PAGE FOUR THE JEFFERSONIAN

The Macon Telegraph* and the the ancient laws which were continuously wives in obedience to the law® a foreign Italian ’s “Ne Temere” enforced in England until the complete tri- potentate: ought they hereafter to be allowed umph of the Protestant Reformation caused to vote, serve on juries and hold officce? . them to become obsolete. In other words, ought not the citizen who The necesity which gave to the takes his law from a foreigner, and obeys it, (continued from page one.) birth legisla- tion passed away, and when the need for the to the infraction of our laws and the irreme- that we are not married at all, but are living laws no longer existed, they died a natural diable injury of our citizens, be deprived, by in “filthyconcubinage.” death. law, of the privileges of a loyal citizen ?- Pope Pius IX. used that very language, But if The Telegraph will read Black- The Telegraph is respectfully requested to only a few years ago; and his words are but stone’s comments upon that mass of anti- answer. a repetition of the law and dogma of this papal legislation and consider the abuses it Let it also explain what it means when it forcign-ruled Roman Church. was aimed to correct —and did correct—The says that the church and State question, “as How can The Telegraph say there “is no Telegraph will realize how urgent is similar pertaining to our Catholic brethren, is purely power in heaven, on earth, or in the waters legislation now, when Roman Catholicism has academic yet, and not in any sense dealing under the earth, to force recognition of it,” grown so strong on immigration, rotten poli- with a concrete, materialized fact.” viz., this AY temere law? tics, Jesuit intrigue, the timidity of “busi- Is it academic, when our Catholic brethren That language is extravagant, in view of ness,” the cowardice of daily papers, and the violate the laws of Georgia, and use a por- the fact that the Macon priest found some appalling apathy of the Protestant churches. tion of our public school funds to support power, somewhere, to annul the laws of The Telegraph complains that I assumed it parochial schools, over which the State has no Georgia, and enforce those of a foreign State. “defended the Ne temere decree.” control ? Does The Telegraph really believe that we This language is rather too strong, for I That fact looks to me very much like “a are powerless to defend ourselves from the can not see where such an assumption was concrete, materialized fact.” If it isn’t, what laws of the Pope, when they conflict with our made. keeps it from being so? own ? But The Telegraph did—and does —make Let The Telegraph tell us: perhaps its con- Is The Telegraph willing that this species light of the subject, arguing, in substance, that ception of “a concrete materialized fact,” is of Treason shall go on unchecked and unpun- the effect of the decree on those deserted wives as nebulous as its theory of the legal and ished ? was a private matter with which the State moral rights of wives. Does The Telegraph consent that Catholics and the newspapers had nothing to do. Is it “academic,” when “our Catholic who violate our laws, in obedience to a for- In its second editorial, the position of The brethren” walk off from their Protestant eign- ruler, shall continue to exercise the priv- Telegraph is virtually the same: it says that wives, alleging a foreign law as their excuse ? ileges of loyal citizens? the law will give Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Is it “academic,” when “our Catholic I will not weary our readers by quoting the Boifeuillet some of the money of their hus- brethren” try their cases in their own weeds of the ancient English law’s, which bands, and “what more our laws can be ex- minds, and put aw’ay their Protestant wives, were enacted by Catholic parliaments, ap- pected to do, The Telegraph can not quite with the same ignominy and practical conse- proved by Catholic kings, and administered see.” quences that would have fallen upon them by Catholic judges, against those Catholic Will The Telegraph accept the tender of had they been legally divorced on statutory priests who brought into England any decree, my friendly aid in helping it to “see?” grounds ? Lull. , , etc., from Two pairs of eyes are sometimes better than Is it “academic,” when the papal flag flies the Pope. one; and it may be that an editor "who is also over two homes in Macon, and the Stars and Those laws punished with life-long impris- a lawyer can improve the sight of an editor Stripes are lowered in the dust? onment, the Catholic subjects of the English who never studied law. Is it “academic,” when our Catholic king, who obeyed any such papal decree. What more can the laws of Georgia be ex- brethren virtually say, “To hell with the Does The Telegraph suppose that so great pected to do? supremacy and the laws of Georgia! We a warrier, so w ise a statesman, so just a mon- (1.) They can make it a felony for any take our orders from Italy—and what are you arch as