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THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA 7 GEORGIA’S JUNIOR SENATOR ASSUMES RESPONSIBILITY FOR LIBEL (By N. C. W. C. News Service) Washington, D. C., June 30.—Senator Thomas E. Watson, of Georgia, in the latest issue of his weekly publication, “The Columbia Sentinel,” has assumed personal responsibility for all the charges made against the Catholic clergy and Sisterhoods in a previous edition of his paper, and adds new charges. One of these editorial charges is the following: ‘‘When Mr. Harding named the Romanist priest of Marion, Ohio, for the consulship at Rome, it seemed to me that the President was virtually send ing an envoy to the Vatican, but there was no evi dence which could be produced, and it would have been useless to have raised a row over the appoint ment. “I am in a minority; in a minority, common sense is my guide, and I do not intend to waste time and strength on small, doubtful matters. “If it should hereafter become evident that the Marion priest is meddling with our foreign affairs m Rome, I will be heard from, you may be sure.” President Harding has not named or appointed a Catholic priest of Marion, Ohio, or any other city or place, as consul at Rome or elsewhere. The post of American Consul General at Rome is held by Fran cis B. Keene, of Milwaukee, who was appointed by President Wilson in June, 1917. Mr. Keene is not a priest; he is not a Catholic. None of the four American vice-consuls in Rome is a priest. As a member of the Senate, Mr. Watson must have known that President Harding had not ap pointed a priest as consul at Rome; that no appoint ment of any one had yet been made as successor to Mr. Keene, or any of his vice-consuls. The appoint ment of a consul at Rome would have required con firmation by the Senate, and as a member of that body Senator Watson would have known the identity, the calling and all the facts about the President’s nominee. Senator Watson in his latest tirade devotes four paragraphs to a virulent assault on Richard Reid, publicity director of the Georgia Laymen’s Asso ciation. He is resentful toward Mr. Reid for send ing to the President and to members of Congress “The Sentinel’s” outrageous attack on the Good Shepherd Sisterhood and on the priests of the coun try. Only Senator Watson knows what he had in mind when he wrote the following: “Have a care, Mr. Richard Reid! “If you inflame any one of your murder gang to attack me here in Washington, what do you sup pose my Augusta friends will do to you?” Mr. Reid’s activity has' been wholly confined to sending to the President and members of Congress copies of Watson’s own slanders. He will continue to keep them posted on the Georgia Senator’s defa mations. In the latest issue Of his paper Senator Watson also continues his abuse of President Harding. SENATOR WILLIAMS OF MISSISSIPPI INTERESTED IN COLLEAGUE’S CHARGES The letters sent out to the members of the United States Senate, the Vice-President and the President, accompanied by copies of the Columbia Sentinel, edited by the Junior Senator from Georgia, were honored by numerous replies and by one inquiry. The inquiry came from Senator John Sharp Wil liams, of Mississippi, who wrote to the publicity man ager in part as follows: “I confess I do not know how to answer it, unless I can get a reply to one question; is it true that Bishop Keiley, or the Bishop of Savannah, refuses to permit the Keiley estab- lishment at Savannah to be inspected by the officers of the courts of Chatham County? I would like to have an answer, yes, or no, to that question; and I am not asking it for purposes of argument, but for information; because I don’t know. If it be true that there be in the United States any sort of an in stitution, pretending to have a right to defy the inspection laws of a state, that institution ought to be put out of existence, root and branch. I can not believe the statement can be true 1 , because I can not conceive of such insolent treason to American insti tutions. I shall hold your letter upon my desk for further consideration until I have heard more from you. “With every expression of regard, “Very truly yours, (Signed) “John Sharp Wiliams.” The Bureau’s Answer. The letter from the Publicity Bureau to Senator Williams follows: “Hon. John Sharp Williams, “United States Senate, “Dear Sir: Your letter of June 16th in answer to our letter of June 13th calling your attention to a recent article in the paper of the Junior Senator from Georgia impugning the integrity of the Geor gia courts and grand juries in regard to the inspec tion of convents, is received. “lou inquire whether or not it is true ‘that Bishop Keiley, or the Bishop of Savannah’ refuses to per mit the Keiley establishment at Savannah to be in spected by officers of the courts of Chatham County.’ “It is not true. The grand juries of Chatham County have regularly inspected all of the institu tions whose inspection is provided for by the Geor gia law each term of court since the law was de clared valid three years ago, and the reports of the grand juries showing such inspection and its results have been regularly published in the papers of Sa vannah. Grand Jury Report. “Enclosed herewith is a marked copy of the Sa vannah Press of May 24, 1921, containing the report of the Chatham County Grand Jury for the spring term of this year, which shows the latest of such inspections. The pertinent part of the report reads as follows: “ ‘Savannah, Ga., “ ‘May 20, 1921. “ ‘Hon. J. J. Cummings, “ ‘Foreman Grand Jury, “ ‘Chatham County, Georgia. “ ‘Dear Sir: Your Committee, appointed under the Veasey Act, has visited the various institutions sup posed to be covered by this law, and beg to submit detailed report as follows: “ ‘The St. Mary’s Home, St, Francis’ Home and the Little Sisters of the Poor were all found in ex cellent condition in every respect and inmates receiv*- ing best attention. (Continued on Page 15)