The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-05-31
POLITICS EXCLUDED
Catholic Total Abstainers
Vote Down Objectionable
Resolutions.
BELIEVE IN MORAL PERSUASION
A New Plan of Campaign Adopted
Father Kelly Elected
President.

~ bWCuby -lDQl III tA11uuhl COAyOiibOA VI
the Catholic Total Abstinence Union took
place yesterday at st. Michaels Church and
proved one of the most successful held in
many years. When the convention was
called to order there were present fully two
hundred delegates, about twenty of that
Ladies' Total Abstinence Societies. The
Very Rev. Dean McNulty of Paterson pre-
sided NJ. j.. Moran of this city and J.
Morgan of Trenton were the assistants to.
Secretary McCabe. Mgr. de Concilio, Pastor
of st. Michaers Church, in a neat address
welcomed the delegates to his parish and to
the city. The Credential and Resolution
Committees were then appointed, and after
the transaction of other routine business
adjournment vas taken till two O'Clock.
The members of st. MichaeI's and st.
Peters Societies united in entertaining the
delegates, and escorted them to st. Michael's
Hall on Erie street, where q magnificent
dinner was served. 1t had been prepared by
the Sisters Of st. Francis Hospital. Young
ladies of the parish waited on the tables.
THE SESSION.
At two o'clock the convention r~econvened,
and from that hour till six o'clock the pro-
ceedings proved very interesting to the
delegates. The President, Dean McNulty,
made q verbal report Of the work of the
year. He said the hard times had affected
the temperance societies as well as all other
concerns, but withal the union held its own.
He made many excellent suggestions to the
societies, U strongly recommended that
each society endeayor to nave meeting
rooms where they could meet every night.
He referred to the practice Of having child
rem take the pledge when they receive their
first communion, and said this %precaution
did a great deal of good. He said ladies'
societies should be organized in every parish,
as the influence of women in the total
abstinence cause was incalculable.
The Auditing Committee reported that
Miss Lizzie Haggerty Of Trenton, the
treasurer, had spent S2.75 more than she
received. The union will recompense her.
The Rev. Charles Kelly of Roboken was
at this point called upon to speak. He was
enthusiastically cheered as be stepped for
ward. He delivered a most instructive ad-
dress. He dwelt mainly IN the point that
temperance societies should have rooms
where the members could meet nightly and
Engage in sociability in its many ways in
order to counterfeit the saloon influence. He
said the saloons nowadays were luxuriously
furnished, and were more like parlors than
anything else. Temperance societies should
nave EOOulb equhliy dS dbuIdCt1fo, Wu0io lucy
could put forth the hand Of good fellowship
and assist those unfortunates who, having
taken the pledge, were e~ndeayoring to
keep it.
POLITICS STRICKEN OUT.
During all this time the members of the
subcommittee on resolutions were w~rangling
on what to present to the convention. Father
MacErlain. who represented Father Hen
messy of st. Patrick's Church, this city, at
the convention. had prepared a set of resolu-
tions, which Delegate George Henry
of Hoboken and others objected
to. They referred to the action of
one branch Of the Irish party in Parliament
on that provision Of the budget relative to
the taxation of whiskey in Ireland; they also
referred to matters political in the State,
such as urging members whom to vote for,
etc. Prominent laymen in the societies have
for years past objected to this political re-
solutions" as they characterize them, as they
wished to make the society a distinctly
church one, with moral persuasion as the
weapon to battle with. The Hoboken dele
gate fought against presenting these resolu-
tions to the convention, but after much talk
it was decided to present them with no re-
commentator. This was done, and Father
MacErlain moved their adoption. The Ho-
boken delegate moved hat al reference to
political matters be stricken out. A hot de-
pate ensued, during which Father Mac
Erlain lost his temper and characterized
the Hobokenite with being actuated by
vicious motives and with not having .sufi-
Gent intelligence to understand the resolu-
tions. To these personal illusions no reply
was made. but every argument advanced in
favor of the politics" was refuted, with the
result that by a large vote the motion TO
strike out was adopted, Mgr. de Concilio,
Father Kelly and the other priests support
ing the motion.
a plan of campaign, introduced by John
j. Murphy, of st. Peters Society was next
unanimously adopted. 1t provides that the
societies shall receive Holy Communion in a
body four times a year; that at the vespers
services on these communion days q tenn
perance sermon be preached in the church,
and that on Father Matthews birthday each
society hold a public rally. This plea is sug-
gested to pastors of churches to which
societies are attached, they to put it in opera
tion if they deemed it practicable.
The effort of the HoOoken society to divide
the state union into two diocesan unions was
defeated. P. Fl. O,Rafferty of Hoboken
made an excellent plea for the motion, but
the majority were set against it.
FATHER KELLY PRESIDENT.
After the transaction of considerable other
routine business, the election of officers was
gone into with the following result
President, the Rev. Charles F. Kelly, of
Hoboken; Vice President, J.. Deegan, of
Trenton, and F. White, of Summit; treas
urer, Miss Lizzie Haggerty, of Trenton; and
Sergeant-at-Arms, Charles Scott Butler.
The Secretary will be appointed the Presi-
dcut