McMaster has most probably seen and read parts of Balte's Pastoral of February 23, 1879, of those papers proscribed on the list, McMaster's paper is the only one having the sympathy of Baltes and of his priests. At Rome the previous summer, Baltes found that McMaster had many warm friends there but they found the same general faults in him which Baltes finds. Several of McMaster's best friends asked Baltes to meet McMaster and remonstrate with him on these faults but Baltes could not answer them on this because he is not acquainted with McMaster, and had no idea how such remonstrances would be received. Baltes will tell McMaster the rest of this if they ever meet each other. The object of this letter is to try to bring about a reconciliation between McMaster and those who have disapproved of his course in relation to the Bishops of the U.S. If this end is not accomplished it will be because McMaster does not wish it, but if the course of the paper is changed in this regard McMaster will become the favorite editor of the Bishops. The approbation of Cardinal John McCloskey may even be secured for the paper, and if Baltes was assured that a trip by him to New York would gain this end, he would undertake that trip even though he has no other business in the East during the winter. He asks that none of the contents of the letter be published and that it be burned if McMaster does not admire the proposal. P.S. A clergy man has just informed Baltes that Cardinal McCloskey has already approved the Freeman's Journal and so the difficulty can be easily settled. McMaster notes on the back of this letter that Bishop Baltes was totally mistaken in his statement and that his conduct was disapproved by Cardinal Simooni, Prefect of Propaganda. This notation is initialed by McMaster. :: I-2-c A.L. 3pp. 8vo.