New-York daily tribune., 1854-08-29
CATHOLIC pRELxTEs AND GRoGsHops.

The Frtemans Journal responds courteous'y 70 our
former article this subject. Deeming the subject
of very great Importance, We reprint The Journals
response entire in another column, where it is re-
commended TO the attention of our readers
In rejoinng to this manifesto OF The Freeman's
Journal, let US begin by assuring our contemporary
that his guess as to the authorship Of two recent
Editorials in THE TRIBUNE beside being impertinent,
is sadly at fault since neither Of them was written
by the person indicated. But they were both writ
ten by Editors of The TRIBUNE, and THE TRIBUNE
has in no manner disowned tbem-then why go be-
hind it IN discussing them Their justice or injus-
tice concerns the public; their authorship is of no
importance If there is any inconsistency between
critieisng the doubtless well mean undertaking of
an Archbishop TO preserve the peace Of our City by
bis proclamation, and urging him and his brethren to
endeavor to cleanse their focks of the sin and shame
of being the chief dispensers of liquid poison and
Madness the public will perceive it aud censure
cordingly. Wewill not argue the point.
Let us clearly understand each other:
There is no question between us and The Journal
as to the po,eer of the Catholic Clergy in the premises
Nayit is precisely because we know that the Bish-
ops and Priests hare ample power to suppress the
ercise it, If they had no such power, they would
rest under such tremendous responsibility. Nor
have we ever intimated that the Catholic Clergy
are " Indifferent" to the existence of drunkenness
and consequent crime among their people. They
would be very poor Catholics not to say Christians
if they were. For certainly they must feel that the
addiction of Catholics to rum selling and drink
ing is one fruitful Of the very general aud in.
tense aversion to Catholicism among even that portion
of our people who cherish little regard for sectaran
division. and distinctions. The fact that the Catho
lies OF this country keep great many grOgshops
and sell more liquor IA proportion to their number
than any other denomination, creates and keeps alive
very strong prejudice against them. Rum-seing is
not generally respected among us, even by rumlrnk
ers; and when it is seen that denomination which
numbers less than one-sxth Of our population keeps
twothrds of the erogshops where grogshops toll
Grated and sells most of the liquor in stealthy viola
ton of law where selling is legally interdicted,
the growth of strong popular prejudice against that
is inevitable.
The Journal says the Catholic Church can and does
forbid drunkenness and the use of ntoxc ,tng drinks
by those who drink too much, aud the sale OF liquors
to any who will use them immoderately. And yet, in
defiance of these powers, it is certain and obvious
that many Catholics do drink too much and sell to
such as habitualy intOxicate themselves. There are
at this hour hundreds Of Catholics in the prisons and
charitable establishments pertaining to this City who
would have been independent, useful, respected cit-
zens, but for Liquor. Hundreds of Catholic wives
annually testify in our police Offices and criminal
courts that their husbands, who are arraigned for
xbavx ha Ei,A trai1.
behaving consents 'if it was mt for the drink 1t
s quor-maddeniDg, brutalizng, evil-incting liquor
which fills so many Catholic as well as Other) homes
with discord and violence, darkens newspaper col
umns with 80 many accounts Of Irish rows brawls
and fsction-fghts, fills our prisons with Irish cu
prits and makes the gallows hideous with so many
Catholic murderers. For while the Foregn-born
population of country is scarcely sixth of the
whole number appears that large majority of the
crimes against lfe-at least in the Free Statcs-are
by this fraction, and most Of the cuprits
evince by their choice of spiritual advisers that they
are Catholics.
These facts-and we deeply regret that
they are facts, since they tend strongly to
strengthen and difuse that bitter prejudice against
Catholics as class which is now impelling thousands
to misguided and unrepubcau crusade against their
Political franchses-prove very clearly to our mind
that the vast power OF the Catholic priesthood over
the pursuits and habits of their people with respect to
Intoxicating Liquors is not rseIy exercised. Is not
this conclusion justified by the facts Here is ter
rbe evil in our midst here is class of our people
who do more than any other to extend and perpetuste
it; here the spiritual guides of that class who
have ample power. as their organ justly asserts to
keep them within the pale Of virtue and safety But
do hey' Let the records of every criminal court,
every aims house every prison. make answer!
1t is precisely because the Catholic Clergy possess
80 great and peculiar power-power over class
who are almost mperyious to other refornstory in
fuence than thers-but power which has net hitherto
been so exerted as 10 Danish or sensby modify the
evils it controDts-that We have ventured 70 suggest
to that Clergy the adoption Of different and more deci
awe measures. We have asked them not to Join
Temperance Societies nor vote for Temperance can.
didates nor favor Prohibtory laws but to use their
moral power decisively to effect a great moral re.
formation. We do not ask them to stop Rpm-seling
and Rum drinking by their people in our way, nor in
any particular way, but in some way. Surely it
needs no further experience to convince them that 90
long as Rum selling and Rum. drinking by Catholic,
are allowed and upheld so long will they be fruitful
sources of Catholic poverty misery vice. crime and
diseredt-so long will they be nsuper.be obstacles to
the consideration, even, Of Catholic doctrines by the
great body Of the American People. This, certainly,
is no part Of our objection to the attitude of the tn
ole Clergy with regard to the Temperance Ii.
butwe think it should have some weight with them
therefore we urge it.
lhe hepaohcdn Of last evening announces that Mr. p
Apn viii hencecrth be attached to its editorial staff and