St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-04-08
address of BisJ,op Ireland.

OH DCluS Introduced The reYereuu SeulieHdn
proceeded to make one of the most intelli-
gent, trenchant, and able addresses in behalf
of temperance and high license that has ever
been made in this city. The eloquent re
marks of Bishop Ireland were listened to
amid the hushed silence of the great audi
ence which was only broken by the occasion
al outbursts of applause.
The address of Bishop Ireland was sub
stantially as follows:
The American people are patient and long
suffering. They allow evils to reach vast
proportions before they seemingly take notice
of them. 1t may be, they are SO busted with
plannings and undertakings that only huge
subjects can arrest their attention, or [
rather believe, such is their respect for indi-
vidual liberty that they interfere with it, in
| the devious ways, only in obedience to the
most urgent mandates of public policy. AT
all events it will not be said that their sense
| of right has been dulled, or that they lack
| the moral courage to speak and act out their
| principles. The time always comes when if
| evils continue to grow, the American people
will rise in earnest opposition to them; and
| then in their advance is the mighty tread of
| the great soldier of justice, and the allies of
wrong at once realize that merited retribu-
| ton is imminent.
The time has come when we are resolved
| to stay the ferocious and insolent aggress:ons
| of the liquor traffic.
| Permit me to say that not too soon has the
| bugle blast of battle been heard. With more
delay the evil were beyond control, and this
fair and comely land of America were hope
| lessly bound in chains, the degraded and
polluted slave of alcohol.
Intemperance is to-day in America a
plague, widespread and virulent. 1t is all
peryading. Its dark shadows settle upon
city, village and country. No class, no con-
dtion escapes its Shiny touch. 1t breaks out
in the marble palace of the rich as well as in
the cabin of the poor. Not the ignorant and
the depraved alone inhale the poison of its
pestilential breathings; brightest minds and
| most generous hearts are numbered among
its victims. The victims of intemperance
o, my God! They muster legions in the
land. Who needs to go stones throw from
his home to discover them? Who Las not
counted one or more near his own hearth
and heart! The police reports Of cities tell
the awful story that open, public drunken
ness furnishes one-half the arrests in the
year. The daily burthen of the newspaper is
ate Widespread, indeed, is the plague; and
the significance of this fact is appalling. In
temperance means for the victim and for
those in immediate relation with him wretch
ed poverty, soul-wearing agony, degradation,
sin-the placement from life of all bless
ings and hopes. 1t means for the entire
population a sure lowering of the moral tone,
the danger of deathly contagion, constant
menace to property, to life, to virtue. In
temperance is for the commonwealth the ex-
haustion of its resources, the multiplication
of crime and of pauperism, the imposition
of unbearable burthens in efforts to repair its
wreckages, the development and the perpet-
uation of ignorance, rowdyism and lawless-
ness. Death to civil liberty springs from it.
Intemperance absolutely units men for the
exercise of manhood suffrage, the basis and
keystone of republican institutions, and
utter contempt for law follows in its wake.
The large cities of America are already
through the intemperance of the
masses incapable of self-govern-
ment. The state legislature has
been compelled to invest the mayor of the
city of New York with dictator's power, and
in other places similar measures are no less
necessary. In cities manhood suffrage is
| confessed failure. If the same causes pre-
vail equally through the continent the repub
lie will be no more; civil liberty will expire
for the whole world. The omens to-day Rode
fearful evils, and well may Americans meet
in serious council to ponder over the situa-
ton.
/ am sure, more than one cause may be as
signed in explanation of our lamentable con-
dition, and that more than one remedy will
| be needed. | will state cause most potent
| in producing intemperance, and removable
| at our will. 1t is the unrestricted and reck-
| less sale of alcoholic liquors.
| Alcohol is the feeder of intemperance. The
| claims are made that alcohol has its legiti-
| mate uses, and that its sale is not in itself
| wrong. Those claims do not discuss This
! much is certain-denied by no one-in refer
| ence to it: 1t is a most dangerous fluid, dan
gerous not merely because of the terrible
results that follow when men consent to an
abuse of it, but dangerous in its power to
| fascinate men, to create in them an in0rdi-
nate appetite that leads irresistibly to this
abuse The indiscriminate sale of alcohol
has never been IN theory allowed; the prin-
| ciples of wise government will never allow it
| No comparison is possible between the sale OF
alcohol and the sale of food or clothing.
| Free alcohol is an absurdity in the refutation
OF which there should be no waste of words.
Practically we have free alcohol The re-
strction upon The sale has been nominal; the
| laws enacted with view to regulate it have
| been dead letter. Thus abandoned to its
| own devices and ambitions, the liquor traffic
has taken an exorbitant expansion and has
developed among the people craze for alco-
| holic drinks. Immense capital is invested in
| it; lawlessness characterizes its methods; the
political power of the country has been
wrested to subserve its interests and to pro-
tect its waywardness. The liquor traffic is
| to-day, deliberately make the charge, per-
| sistent foe to the commonwealth, a system
attic and fruitful producer of intemperance,
and there is no hope for the people or the
| country SO long as this traffic retains its
present attitude.
The amount of money spent annually in
| America in the purchase of alcoholic drinks
is beyond our power of credence. Estimates
| by competent students of statistical problems
| based mainly on the returns of the last cen
| sus, bring before US the following figures
! Spent in one year for public education, SS5,
| 100000; for boots and shoes, S196, 1000, 900
| for cotton and wooden goods, SAT, 000, 900
for meat, S303, 1000, 600: for bread, $505, 600,
900; for liquor, s9o0,o00,000. There is, in
some cities of America, saloon to 80 or 10(
persons in the population. In st. Paul mat
tiers are not SO bad, yet We
have saloon to 200 persons
in the population-if we leave ou