-
tional conclusions of their own think
ing, it is little wonder Georgia has
encountered rebellion against her
state law and been refused admis-
sion to a papal, prison-like institu-
ton, that the state legislature has
declared shall be, subject to inspec-
tion Of state officers the same as all
institutions under state control. ,.
This rebellion of Rome's sisters is
due entirely to an order from Bishop
Kelley, who more than one year ago
declared that if inspectors did not ac-
cept the invitation to inspect the pa
pal institutions at time set by him
that the institutions would. after that,
be closed to any officials seeking to
make an inspection. This arbitrary
position, Haunting the arrogant de-
sires of Rome in the face of the reg.
ularly enacted law of a great COM
monwealth, was found in pro-
nouncement by Bishop Kelley that
the constitutionality Of the law would
be questioned, and instead of pur-
suing the American course to abide
by the law until he had carried his
case to the supreme court, he an
nounced that HE would permit one
inspection at the time SET BY HIM
and after that the state of Georgia
would be powerless to enter Rome's
clustered nunneries and papal pris-
ons UNTIL HE HAD CARRIED A
QUESTION AS TO THE CONSTI-
TUTI0NALITY OF THE LAW
THROUGH THE COURTS.
Of course persons who know the
bishop and have observed his pusil-
animous subservience to the papal
ee will not be surprised that he
should take such a stand. In fact
persons acquainted with the demands
of Rome and who realize that her
representatives in authority are ap-
pointed only after they have proved
their desire to further the most reac-
tionary teachings of the system in
the most jealous manner, know that
such a stand is nothing more than
what is to be expected from any rep
resentative authority of the papal
theory of rule.
1t is because the Roman hierarchy
teaches and believes in being "Cath-
olics first and Americans after
ward" that we find such demonstra-
tions as the nuns have just offered
at the instance of their bishop. In
deed we do not need to take pre-
sumptive evidence as to where the
bishop pays his allegiance for in ad-
dition to showing, by his act regard
ing the Veazy act, where his ale
glance is, he has stated it in emphatic
terms that admit of no misunder-
standing.
That book entitled "The Vatican"
by the "Rt. Rev. Edmond Canon
Hugues De Ragnau," which carries
the Photographic reproduction of the
vatican's approval of its contents.
says that Monsignor Kelley. bishop of
Savannah, read, when in Rome in
1909, an address to the pope in
which, when speaking of American
Catholics, he said:
"Au of us are American citizens !:
BUT ABOVE ALL WE ARE CATH
OLICS."
There is no doubt that the bishop
said it and there is no doubt that
the bishop practices what he breaches
as is clearly shown in his defiance of
the Georgia inspection law. 1t is the
same with all papal dignitaries as is
shown by acts too numerous to mem
tion. one illustration Of which Is es-
W.