The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1872-10-27
The Model Town.

Bessbrook is an Irish manufacturing to wn
near Newry. Its principle founder and |
sole proprietor is. j. G.. Richardson. This
gentleman, with one or two others, founded
the Bessbrook Spinning Company, and
erected there the Bessbrook Mills. The
factory has grown SO large that it gives
employment to 5000 hands, most of whom
reside in the neighborhood of the works.
In Bessbrook there is no public house, nor
is there one in any of it's surrounding lands.
There are no police in the place. The
Irish Constabulary, armed, occupy every
town in Ireland, and have barracks for
half a-dozen men each along every road
side but there are no police in Bessbro ok.
Mr.! Richardson alleges that 80 long hs ne
keeps out the public-house they can do
without police but as soon as the tap-room
is introduced they will require the Consta'
bulary. There is no drunkenness in Bess.
b .ook; no quarrsiling, though the inhabi's
ants are all Irish; M theft; no crime; no
| infantieide; in short, the operatives are
models of sobrety and good order. VI
course, it is not meant to be said that they
have not their faults and their failings like
mankind every where, but the town is
wholly free from sad scenes which are to
be met with publicly every night in smaller
nopulatiors. And the population OF Besss
brook is composed entirely of operatives,
while that of many other towns is mixed,
comprising the wealthy and the poor. The
on the question of the absence or presence
of the public house. The results have de-
cidediy confirmed the proprietor IN mis-
resolution, and wonld convince the most
sceptical of the wisdom Of the course he
|. has adopted, if the town were only once Of
twice visited by them. Coupled with the
b exclusion of the drink shops is also the ex
olusion of police and pawn Offices, as al
i. ready referred to I; those follow in the wake
of the dram-shop, and the exclusion OF the
r nublic house renders all the rest unpeces.
3 sary. This is the right Hon. Lord Gland
Hamilton's testimony to the accuracy Of the
, foreoojne state mentp, delivered In q speed
f u,ade iu st. James Hall, London, May 10
4 1870: EST am most heartily with you, ane
{ do rejoice in promoting the great work yee
nave heart Having said thus much, nay
: tbe permitted to mention that, as repre-
: sentative OF tue County Of Tyronnc. IL
o which the sy stem Of permssive prohibition
:. has been tried, and tried with complete
= auccess. my occupying the chair Is some
J. what justified. 1 propose at once to ailud'
to the remarkable success OF restrictioi
i. there. because that success has been mucl
: onestioued. am here, as representing thu
Fconpty. to assure you that the facts statet
y regarding the success OF prohibition Their
r are perfectly accerate. There is distric
q I In that country Of sixty lone square miles
!, inhabited by nearly 10, 600 people, havin
. three great roads com municatipg with mar
q ket towns, in which there are no pnblic
( I houses. entirely osipg 20 the self action c
q the inhabitants. The result has been thai
whereas those highroads were in foIme
Ii times constant scenes Of strifes and drunk
: eness, necessitating the presence of yer
o considerable lumber of police to be locate
: in the dist riot, at present there 10 not Gin
J. ole noIiceman in that district, the poor-rate
Y are half what they were before, and all tn
: police and magistrates testify to the grea
e absence Of crime.