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JT A FRIENDLIER FEELING AMONG GEORGIANS, IRRESPECTIVE OF CREED'
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VOL. IV. NO. 3.
AUGUSTA, GA., FEBRUARY 15, 1923.
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS
OFFER BIG REWARD FOR
PROOF OF ALLEGED OATH
Supreme Directors Say In
famous Document Disturbs
Social Peace—Its Circula
tors Will Be Prosecuted.
Washington—An aggressive cam
paign to oppose the organized
propaganda directed p r i in a r i 1 y
against the Knights of Columbus,
principally by agents of the Ku
Klux Klan and similar organizations,
has been launched by the K. of C„
according to a statement by Supreme
Advocate Luke E. Hart, of St. Louis.
“This campaign,’ said Mr. Hart,
“is purely a defensive act to fur
ther the cause of harmony between
all citizens of the country, of
whatever religious denomination. It
is a fact that a violent wave of re
ligious prejudice is sweeping the
country, mainly as the result of
organized prejudice, the organizers
of which, it is evident, are actuat
ed by mercenary motives.
“Since the infamous oatli falsely
attributed to the fourth degree
membership of the Knights of Co
lumbus first made its appearance,
there has been no more vigorous
circulation of this oath in different
parts of the country than there is
today. On the face of it, the fake
oath is an insult to the intelligence
of even the average prejudiced per
son. It is a fantastic conglomera
tion of the worst things in Eugene
Sue and other writers of diseased
fiction.
Rewards Offered
“So widespread is the circulation
of this foolish and malicious docu
ment that Supreme Knight James
A. Flaherty and the Knights of Co
lumbus supreme hoard of direct
ors have been led to take drastic
measures to check its circulation.
For the first time we have offered
substantial monetary rewards to
anybody who can prove that the al
leged oath is part of any authen
tic ceremonial of the Knights of
Columbus. Five separate deposits of
$5,000 have been made in five
Texas hanks, each $5,000 payable to
anybody who, within GO days, can
deliver proof to unbiased judges
that the alleged oath is genuine.
“The Order is not only thus chal
lenging its vilifiers; but as supreme
advocate, acting by direction of the
supreme knight, it is my duty to
initiate prosecution of persons
against whom evidence has been se
cured that they are circulators of
the bogus oath. One of these per
sons was recently convicted in Tex
as for this criminal libel, and at
the instance of Supreme Warden
David F. Supple another was recent
ly convicted in San Francisco. Suits
will be entered at the earliest pos
sible moment against printers and
publishers of the bogus oath in cer
tain other cities throughout the
United States.
, “So regularly is this oath revived
that it would appear to he a flour
ishing industry. Copies of the oath
the evidence shows, are retailed for
ten cents each, and sold in job lots
at varying prices. The printers of
this wretched forgery usually ad
vertise in their catalogues a com
prehensive list of anti-Catholie pub
lications, the very titles of which
reek of obscenity.
Klan Used Bogus Oath
“Early in the organization of the
Ku Klux Klan it was demonstrated
that recruiting agents of the klan
made use of copies of the K. of C.
bogf. oath. The root of the evil
goes hack to flic time when the
bogus oath was used against a
Catholic in a Pennsylvania political
campaign, subsequent congression
al investigation of the campaign re
sulting in the oath being printed
in the Congressional Record. Now
copies of it contain the legend, from
the Congressional Record, which, to
the qninformed or unintelligent,
gives the spurious document an air
of genuineness. The alleged oath
was simply an exhibit of evidence
in the congressional investigation.
“We do not hesitate to call up
on every member of the Order, up
on every Catholic and upon every
broad-minded fellow-citizen, no mat
ter what his religious denomina
tion, to aid us in running down the
circulators of this malign libel. In
Msgr. Filippi, Mexican
Apostolic Delegate
6 r
This picture of Archbishop
Filippi was taken on board the
Italian liner “America” on which
he sailed to Rome from New
York after being driven from
Mexico by President Obregon
for participating in religious
ceremonies which, as he says in
an interview published else
where on this page, were approv
ed by the governor of the state
in which they were conducted,
and which broke no law.
CATHOLIC MAYOR DEAD
Newport, U. L,—Hon. Patrick
J. Boyle, who wa.i serving his
17th terms as Mayor of this
city, died here today. Mayor
Boyce was born here in I860, at
tended St. Mary’s parochial
school, began work at 17 and
entered politics when a young
man. He was first elected mayor
in 1895. Since then he has been
defeated only four times, each
time succeeded in defeating the
man who had ousted him from
office.
(Continued on page Two)
Author of “The Clansman”
Denounces Ku Klux Klan
New York.—Thomas Dixon,
author of “The Clansman,” vig
orously condemned the modern
Ku Klux Klan in an address here
recently, and declared it had
stolen the livery of the original
order. He was one of several
speakers at a meeting called by
the American Unity League to
discuss ways and means for
combatting the hooded organiza
tion.
