The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1894-08-22
THE CONVENTION
of the NatiouaI Catholic Total Abstinence
Union.

Ill duOIlltI yedI Ull6 NdtllulAO 1VV"A -"
stinence Union of America will have
passed the Quarter-century mark. 1t has
Just been holding its twentyfOurth an
nual convention in the city Of St. Paul.
The total abstinence movement among
the Catholic population of the country,
as represented in this union, began in
the city of Washington in 1870. The
growth in interest has been steady, and
the net results as to membership have
been excellent, while the benefits to the
members and their families have been
beyond estimate.
The city in which the convention was
held this year is one of the Catholic
strOngholds of the United States, so that,
as matter of course, most cordial re-
ception was accorded the delegates.
While the general financial depression
might be expected to have had its lntlu-
ence Oh the attendance, but slight In
roads upon the number expected were
made as result of the hard times, and
there were nearly 1000 delegates present.
While the influence Of the church is al
ways present to stimulate endeavOr, 1t
required something more than this 10
make this movement the power it has be-
come. In the twentyfOur years Of Its
has life it gaineda membership OF nearly
sixty thousand. While many OF these
the majority, in fact-are men, yet the
women and children have not been over
looked. The membership is as follows:
Men, 2S765; women, 1929; boys, 1882;
girls POOP. Philadelphia has the largest
number of societies, 1862, with total
membership of over 1900.
One thing which has been Of special
noteworthiness in these sessions OF the
national society has been the marked en-
thusiasm aroused by reference to the re-
cent letter Of MOnsignor SatOlli on the
saloon question as it relates to the mem
bers of the Catholic church, or, to be
more precise, the salOOn-keeper question
as the Catholic church is related to it.
The secretary of the body, the Rev. A. 2.
Doyle, Of New York city, struck the key
note Of the convention when, in his an
nual address, he said:
"The strong and determined position
taken by MonsignOr Satolli against the
LIQUOR traffic as carried on in the United
States will give new zest to our efforts.
The no uncertain tone of his magnificent
letter has sent it ringing through the
press of the country, and it Will do more
than twenty appeals to set the Catholic
church Alright with the American public
on the momentious question OF the sa-
loon. 1t has been veritable declaration
Of independence"
On the first day Of the convention the
members attended the cathedral in a
body, where pOnti6cial high mass was
celebrated and sermon delivered by
Archbishop Ireland, who has been known
the country over as one OF the foremost
advocates of temperance in the land.
The archbishop took occasion to refer to
the attitude of the papal delegate. He
maintained that if no honor was given
the Catholic saloOn-keepers in any re-
spect they must soon pass into the min
Ority. America, so the archbishop be-
lieved, had set her face against the sa-
loon, 'the den of corrupt politics" and
any church which would not come out
for temperance was an Odius excrescence
on the soil. He was hearty in his ap-
proyal of the stand taken by MOnslgnOr
SatOlli.
There were the customary pleaSurings
interlarded in the sessions, and on one
evening there was public platform
meeting in which PrOtestants as well as
Catholics were invited to participate.
At this meeting message was read from
the pope granting his blessing to the
convention, and another from Monsignor
SatOlli, in which he said,
THE Total Abstinence society is the
guardian Of the homes Of America"
An incident OF interest was the presen-
tation to the convention, by a delegation
Of ladies, of greeting from the Woman's
Christian Temperance Union of America.
1t was appropriately received. Joined
with it was an invitation to the cOnven-
tiOn to send fraternal delegates to the
next national meeting of the WOman's
Christian Temperance union.
The series Of resolutions adopted EN-
phasized all that had been said at the
sessions of the convention on the saloon
question. On the immediate question
as outlined by SatOlli the resolution read
1T is believed that this action will
crystalize the influence Of the church
against the saloon, and will stamp his
letter indelibly on the irrecOncilable en-
emy of the church. The decision Of the
papal delegate cannot fail to give addi.
tiOnal authority to the recommendation
Of the Council Of Baltimore, that all
Catholic salOOn-keepers abandon as sOon
as they can the dangerous traffic, and
embrace a more becoming way of max
ing living"
1t was also voted to give no support tt
Catholic papers which allow liquor
dealers to advertise in their columns.
1t was decided to hold the next natiOna
convention in the city Of New York.-W
s. HarwOOd in Harper's Weekly, Aug. 18