mind ful ▁both ▁of ▁conscience ▁and ▁of ▁duty ." ▁Def enders ▁of ▁the ▁document ▁believe ▁critic izing ▁press ▁freedom ▁was ▁understand able ▁in ▁an ▁age ▁of ▁increasing ▁lib el , ▁s land er , ▁and ▁inc item ents ▁of ▁violence ▁in ▁newsp apers . ▁New sp aper ▁stories ▁of ▁convent s ▁had ▁already ▁infl amed ▁anti - C atholic ▁violence . ▁Further ▁the ▁Spanish – American ▁War , ▁which ▁many ▁C athol ics ▁opposed , ▁was ▁often ▁bl amed ▁on ▁William ▁Rand olph ▁H ear st ' s ▁newsp apers ▁and ▁had ▁occurred ▁a ▁year ▁before ▁the ▁letter . ▁O pp on ents ▁of ▁Test em ▁bene vol ent iae ▁nost ra e ▁believe ▁it ▁displayed ▁an ▁on going ▁V at ican ▁opposition ▁to ▁dem ocracy ▁and ▁progress . ▁ ▁Still , ▁both ▁sides ▁tend ▁to ▁agree ▁that ▁Leo ▁XIII ▁wrote ▁in ▁a ▁less ▁condem n atory ▁or ▁at ▁least ▁more ▁tact ful ▁manner ▁than ▁most ▁of ▁his ▁immediate ▁prede cess ors . ▁Crit ics ▁state ▁this ▁is ▁merely ▁because ▁his ▁immediate ▁prede cess ors ▁were ▁or ▁became ▁str ident ▁reaction aries ▁like ▁Pope ▁P ius ▁IX . ▁Supp or ters ▁c ite ▁the ▁fact ▁that ▁his ▁en cyc lic al ▁on ▁American ism , ▁" Long in qua ", ▁spoke ▁of ▁love ▁for ▁America ▁more ▁than ▁condem n ation ▁of ▁it . ▁ ▁Gib b ons ' ▁response ▁The ▁brief ▁did ▁not ▁assert ▁that ▁He cker ▁and ▁the ▁Americans ▁had ▁held ▁any ▁uns ound ▁doctrine . ▁ ▁Instead , ▁it ▁merely ▁stated