Stands By Miss Johnson

STANDS BY MISS JOHNSON

Letter Written the Editor of the Omega

CARLOS MARIA LOPEZ

Condemns Philippine Friars -- Father Kelly Says Letter is Not German to Point at Issue

The following letter addressed to the editor of the Omega was sent to the Argus on Friday of last week:

Dear Sir: -- I have read Miss Johnson's letter from the Philippines and wish hereby to endorse all she says. I am a Catholic, and know the Lengayen district even better than Judge Johnson's family, because I was born there. While we regret the existence among the lower classes of the superstitions and degrading practices to which all truthful correspondents allude, we are convinced that the admission of the facts is no insult to religion, nor calumny of its followers.

All Philipinos, high and low, are Catholics. The educated class abhors the foul friars, and rejoices that the Vatican, assisted by the United States delegates and commissioners, will soon eradicate them and their teachings from our country. Our hope is in good, sound religion and clean, upright clergy, such as exist here. When the public schools introduced by the American government shall have been in operation a few years, and the effects of Spanish intolerance erased, we have reason to expect that even the humblest classes in every district will enjoy the benefits of the enlightenment that will follow.

CARLOS MARIA LOPEZ.

Cleveland, June 23.

The Miss Johnson referred to in the letter is the young woman whose letter from the Philippines appeared in the last annual issue of the Omega, the high school publication, and is the letter which the Rev. E. D. Kelly, of St. Thomas church criticized from the pulpit last Sunday. The letter was printed in full in the Argus on Monday last. When Father Kelly was shown the above communication from Carlos Maria Lopez, he said:

"This letter is wholly irrelevant to the point at issue. I had nothing to say of the friars in my rebuke of Miss Johnson's letter, which was printed in the Omega. I contended that the Filipinos were not idolators and I still hold to that position. The Lopez letter is not at all german to the question involved in my review of Miss Johnson's letter, consequently I do not feel that I should say anything further about it."