The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-04-09
COUCHLIN LIED
ABOUT SPEECH,
JOHNSON SAYS
General Denies Accusation
He Called Poor Rats
and Cry Babies
BY HUGH S. JOHNSON,

WASHINGTON, April q what
hurts me in this Coughlin contro-
yersv are letters from poor people
who complain that l called theIi
rats and CRY babies, that am Oh
tho side of the moneyed interests
and against the Catholic church.
They say I know nothing about the
suferings Of the poor.
They neither contest my aTgu-
mont nor refer to Coughllns. 1heS
are ALI emotional. Some signing
"Coughlinites" are highly obscene
This kind Of stuff is more than ~
nar cent of the only unfavoraoie
reaction got.
NV speech was printed and re-
corded on a photograph as spoken
Il called nobody rats or cry babes
II was as emphatic and as sympa-
thetic with social wrongs as any
thing Coughlin ever said. He useo
his radio privilege and his priest
hood TO tell trusting hearers that l
had called them these names. Inc
record proves this untrue.
am told that both OF my
speeches were approved by about
95- per cent of the Catholic priest
hood and most of the Catholic lalty.
He Knows Poverty
I tried to tell in my book plain
tale of a restitution, deeper than
this. suffered in my boyhood with
no aid from government or else
where.
I am not kicking about criticism.
got so much in NRA from the other
side-the moneyed interests which
Coughlin falsely says 1 now repre-
sent-that 1 developed the hide of
an elephant. I think can take it.
doubt if anybody ever took more.
My kick is that a priest, upon
whose statement of fact 22,00O,OOO
Americans have been taught from
their cradles to rely as gospel,
sshould abuse that sacred confidence
to turn wrath against his adver-
sary in argument by bare-faced
lie.
My protest was of his support
Ing political discussion with the
emotional appeal of religion. There
now appears the exact reverse OF
that. 1 have a letter to a priest,
purported to be signed by Coughlin,
advising that the best way to secure
converts to the Catholic faith is
for this priest to enroll members in
Coughlin's Union for Social Justice
first religion to influence politics
and now politics to influence re-
lgion.
Scores Religious PROSECUTING"
I condemn the Mexican persecu-
ton of Catholic priests. think it IS
a move in an effort to take church
property. But it is attempted to be
excused on the charge that priests
try to put religion behind a politi
cal attack on the Mexican govern
ment. I don't believe that, because
/ positively know that neither the
church nor any priest in the United
States has ever done that, even in
1873, when the provocation was eX-
IRENE Coughlin is now creating an
exception to this rule.
know that the church and nearly
all priests deplore this, but it is now
assuming the proportions of a chal-
lenge.
Individual Catholics - either
priests or laity-can talk and think
and vote as they please and join any
parry they choose. But it is quite
another matter for a priest to use
his office and his church to organize
and lead a political party to create
class warfare. buttreSsing every eff
Tort with religious appeal and an
nouncing an aim to change the eco
nomic system of the United States.
1t is even a worse thing to use that
party to proselyte for his religion.