Newspaper Page Text
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
8
THE BULLETIN
The Official Organ of the Catholic Laymen’s Asso
ciation of Georgia.
Published Monthly by the Publicity Department.
409 Herald Building, Augusta, Georgia.
Subscription Price—$2.00 Per Year.
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS FOR 1921-1922
P. H. Rice, Augusta President
Col. P. H. Callahan, Louisville, Ky.. .Hon. Vice-Pres.
J. J. Haverty, Atlanta First Vice-Pres.
J. B. MeCallum, Atlanta Secretary
Thomas S. Gray, Augusta .Treasurer
Richard Reid, Augusta—Editor & Publicity Director
Miss Cecile C. Perry, Augusta. . . Asst. Pub. Director
VOL. II. OCTOBER, 1921 No. 11
ANOTHER PLOT UNEARTHED!
Again we quote the Columbia Sentinel. Its editor
was working in his office in Washington, one he
occupies oy virtue of bis position as tne Junior
Senator from Georgia. A young man came in and
told him that Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus
were having all the Masons and Protestants dis
charged from the government departments. The
interview ended when the great statesman arose—
but let him tell it: “Our grey eyes met, and I
said to him—
“ ‘My life is in much greater danger than yours.
My devoted friend, Sam Askew, of Atlanta, called
me up on the long distance telephone a few nights
ago, and warned me that the 4th Degree K. of C.
had deputized a man to come here and assassinate
me.’ ”
The young man offered himself as a bodyguard
for the Senator, but the brave man refused. He
even turned down an offer of a pistol with which
he might protect himself. Precautions against as
sassination are useless, according to his view, but:
“Pm not afraid of anything, or anyone,” he de
clared.
The Junior Senator from Georgia has been the
self-confessed object of more plots that any man
since the days when disposing of emperors was the
favorite outdoor sport of tottering Rome, yet he
is still doing much better than sitting up and tak
ing nourishment.
Don’t worry, Mr. Senator. This ALLEGED plot
against you will do you no more harm than your
recent and very real one against certain officials of
the Catholic Laymen’s Association of Georgia has
done them thus far.
A TWO-EDGED ORDINANCE
An ordinance which would make it unlawful for
“any priest, bishop, archibishop, prelate, preacher,
pope, minister of the gospil, pastor or any other per
sons” to conduct services at which both white and
colored people' attend was rejected by the ordinance
committee of the Atlanta City Council late in Sept
ember.
The ordinance, which was aimed directly at Cath
olics, was introduced by a councilman whose only
purpose in City Council seems to be to stir up re
ligious bigotry.
In rejecting the ordinance, the committee of Coun
cil pointed out that if adopted it would prevent the
negro ministers of Atlanta from attending the an
nual Bible conference at the Baptist Tabernacle.
If our Protestant brethren would take the time to
reason it out, they would find that a movement
against Catholics is, even though unwittingly, a
movement against them also. If anti-Catholics were
successful, they would destroy not only the Catholic
Church, but all religion as well. They are not only
anti-Catholic, but anti-religious in the last analysis.
THE VEASEY BILL
‘‘ty ’T
The Veasey Bill was passed a few years back to
correct the unspeakable conditions alleged by the
anti-bigot of our country to be existing in the Catho
lic convents of Georgia.
The bill has been in effect a number of years now,
and, even in places where the anti-Catholic feeling
is strong, it has revealed nothing that is not credit
able to Catholics.
The Junior Senator from Georgia some time
ago expressed to the Governor of Georgia, accord
ing to the Governor’s own words as quoted in the
Atlanta Journal of September 26, a fear that the
law was not being enforced, especially in Chatham
County, and suggested that the matter be taken up
with the solicitor of the Savannah judicial circuit.
This Governor Hardwick eventually did. He was
informed by Solicitor General Walter C. Hartridge
of Savannah that there had been an “absolute com
pliance in this county with the provisions of the
Veasey Act on the part of the officials of the County.”
The correspondence between Governor Harwick
and Solicitor Hartridge was given out for publi
cation by the Governor to allay “a spirit of in
tolerance and religious prejudice in Georgia.”
Where are the revelations promised by the backers
of the Veasey Bill? To date they have blamed the
lack of them on the non-enforcement of the act.
But the Governor of the State, elected chiefly by
their votes, states it is being enforced. What have
they to say now?
HARMFUL INTOLERANCE
(FROM THE ATLANTA JOURNAL)
The mayor did well to veto council’s silly resolu
tions of September 19. To have approved them
would have made the city government ridiculous.
As private individuals, be it readily granted, mem
bers of council may entertain what views they will
of this or that church, but as public servants of a
free government they should hold themselves above
even suspicions of religious animosities. Unhappily,
however, some appear to have mistaken twentieth
century Atlanta for seventeenth century Boston, and
to have worked themselves into the very passion that
banished Roger Williams and hanged harmless Quak
ers because they would not bow their consciences to
Puritan bigots. Wherever, whenever, by whomso
ever practiced, presecution for religious belief is
wrong, all-American, unchristian, and dangerous to
basic human rights.
As good Atlantans and good Americans let us have
a speedy end to all that smacks of this evil. Let
us work together for the commonwealth as citizens
of one democracy if not as sons of one Father in
heaven. And let council set an example of render
ing unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.