Edward I. of England, would have man to desert his wife, for any reason that going to do about it?" legislated on this matter, had he not realized would, not entitle him to a divorce under exist- It seems to me that home-busting, wife- its profound importance? ing statutes. desertion, and Treason, are concrete, material- He was so devout a Catholic, that he led Will The Telegraph support The Jeffer- ized facts. the last crusade to recover the Hold Land; but sonian in the effort to secure this additional protection to lawful wives? If not, why not? To the wife of Bernard Brown, it was not he gave the Pope to understand that he would academic. not tolerate any priestly interference with the (2.) The laws of Georgia can be broadened civil government of England. to cover the same species of treason that was To the wife of Boifeuillet, it was not His successors were Catholics down to the formally reached and extirpated, by the laws academic. time of Queen Elizabeth, but they rigorously of England. To those innocent ladies, the church and enforced the statutes against just such popish Will The Telegraph aid The Jeffersonian State question of our Catholic brethren was as the Ne temere. in the effort to prevent the enforcement in a heart-breaking, life-blighting “concrete, Most people, of course, have an idea that this State of the laws of the foreign Pope? materialized fact.” Treason means war, or the aiding of the If not, why not? Our Catholic brethren simply put their armed foes of the State. This issue is not confined to Georgia; it church above our State, and brutally, con- Put there is a treason more insidious and touches every State in the Union. temptuously trod upon the laws of the State, more dangerous, and it was which the Under the Ne temere decree, lawful mar- because their church told them to do it. that in Catholic kings of England aimed at with riages have been broken up New Jersey. Will The Telegraph tell us wherein such t \\ccepracnvunire law’s. New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and other doings are purely academic? States. Any citizen who aids in the setting up of Will The Telegraph give us an Such Romanist editors as D. S. Phelan, of illustration a foreign authority and law in our midst—- of what would be more of “a The Western Watchman, jeer at us, and taunt- concrete, in.deadly antagonism to ours— is a traitor at materialized fact,” than the persistent ask, does little old New Jersey viola- heart. ingly “What tion of our public school law, propose to do about it?” and the insolent As every lawyer knows, Blackstone was so trampling upon our. law? What does little old Georgia, propose to much of a Tory and churchman, that Thomas I beg to proposition do about it? put this io The Tele- Jefferson detested his Commentaries, prefer- graph : but, The Telegraph argues that we mustn’t do ring Coke; Blackstone was so stalwart an If the Romanists succeed in anything about it, except pay the abandoned their efforts Englishman and patriot that he devoted a to “make America of wives some alimony. Catholic”—which, lengthy chapter, vibrating with strong feel- course, is possible—the United States would ing. in explanation and encomium of the The Literary Digest, whose managing direc- then have a majority of its citizens obeying Catholic legislation which made it felonious tor is a Roman Catholic, published some time laws made in Rome by the Pope and papal his vari- treason to set up a papal decree within the ago the view of the matter, which is—- ous officers: and the American priests who realm. “The law of the Pope is universal and can control the American Catholics—being the Blackstone seems pleased when he alludes not be expected to conform itself to the dif- sworn subjects of the Pope—would be the to the fact that the Catholic King, Edward ferent laws of the different States.” representatives of a foreign power, enforcing 1., beheaded, an English Catholic who had Does 'The Telegraph endorse that position? foreign laws upon a majority of American brought into England the Pope's excommuni- If not, how does The Telegraph propose to citizens. cation of a fellow citizen. prevent the papal law from subordinating In that event, where would be the Inde- This warrior-staesman recognized the an- ours ? pendence our Revolutionary forefathers archy which would be the consequence of As The Telegraph well knows, an immi- bought with their blood ? permitting a foreign potentate to measure the grant is not allowed to vote, serve on juries, If we value this dearly won Independence, rights and fix the status of Englishmen. hold office, etc., until he takes a solemn oath why not begin now the struggle to preserve To show that I have not given too much renouncing all alegiance to foreign princes it, instead of waiting for the Catholic power attention to this issue, I again beg that The and potentates. - to grow so strong that resistance will plunge to Telegraph will take the trouble read up on Brown and Boifeuillet• k deserted their us into Civil War?