The Catholic Controversy in New York City

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jul 27, 1916

The Catholic Controversy in New York City

For several weeks there has been waged in New York City a spirited controversy between Mayor Mitchel and some of the representatives of the Roman Catholic Church. The Christian Advocate of June 8, 1916, presents this statement of the conditions leading up to the difficulty :—

“The city’s method of providing for a large proportion of its poor and unfortunate is by paying for their care in private institutions, many of them under the control of religious organizations, and the larger number conducted by the Roman Catholic Church. Questions having arisen as to this expenditure of the tax money, Governor Whitman appointed an able lawyer of this city, Mr. Charles H. Strong, a man of unusual fairness of mind and of incorruptible integrity, to take testimony as to the manner in which the institutions receiving the city’s money were performing their services. The commissioner soon had the town about his ears. Evidence of scandalous conditions was brought before him, and published in the newspapers. Catholic homes were among those involved. That was enough to precipitate a storm of priestly abuse upon the commissioner. Anonymous pamphlets began to circulate. The Holy Name Societies were stirred up to petition the governor to call off the inquiry. Open threats were made that the Catholics would remember at the polls what was taking place in the commissioner’s room.”

“At this stage the mayor authorized the police to ‘tap the telephone wires’ in order to ‘listen in’ at conversations with certain officials of the Catholic charities, who were suspected of conspiring to obstruct the work of the governor’s commission. As soon as this was known, the Catholic forces turned their streams of liquid fire upon the mayor, who is of that communion. His action was bitterly denounced, and the governor has even been asked to depose him from his office.”