He said that when the modern
klan was organized a few years
ago he declined an invitation to
join, warning the organizers
that “if they dared to use the
disguise in a secret oath-bound
order today with the courts of
law working under a civilized
government, the end was sure—
riot, anarchy, bloodshed and
martial law;”
“\Vc have already reached the
riot and bloodshed,” he said,
and unless the thing, is throttled
promptly we are in sight of mar
tial law.”
The original klan was founded
as a weapon against a corrupt
and intolerable tyranny by the
bravest and noblest men of the
South, he said, but the prescrip
tion of the negro races by the
modern klan is inhuman.
The klan assault upon the for
eigner “is the acme of stupidity
and inhumanity,” he said.
“Our fathers blitzed the way
through the wilderness for the
trembling feet of liberty. They
built a beacon on these shores,
flashing its rays of hope to all
the oppressed of the earth.
Shall we, their sons, meet the
humble immigrant of today with
a mask and dagger, and push
him back into hell?.. If this is
100 per cent Americanism, I for.
one spit on it.”
RELIGIOUS TRAINING IN
PUBLIC SCHOOLS URGED
BY ARCHBISHOP HAYES
He Commends Efforts of Late
Protestant Bishop Burch
and Associates for Efforts
In That Direction.
New York—Religious instruction
for public school children was
recommended by the Most Rev. Pat
rick .1. Hayes, Archbishop of New
York, in an address before the
Chapter Theta Pi Alpha of the As
sociation of Catholic Teachers in
the Public Schools at ihe annual re
union in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
Judge Thomas U. T. Grain and
Judge Victor Dowling, who spoke
before Archbishop Hayes, stressed
the fact that much lawlessness and
immorality was due to the failure
of the educational system to make
provision for religions instruction.
The Archbishop read from a letter
which quoted Charles W. Eliot,'
President Emeritus of Harvard, as
declaring to a meeting of Congre-
gationalists that “the-pnblic schools
are desperately in need of religious
teaching.”
“Recause religion is excluded from
the school under the present system
said ihe prelate, “that is no proof
that it is not needed there. I don’t
know what happened to an honest
effort almost two years ago on the
part of both Catholics and Protest
ants, when Bishop Burch was spokes
man before the Board of Education,
hut I think something ought to he
done in the very near future to
formulate a workable plan for im
parting religious instruction. 1 am
glad that you have heard from two
eminent jurists who can tell you
better than 1 tile need for moral
training in the schools.”
The effort of the Inter-Denominat
ional Committee on Week-Day Re-
ligious Instruction two years ago,
was to obtain permission from the
Board of Education to dismiss the
pupils one hour earlier on Wednes
days in order that they might re
ceive religious teaching at their
churches. It met with opposition
from several sources. Some main
tained that such a course, would re
sult in a combination of church and
state that was unconstitutional; that
it would create creed consciousness
among Ihe children; that facilities
were inadequate to care for the 800,-
000 children that would be turned
out in tlie streets and that it would
curtail the school time, ,which was
already insufficient. The movement
made no progress after tiie death
of Bishop Burch in 1920.
Mexican Governor Approved
Of Ceremonies Which Caused
Expulsion of Papal Delegate
FIRST CATHOLIC WOMAN
ELECTED TO CONGRESS
Widow of Congressman No
lan of San Francisco Chosen
to Succeed Him.
San Francisco.—Mrs. Mae Ella
Nolan, widow of the late Con
gressman John J. Nolan, who
was elected last Tuesday to fill
the vacancy created by the
death of her husband, is the
first Catholic woman to he elect-
to the congress of the United
States.
Mrs. Nolan may be the only
woman to have a seat in the
sixty-eighth congress, which
convenes March 4 th, as Mrs.
Winifred Mason Huck and Miss
Alice Robertson are serving
terms (hat expire with the end
of the present congress. Mrs.
liuck, however, a candidate for
the unexpired term of represen
tative James R. Mann, who died
and may gain a seat in the next
congress. Mrs. Nolan was elect
ed for the unexpirett portion of
her husbknd’s term in the six
ty-seventh congress and will
take her seat in the house upon
her arrival in Washington next
week.
Mrs. Nolan’s election over six
male opponents, the nearest of
whom trailed her by four thou
sand votes, was due largely to
the heiiryt support giver her
candidacy by the ranks of or
ganized labor. Representative
Nolan was an acknowledged la
bor leader in congress and Mr3.
Nolan has announced that she
will pay particular attention to
the endeavor to on the statute
books the measures introduced
by him for the abolition of child
labor. Her familiarity with con
gressional procedure is expect
ed to be a great asset to her.
In her work she will have the
assistance of her sister, Mrs.
Teresa Glynn, who for four years
was secretary to Congressman
Nolan and who, as well as Mrs.
Nolan, is familiar with his legis
lative work.
Mrs. Nolan has one child, Cor
liss, aged 8, who will accompany
her mother to Washington.
There Was No Intended Or
Actual Violation of Law,
Archbishop Filippi Says On
Arrival at Washington.
Nearly Two Million Have Been
Executed By Soviet Government
French Revolution Pales In Contrast With Red Terror In
Russia—Attacks Now Centered On Religion and Church.
But Faith Still Lives In Unhappy Country.
