The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1894-09-22
A POLITICAL BOOZE MAN.

trict which he has disgraced.
A POLITICAL BOOZE MAN.
Nothing better illustrates the whole
some and purifying effect of public
opinion than the present condition of the
A. P. A. cause. But short time has
elapsed since it's organization yet already
it has lost it's novelty and every mention
of the misguided band among sensible
men meets with look of contempt or q
smile that betokens ridicule. The organ
ization as an organization can never
reach commanding position because it
cannot stand exposure, it cannot make
an open fight. It's own members when
exposed take pains to lead the public to
believe that they are unconnected with
it. Candidates of all political parties
fight shy of the A. P. A. as they would OF
pestilence, thanks to the force of pub
lie opinion! 1t is not the Catholics of
this country alone that they fear, it is an
outraged sense of justice rising up all
over the land that has forced them into
deep seclueion. Men fear the organiza-
ton only because they fear they may be
suspected of being connected in some
way With it, for everything that comes in
contact with it is bIighted. To the or.
ganizers of the movement it's political
effect must be discouraglng. Undoubt-
eddy they expected it to be courted by the
political parties. Instead it is stunned
and every candidate lives in mortal fear
that some opponent will in some way es-
tablish his connection with it?
1t is the bogie man Of local politics not
because of it's own strength but because
of the strength of opposition which it
creates. Organized for the purpose of
declaring Catholics from public office
and positions IN business it has just the
opposite effect. Business firms, whose
employees have been published as beil 6
members of the organization, have been
forced to discharge them, and candidates
so unfortunate as to be suspicioned have
been turned down with commemorate
regularity. And really what else could be
expected of a society that baptizes it's
members as ignoram uses, and proposes
the political disability Of vast numbers of
men on the ground Of religion.
Could anything be more intolerant,
narrow or bigoted? Did the tyrannies
which man writhed under centuries
back lend themselves to meaner
dominion than this proposes? We have
made it our song ever since we were
born as a nation, that here all the dis.
tinctlon of race nationality, sect and
caste, were merged in the single distinc-
ton of manhood--t that here man was
finally to be recognized as man, aud not
as Jew or Gentle, Christian or NOLAN
medan, and now after century has
passed we are asked by an unfortunate,
ignorant class of men to erect political
barriers, and deal out political excom-
munications as narrow, as mean, us SOL
fish and as uncalled for as ever dis.
graced Christian people. Democracy
has no room for such organizations as
the A. P. A. It's methods are open and
above-board, it entertains no conceal
ments, no secret pottings calculated to
awaken q hatred between citizens It
scorns an agency which works in the
dark and skulks about in the daylight
like an owl hunting for dark place. 1t
says to it's followers why conceal any
thing unless it be evil? Why cover your
tracks if you go about good?
It is because the principles of the
A. P. A. are in direct contravention Of
every principle of Democracy, that it
finds no sympathy Or support. There
never can be any danger from the A. P.
A. or similar organizations. The decis-
i've battles for religious aud political
freedom have been fought, it only re-
mains for public opinion to squelch the
remnants of former century.