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THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN'S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
Your particular attention is directed to the
matter under the head: “Some Very Interesting
Editorial Notes on State and National Affairs,”
which reads as follows:
The National Congress of Mothers, as
sembled at Washington, April 27th, filed a
plea for “missing girls.”
We learn that sixty-five thousand girls
disappeared from their homes last year,
and nothing is known of their whereabouts.
A great majority of these girls were cap
tured by Catholic Priests and sentenced to
slavery in the Houses of the Good Shepherd,
etc.
In Keiley’s establishment, at Savannah,
Ga.j, there may probably be a score or more
of those “missing girls.”
The laws of Georgia require that Bishop
Keiley’s slave pen be inspected by officers of
the courts of Chatham County, but the
Bishop of Savannah informs us that he gets
his law from Rome, and, therefore, he can
not recognize laws made in this country.
The question is, Shall Bishop Keiley be
permitted to continue to laugh at our laws?
Catholic Priests have no right to lure
innocent girls into captivity, where they be
come victims of Priestly immorality.
The Bishop of Savannah has no right to run
a “peonage farm” within his jurisdiction.”
Sixty-five thousand girls are lost in our
big cities each year; they fall into traps set
for them by Rome.
Our laws owe them protection. Priests
who are not permitted to marry, should not
be allowed to capture young maidens and
use them to satisfy lustful desires.
You will observe that the leading article is
an attack on President Harding, in which it is
said that “it remains to be seen _ whether the
people of this country will be blinded by the
hypocricies and false pretenses of Warren, G.
Harding, as they were by those of Woodrow Wil
son,” and that “the Roman Catholic Church dic
tates to Harding just as it dictated to Wilson.”
You will note the announcement in bold
faced type at the bottom of the page referring
all communications to the editor, the managing
editor and a staff writer to the United States
Senate Office Building, Washington, D. C.
We felt that the colleagues of the Junior Sen
ator from Georgia would appreciate having
these facts called to their attention.
Sincerely yours,
RICHARD REID,
Publicity Director.
Catholic Laymen’s Association of Georgia.
(Copy of this communication to the Junior Sen
ator from Georgia).
MOTHERS’ CONGRESS OFFICIAL CONDEMNS LIBEL
(By N. C. W. C. News Service)
Washington, June 13.—Statements in an article
printed in Senator Thomas E. Watson’s paper, The
Sentinel, attempting to link up the National Con
gress of Mothers with slanderous statements con
cerning the Houses of the Good Shepherd, have
aroused the indignation of officials of the Congress.
The article, after mentioning that the National
Congress of Mothers during their convention in
Washington in April, discussed the problem of the
disappearance of sixty-five thousand girls during
the past year; makes the astounding allegation that:
“A great majority of these girls were captured by
Catholic priests and sentenced to slavery in the
Houses of the Good Shepherd, etc.”
Mrs. Arthur C. Watkins, National Executive Sec
retary of the Congress of Mothers and Parent-Teach
er Association expressed surprise and indignation
when the article was brought to her attention. She
characterized the insinuations as ridiculous, but ex
pressed the fear that their publication might have
an undesirable effect when read by an ignorant and
bigoted population.
She was indignant at the attempt to link up the
National Congress of Mothers with the slanderous
allegations, saying that there was evidently an in
tention to represent the Congress as in a position
which it had no intention of taking.
“The allegations regarding the Houses of the Good
Shepherd are, of course, too ridiculous to merit se
rious discussion,” said Mrs. Watkins. “The infam
ous part of the matter is the attempt to represent the
National Congress of Mothers as endorsing these
charges, or even as considering them seriously.”
Mrs. Wafkins then declared that a considerable
number of the Parent-Teacher Associations affiliated
with the National Congress are parochial school
units and that the national organization is anxious
to secure the affiliation of more such units.
The matter is being brought to the attention of
other national officers of the Congress by Mrs. Wat
kins and the national headquarters is taking steps
to inform its affiliated organizations in Georgia of
the absolute falsity of the insinuations contained in
the article.
GEORGIA EDITORS NOTIFIED OF ACTION OF CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S
ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
high office which the editor holds at Washing
ton, his opinion of our Georgia institutions
should be brought to the attention of his col
leagues. We feel also that it should be brought
to your attention, as it cannot help the good
name of our State in addition to the talk about
lynchings and peonage, to have it said and
vouched for by one of our United States Sena
tors that we" tolerate a white girl slave pen
within our borders.
Insofar as the article was aimed at Catholics,
it could safely be ignored. Very much the same
scandalous nonsense has been repeatedly printed
in papers published by the present Editor of The
Sentinel and they have always been ignored by
us. We have never felt that we need defend
ourselves from a man who is not honest in his
(Continued on Page 9)
The Publicity Bureau of the Catholic Laymen’s
Association of Georgia is sending out the following
letter to the Georgia editors:
Dear Editor:
Enclosed is a copy of a letter, the original of
which has been sent to each of the United States
Senators.
This action was taken as a result of a meet
ing of the Laymen’s Association held Sunday,
June 5th, in Savannah, for the purpose of con
sidering the latest diatribe of the Junior Sena
tor from Georgia against the institutions of our
State.
While the animus of the article in the Colum
bia Sentinel is cloaked in the guise of an at
tack on Bishop Keiley, it is really an impeach
ment of the integrity of our courts and grand
juries. Our Association felt that in view of the