Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-10-23

the border of these camps into the
! back streets and into the alleyways
every Presbyterian, every Method
ist and every Baptist and every 9th
er Protestant church, if there be any
evidence in the possession Of Gov
/ ernor Walker to sustain this charge,
l now sOlemnly call upon HIM to
produce it in any forum of his own
choosing and before any tribunal
! made up of the Protestant ministry
that he may see fit to designate. At
the trial of this matter, | shall ask
for the production of no witnesses
in my own behalf save the secretary
of war and the officers OF the army
and navy who handled this charac-
ter of war activity.
Further, 1 wish to say to Cover
nor Walker that [ am willing to
meet him face to face in any part
of Georgia and to say to him in the
presence of his own people what l
am now stating, that the charge
that the Catholic church in the
slightest degree, in any way during
! my time in the White House, sought
to influence my conduct in this or
any other matter is deliberately
false. There was only one time that
| endeavored to play a part in these
matters, but that effort was not in
! aid of my own church. When crit
icisms were directed at the Wilson
administration by representatives of
the Order Of Free Masons that this
order was Disseminated against in
the matter of war activities, eX-Jus-
tice Scudder, Of Brooklyn, N. Y, con-
ferred with me regarding the matter.
| Frankly, L sympathized with the
. mission which brought Judge Scud-
der to the White House and ar
ranged a conference with Secretary
Baker.
Beyond that effort, I maintained
a policy Of strict neutrality.
governor Walker spoke of my
driving out of war activities every
Presbyterian, every Methodist and
every Baptist and every other Pro
testant church.. Surely if there be
any foundation to this charge, the
heads of these various churches
must have some knowledge of my
unfriendly activities. L challenSe
Governor Walker to produce one VIII
ness from any of these bodies TO
prove the truth of his statement
Bishop Cranston, of Washington, d
understand is one of the leaders o
the Methodist church, will no.
agree with Governor Walker that
/ ever took any action that resulted
| in driving the Methodists TO the
/ rear in war activities
! Governor Walker, in his Mace
! DOMAIN cry to his brother members
/ of the I<u I<lux Khan, speaks o.
! God, Christian duty and love-
/ beg to say to him that these beau
/ tiful words can never find a perma
nent resting place in the mouth O.
a man who, by his attitude and ut
| terance, is seeking to plant the
seeds of hatred and discord in the
hearts of men.
II. therefore, call upon Governor
| Walker for proof of his charge and
awaiting it, ! hold myself in readi
ness to meet him in Georgia o
| elsewhere. In this way, and in TIM
/ way only, viii these lies that ar
uttered by irresponsible officials b.
relegated forever to the limbo of ut
terly forgotten things. l would tha
1 I possessed the tongue of Henri.
! w. Grady, that beloved son o
Georgia, to denounce this prostitu
ton of leadership, this vulgar abus
of power. [ am hOnored as q Roman
! Catholic to accept the challenge of ;
| southern chief executive who dare
by scurrility 20 asperse the memOr,
of one Of the suuth's distinguished
sons, Woodrow Wilson, whose nObl
achievements in peace and war will
be the precious heritage of all men
| long after his contemplate critic
have pe4n hisse6 from the nationa
state"
aTncEDrI II rUT-NITvr nv -