St. Louis, Mo., March 22, 1909.
To the President, Secretary, and Officers of the American Red Cross Association:
Gentlemen: The American Federation of Catholic Societies, representing millions of American Catholics, desire official information regarding the dispatch published in the papers of the United States on February 8th, and referring to an appropriation made by your society. The dispatch reads:
“Rome, Feb. 7.—It is officially declared that the American Red Cross, through Ambassador Griscom, has put $250,000 at the disposal of the committee organized by Queen Helena, which has undertaken the establishment of an orphanage to be devoted to the care of children left homeless and without parents by the earthquake disaster.”
THE ENLISTED MEN OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY, MESSINA.
Under date of February 6, 1909, the Civilta Cattolica, published at Rome, states that a national patronage of orphans, under the name of “Queen Helena,” has been erected by decree of the 14th of January, and to it has been granted all legal rights for the protection of orphans who have suffered by the recent calamity or who will need protection on account of any future disaster; that the direct administration of this orphanage is committed to a council, half of whose membership shall be appointed by royal authority and the other half by election or choice of those contributing annually to its support.
In the same paper, the Civilta Cattolica, of February 20, 1909, appears the following: “There has been appointed to the Presidency of the National Committee the Mayor of the first city of Italy, Erneste Nathan, a Hebrew, a very bitter enemy of Catholicism.” The same issue states that the National Committee has appointed three women to take charge of “Patronato Nazionale Regina Elene,” namely, Turin, an unknown woman, a Socialist and Freemason; Labriola, a Protestant woman (a Valdensian Protestant), and Levi, a Jewess. To them was confided the care of all orphans brought to Naples from the scene of the disaster. This charge was taken from the Nepolitan authorities because they were good Catholics.
The Civilta Cattolica states: “It is evident from the entire policy of the National Committee that the Pope was refused all voice in the disposition of the orphans. He never entered into the committee’s consideration, except that it is trying and succeeding in hampering his efforts everywhere, for instance:
1. The government, i. e., the National Committee, refused to send any of the wounded to the hospital of Santa Marta in Rome, so that the Knights of Malta have to make up a train themselves to go to Naples in order to get the wounded.