Newspaper Page Text
Xtye, Jeffersonian
Vol. 13, No. 24
WANTS TO KNOW WHAT I WOULD HAVE DONE.
Monticello, Ga., May 17, 1916.
Dear Sir: In the issue for May 18th, as well
as in previous issues, of The Jeffersonian, you
criticise severely President Wilson’s course of
dealing with Germany and with Mexico.
Doubtless, many of your readers would like to
know what better course, in your opinion, the
President might have pursued. Will you kindly
publish in The Jeffersonian what you would have
done, if you had been in President Wilson’s place,
in dealing with Germany and Mexico?
Though I seldom agree with your opinion on
anything, I read most of the editorials in The
Jeffersonian, as I like to know what the op
ponents of the administration are saying. But it
seems to me you should be willing, in justice and
fairness to the President and to your readers, to
tell us, who do not agree with you, just what you
would have done, under each of the trying cir
cumstances in which the President has been
placed and in which you now criticise his actions.
You have denounced freely; but even with the
present advantage of a survey of past events and
the President’s action in each case, tell us plainly
and without evasion, what would, you have done?
Also what would you do with the Mexican situa
tion? And what would you do hereafter with
the German situation, if Germany .should again
Violate the rights of Americans, according so in
ternational law and the dictates of common de
cency and humanity?
Please do not publish this letter, unless you
publish your answers.
Respectfully,
HOLLIS T. POPE.
(Answer.)
Mr. Pope cannot have been a close and
constant reader of Jeffersonian editorials,
f
The Truth as to the Chaplains in the U. S. Navy.
pitOM time to time, The Jeffersonian has
1 published the statement that the status
of Naval Chaplains, as officers, originated
from Romanist activities during recent years.
A constituent of Congressman Padgett, of
Tennessee, took the matter up with him, and
Mr. Padgett replied by saying that the pres
sent status of Chaplains was fixed in 1842.
Feeling sure that Congressman Padgett
had been misinformed, I wrote to the Secre
tary of the Navy, whose testimony would be
official and unassailable.
lion. Josephus Daniels gave me the reply
I expected, and his statements verify my own.
The original Act of 1842 does not elevate
Chaplains to the position of officers in the
flNavy.
The original Act treats them as clergymen,
Rnd nothing else.
They ought never to have been treated in
any other way.
This Government went through the Revo
lutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican
JVar, and the Civil War, without preachers
nd priests in uniform and in command,* as
Officers.
But in 1871, Rome began to recognize the
opportunities that would open to her, if
Thomson, Ga., Thursday, June 8, 1916
Mexico and Germany
else he would know that I never evade a pub
lic question, and never refuse a fair hearing
to both sides.
Answering his queries, will say that, to my
mind, the course that should have been pur
sued with reference to Mexico is plain:
We should not have intermeddled with her
domestic affairs.
If that is not a clear principle of the Law
of Nations, then nothing is clear.
Take for example, the revolution in Por
tugal. There the King was assassinated, and
the monarchy overturned.
The surviyors of the royal family fled to
England, and the monks, Jesuits and nuns
were expelled.
The convents and monasteries were at
tacked, and the Papal gangs everywhere
shrieked about the outrages perpetretrated
upon the ‘‘Fathers” and the “Sisters.”
Some of these Sisters were far advanced in
pregnancy, and others were followed by
Fatherlings, born in the Convents.
The revolution was sudden, and the
“Fathers” did not have time to convince the
impulsive ex-President Roosevelt, that the
heretical bandits begot those children, and
caused the interesting condition of the other
“Sisters.”
There was great confusion in Portugal,
much bloodshed, much destruction of prop
erty.
Although Portugal had been Catholic for
she could advance the Chaplain to the auto
cratic position of Commander.
Therefore, her lobby, backed by Pussy-foot
James Gibbons, persuaded Congress to raise
the Chaplains to rank as follows:
Four to be Captain, Seven to be Com
mander , and not more than seven to be
Lieutenant-Commander.
In 1899, Rome advanced another step: all
the Chaplains were made officers. In 1906,
another change was made, to the advantage
of the Chaplains, in grade, rank, pay and
allowances.
In 1914, (under Tumulty, Gibbons, O’Hern
and Woodrow Wilson) the Democratic Con
gress swept away the limit to the number of
Chaplains, and threw the gate wide open to
the Italian pope.
By the law of 1842, only 24 chaplains could
be appointed.
Under the recent Democratic law, the only
limit to the number of chaplains and salaries,
is the size of the Navy.
The larger the Navy, the more clergymen,
feeding at the public trough, and destroying
freedom of worship.
For every 1250 persons in the Navy and
Marine corps, the churches can claim a
SOO years, or more, the new government
abolished the Confessional, forbade “holy”
street parades, prohibited the priests from
publicly wearing their pagan haberdashery, >.
and closed the Romish churches.
Notwithstanding all this, Spain did not
intermeddle, although Spain adjoins Portu
gal, is a monarchy, is thoroughly Catholic,
and is stronger than her neighbor.
Nor did Austria, another monarchy bound
to Rome, interpose.
Neither in Europe, nor in America was
there shown the slightest disposition to hinder
Portugal from abolishing the Bourbon mon
archy, humbling the Pope’s insolent high
..priests, expelling the Jesuit conspirators, and
closing up the bawdy-house nunneries and
monasteries.
Now, if International Law warrants our
despatching an army into Mexico, why did
not Spain send one into Portugal—or why
didn’t we?
The conditions were the same in both cases.
It will be said that Villa raided across our
border.
Well, he wasn’t Mexico, nor was he the gov-
which we had recognized, and which
we were thereby bound to respect.
England is not holding President Wilson
responsible for the raid on Ireland, which was
planned in New York by American citizens,
and financed by American money.
(continued on page four.)
chaplain, and fasten him to the public
treasury.
Being an officer, order the men to
worship, and they must obey.
Thus, Congress has violated two funda
mental principles:
(1) By putting the churches into tho
State’s treasury.
(2) By raising the churches to a position
where military disciples compels attendance
upon worship.
Os course, Rome always beats the Protest
ant churches, when the Civil Power lets down
the bars, by violating constitutional law.
Rome’s organization being equalled no
where except ~among the Mormons, the Papa
in Italy never fails to get the best of it, in
the long run. .
It is amazing to me that Protestant
churches do not see the danger TO THEM
SELVES, when popish and monarchical
ideals override the principles of democracy
and Protestantism.
For a pitiful mess of pottage, the Protest
ant churches, involved in this Chaplain busi
ness, are selling oui' birthright, won for us by
heroic ancestors who shed their life-blood to
beat back monarchies and Papalism.
L ( CONTINUED ON PAGE SIX.)
Price, Five Ge.its
