Temporary record

John Warnock Echols was a Pennsylvania lawyer, Supreme President of the American Protective Association (early 1890s), publisher of the Washington Republic (1890s), and a Freemason. During his presidency, the APA wielded considerable power in political and publishing circles on the strength of a platform advocating separation of church and state (exclusion of Catholics), restriction of immigration, free non-sectarian (non-Catholic) education, and an extreme version of "American" patriotism. The organization was successful in gaining control of local Republican organizations in the early and mid-1890s, but fell apart over the question of supporting McKinley for President in 1896. The APA lingered on until 1911, though its support was limited.

Scope and contents:

This collection includes items relating to John Echols during his tenure as APA President. Included are several letters of recommendation for Echols for Attourney General of the state of Pennsylvania, a letter of support for him as APA President (1898), an Echols letter of support for Dr. George duBose (caught in political factionalism between northerners and southerners), an Echols speech on "National Destiny," a copy of the APA constitution, and a Washington Post obituary of Echols, and two APA fliers. The fliers are both nationalistic tirades relating to the elections of 1896: one asks APA members to assure that their representatives in Washnigton vote "American," and the other is a reproduction of a Washington Evening Star article critical of William Jennings Bryan, intimating Papist sentiments and urging a vote against him.

M-2475

American Protective Association
Bryan, William Jennings, 1860-1925
Catholics--United States
Nationalism--United States
Pennsylvania--Politics and government
Presidents--United States--Election--1896
Republican Party
United States--Politics and government--1893-1897

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