New-York tribune., 1919-09-26
W ar Begun Begun on
High Costs by
CatholicChl1rch
Hierarchy's Pastoral Letter
Assails ''Monopolistic Ex-
tortion"; Demands More
Strict Federal Regulation
NeW York Tribune
Washington Bureau

Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON. Sept. 25.-Heeding
the call of the Pope, framed in these
words, "Rome now looks to America to
be the leader in all things Catholic and
to set an example to other nations" }"
the hierarchy formally organized to-
day.
The first announcement Of the or
ganization was accompanied by the
statement that joint pastoral letter
over the signatures Of nll the members
of the hierarchy the cardinals, arch
bishops and bishops-would be issued
as early as practicable. The letter
will deal with the most important re-
! ligious, educational social and eco
| tcntion and sympathy of Catholic
authority"
Bishop Shahan, rector of the Cath
olic University here, who acted as
/ spokesman for the hierarchy, said the
letter undoubtedly would embody the
recommendations Of the message on
social reconstruction" issued by four
bishops in the name of the Catholic
War Council. This. letter frankly
faces the present unrest and is regard
cd as the most radical utterance of any
modern church.
Will Meet Every Year
The hierarchy resolved itself into
/ the National Catholic Welfare Coun-
Gil and agreed to meet every year In
the interim an administrative board,
composed of three archbshops and
four bishops, will act in the name ot
the hierarchy.
Subordinate boards or bureaus will
be organized as speedily as is practi
cable. Each OF these will be subject
to episcopal supervision, and the
bishop, who acts as directing bureau
head. also will serve as liaison officer
with the hierarchy, to whom he will
make an annual report. -
trative board is Archbishop Hanna. of
San Francisco. Associated with him
are Archbishops Dougherty Of Phia-
delphia and Dowling, of St. Paul. to-
gethcr with Bishops Muldoon, Of Rock
ford, H.; Canevin, of Pittsburgh; Rue-
sell, of Charleston, and Schrembs. of
Toledo, Ohio.
The activities Of the National Cath
olic Welfare Council will extend into
problems Of education, the relation
of the press and literature to the Cath
olic Church, social service. home and
foreign missions and the Catholic lay
societies.
Has Many Purposes
Bishop Shahan. speaking for the
hierarchy. said the organization had
been decided upon for the purpose of
furthcring the religious, educational
Church in the United States, to aid
the Catholic press and to assist all
recognized activities engaged in for
pirn and home missioner
Cardinal Gibbons presided at the
session Of the hierarchy to-day. Again
the meeting was behind closed doors
Every archbishop of the American
church was present and most of the
bishops. The Right Rev. William A.
Jones, of Porto Rico, attended as q
representative of the church in Amer
ica's colonies.
The activities of the National Cath
Ollie War Council were reviewed by
the hierarchy. The administrative
board of the war council is made up
Of the same four bishops that acted as
a general committee for the present
conference.
Expects Its Adoption
Bishop Shahan when asked whether
there would be any changes in the
recommendations made in the mes
sage OH OOCldl NeCOnStTuCLlON, SAD
ne thought the report would be adopted
substantially as it stood and embodied
in the pastoral. But it was learned
later that a special committee is en-
gagged in the work of surveying the
steel strike situation, and that it's find
ings would have some bearing upon
the text of the pastoral in so far as it
dealt with differences between capital
and labor
Two sub-committces of the hierarchy