Moscow—The soviet government
of Russia has claimed that it grants
full- religious freedom and liberty
of conscience. Today the soviet
government is employing every
agency at its command to uproot re
ligion and destroy the church. The
Soviet government failed in its at
tack on private property and the
normal processes of economic devel
opment. Communism as a political
system having shown itself a tragic
human coercion employed to prop
agate it, the Bolshevist government
is now preparing its final attack
on its persistent foe—religion and
the church.
This final effort is only the fa
natical continuation of a persecution
that has existed since the Soviet
government came into power. This
government has claimed that since
1917 it lias made the Orthodox
church weaken under the blows of
the fanatical Reds. It claims to
have to its credit, since 1917, 1,500,-
000 executions. Of these, 1,250 have
been bishops and priests. To he
exact, the total number of execu
tions claimed by the Soviet govern
ment to have been carried out un
der its authority is 17GG.I18. The
red terror of the France of '98 pales
in comparison. Prbd homrne, in his
“Crimes of the Revolution” (volume
G, table G) puts the entire number
ol those guillotined, shot, drowned
and otherwise killed, for the whole
of France, at 500,000.
Faith Still Lives
In spite of the Russian Reds’ in
credible record, the faith in Russia
lias not been destroyed. They who
so ruthlessly wielded the sword now
seemingly confess their defeat, and
have sought to make the pen accom
plish what the sword could not.
The propaganda for Sovietism is
now being just as ruthlessly, prose
cuted in schools and in all the insti
tutions that have to do with the ed
ucation of the youth. The help
fulness of the victims and the ab
sence of any counter influence make
one fear the effect on the coming
generation. The propaganda is thor
oughly organized. Trained speakers
go from school to school, teaching
the children the hymns of hate
learned from the writing of Marx,
Lenin, Trotsky, Rucharin, Zinovieff
and Radek.
(Continued on page 8)
Washington D. C—His Excellency
i the Most Rev. Ernesto Filippi, Titu
lar Archbishop of Surdica and Apos
tolic Delegate, to Mexico, has ar
rived here tnroute to Rome, where lie
will report personally to Pope Pius
regarding the incidents which caus
ed the Mexican government to is
sue a decree that he leave that coun
try in scyenty-two hours.
There was neither intended nor
actual violation of the Mexican law
involved in the ceremony at Hie
Mountain ol Cubilete, which was
seized upon by enemies of the
church to demand his expulsion, de
clared Archibshop Filippi in an inter
view given to the N. C. \v. c. News
Service. Governor Madraso of the
state in which the ceremonies were
held approved the program before it
was carried out, Msqr. Filippi, ex
plained. lie further pointed out,
that he had previously participated
in a similar ceremony in the capi
tal itself without a single protest.
Archbishop Fillippi did not parti
cipate in ihe religious procession
held in connection with the cere
monies at Cubilete. This proces
sion took place on the day previous
to his participation in the ceremony
ot tiie blessing of ihe sornerstone
of the provisional church,
Msgr. FUlipi's Statement.
“President Qbrqgon was always
kind and gentle to me, and it is very
hard for me to understand thg rea
son for this drastic measure', v de
clared Archbishop Filippi. “There
was no violation of the law involved.
The Mountain of Cubilete, where the
ceremony of blessing the corner
stone took place, ig private property.
It is not therefore a public place.
Distinguished lawyers corrobomied
tliis opinion. Governor Madraso ap
proved all the ceremonies and com
municated with the Bishop of Leon,
in whose diocese the site of ihe
provisional church is located, assur
ing him that there would he no
question of a violation of law. After
wards, when pressure was exerted
from another quarter, the governor
changed liis views and it was con
tended that the law was violated
because tiie participating prelates
took part in a public procession. I
took no part in the procession, which
occurred on the day previous to the
.day on which I blessed the corner
stone.
“The site on which the ceremony
of blessing Hie cornerstone took
place was a provisional or temporary
chvrch, since a complete church
could not lie expected to exist where
the first stone was beirfg laid. Ac
cording to the contentions now held
it always would be impossible to .
solemnize the religious laying of :i
cornerstone. I participated in a sim
ilar ceremony in the capital itself
in the colony ’del Voile, without
any protest being made.
“Legal opinion was strongly in fa
vor of my right to participate in the
ceremony. One distinguished lawyer
pointed out that according to article
24 of tlie Constitution, public acts'
ol worship can he celebrated in the
churches and in private houses and
declared that the property of an in
dividual should beyond doubt he
considered part of his residence.
Such was the case at the Mountain
of Cubilete.
“Resides, it was pointed out by
this lawyer, we must take into con
sideration the reasons alleged hv
the very authors of these reform
laws for forbidding public acts of
worship. The reasons were that per
sons of different religions might he
hurt by processions and other re
ligious acts in llie public thorough
fares, and, moreover, that they wish
ed to avoid any disagreement or fric
tion whatever. None of these cir
cumstances existed in the case unde;
Consideration. There, on .private
property, a inuitiulde of persons of
Ihe same religious belief gatherer
for a popular and religious cere,
(Continued on Rage 2.)