The Irish standard., 1895-08-17

memory OF man now Living nave the sa -
loans been closed as we have closed them:
IN spite Of the very grave defects IN the
methods the law provides for It's enforce
ment, we, have been able to secure q subs
stantial compliance with its provisions.
Then our enemies raised "a: clamors that
we were idemoralizing the police force by
making them. turn their attention to the
saloons, and that this was a poor hust-
ness for them to engage,in. AS matter
of fact, In the past the improper and COR
rupt connection between the Police de-
partment and the liquor seller has been
the most potent Of all@the causes that
have combined to corrupt the police. Only
by honesty enforcing the law could we
put stop to this corruption. And now
we have stopped It and nolsclamor OF our
enemies, who wish for a return OF the evil
days, will avail to shake us in our pur-
poses.
"Yet again some Of our foes have striv-
.en to show that we have not really i'm
proved matters and that drunkenness has
increased Our answer was to publish
the statistics, showing by the plain fg-
ures that drunkenness has fallen OF
nearly one-haIf since we have begun our
enforcement of the law. They then en-
deavored to prove that we had brought
about greater evils than those we sought
to suppress by driving the poor to drink
in their own tenement houses. Our an
swer to this is that all Of those best quail
flied to know, say that the people In the
tenement-houses and, above ALL the
women and children, have been benefited
by our action.
"The poor man has not been hurt by
us, as q matter of fact he has been
more benefited than any one. else. We
have enforced the law :mpartially. as re-
CARDS rich and poor alike. hope-to see
the time when man Will be ashamed
to take any enjoyment on Sunday which
shall rob those who should be dearest to
him, and who are dependent on him, of
the money he has earned during the
week; when man will be ashamed to
take selfish enjoyment, and not to fnd
some kind .of pleasure which he can share'
with his wife and children"
Father Cleary, Of Minneapolis, deliy-
cred discourse that evoked the storm
lest applause because of its broadmind-
edness He spoke particularly OF the
great bearing that foreign emigration
had had upon the drink question, and on
the position which the Catholic Church
had recently assumed towards the liquor
traffic. These are some of the sentences
which stood forth in his remarkable ad-
dress: -5s
The foreigner enriched our country
with his virtues, and taught us valuable
lessons of economy and thrift. But the
victim of despotism brought to us his
weakness and vices as we'll.
i Many Of these refugees from foreign
misgovernments being members Of
the Catholic church, forced the fostering
mother of every virtue into false posi-
ton before the American public.
An undue proportion of those profess
ing allegiance to the Catholic church
shamelessly inscribed their names above
the doors of liquor dens, and frequently,
with equal ostentation affixed their
names to contribution lists for purposes
of religion and charity.
Incalculable injury has been inflicted
upon the Catholic church inthis country
by the alliance Of Catholic names with
the infamous business of spreading in
temperance. ss
The best Judgment of our people con-
dennis the saloon as the uncompromising
enemy of religion and country 1t def1es
the will of the people and scofHngly
makes a mockery of universal suffrage.
We are not to be ruled by the customs
VI OtASA 1CAN0, LAAC AONshN JuSAtoAANAAI "
the great American public is amply
competent to regulate it's own customs
Our union, as an organization, knows
no politics, adopts no political platform
and dictates no political plan of action to
its members,
The end, permit me again to remind
you, is not the reformation of dyunkards,
not political triumph, not the denuncia-
ton Of the saloon-keepers but above all
other considerations, the popularizing Of
habits of sobriety and the abolition OF ir-
rational and dangerous social customs
There can be no utilization between the
Church and saloon. The Church will
and cannot permit that the drinking den
shall flourish beneath the shadow Of the
consecrated house of prayer.
A man cannot be a good Catholic, a
faithful and docile child of the Church
and continue in the unbecoming business
of conducting liquor saloon.
The appeal of Peters successor to the
priests of America to "shine Els models
of abstinence gives fatal blow to the
insolent sumption that the ministry Of
Christ's church could possibly remain
while the vile work Of the sa-
1oon was devastating their f1OckS