The Irish standard., 1917-07-21
WAR DEPARTMENT,
Washington, D. G.

pOrLlOnment has been made, which al
lots to the Roman Catholic church SO
chaplains (out of 144) for the Regular
Army and 1913 (out of $500 for the Ma
tional Army.
AS the membership given in your
letter is for the year 1917, and the
figures available for other denomina-
tons are for earlier years, it has been
thought best to accept, for all denomi-
nations, the statistics published in the
World Almanac. With the understand
ing that Is per cent had been deducted
from the Roman Catholic membership
before insertion in that publication,
the 14,049,063 appearing there repre-
sents IS per cent of the total member
ship at the time the tables were pre-
pared, and S0/S5 of that number, or
13,222,04S, represents the total num-
Der less 20 per cent, and has been
used in the apportionment.
Hoping that this will be entirely sat
isfactory to you, am,
Yours respectfully,
(Signed) NEWTON d. BAKER,
Secretary of War.
To this letter Father O'Hern replied
as follows:
CATHOLIC ARMY AND NAVY
CHAPLAlNCIES,
Washington, d. c.
July IL, 1917.
Hon. Newton D. Baker,
Secretary of War,
Washington, D. G.
My Dear Mr.. Baker: Your esteemed
favor of the 9th inst. just received,
and thank you most heartily for the
equitable distribution of the Army
ChaplainciesYas announced in your
! communication. r.
The ratio offered us is absolutely
satisfactory, and it will be genuine
pleasure for me to communicate the
contents of your letter to the entire
Hierarchy of the United States, and to
the Catholic Press.
l am sure that the news will be
hailed with the greatest joy by the
Catholic population everywhere, but
especially by the officers and men who
will be ministered to by these chap
-lains.
With very great esteem, remain,
Respectfully yours,
(Signed) LEWIS ]. O'HERN,
G. S. P.
Some notion of how much the Cath
Ollie people of the entire country were
interested i'm the solution of this ques-
ton may be gained from the fact that
one hundred and thirty-four kilograms
reached the War Department in one
day, protesting against the proposed
reduction. At the same time a huge
petition reached Washington, ad-
dressed to Secretary Baker, and signed
by thirteen priests, members of the
Congregation of the Mission (Vincen-
tians) and twelve hundred members
of the Immaculate Conception Parish,
Germantown, Pa. They adopted set
of resolution, protesting against the
unfair ratio proposed, and requested
the restoration of the plan approved
by the Secretary of War, June 8, 1916.
Rev. Lewis ]. O'Hern, G. s. P, who
has labored increasingly that the nobl-
est and bravest youth of our nation
may have every spiritual care, said to
the writer, "The whole matter was
based on misunderstanding, but
justice would be done, when the mat
ter was brought squarely to the atten-
ton of Secretary Baker and General
Mccain. 1t will be socrce of great
consolation to the Catholic parents of
the country to know, that when their
boys are called to the colors in such
large numbers, as they shortly will be,
that the War Department has done
everything in it's power to furnish
them with as many priests as they
can, to care for their spiritual welfare"
The number of chaplaincies now Of
fered the Catholic church in the regu-
lar and new national Army is one hun
dred and seventy-six. We now have
sixteen in the service, which leaves
one hundred and sixty vacancies still
to be filled.
There are now on file at the War
Department sixty applications for
these positions, which leaves a bal
ance of one hundred still to be applied
for. Letters are now being mailed to
members of the Hierarchy, who have
not yet furnished their quota, asking
them for candidates for these posi-
lions.
It's interesting in this connection to
know that one of the biggest pieces of
| legislation ever put through was the
repeating of the proviso in the Ma
tional Defense Act Of 1916, stating
that in the appointment of chaplains
IN the Regular Army preference and
priority shall be given to veterans. II
this repeal had not taken place in
June, 1917, the Catholic church would