The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-02-12

The Cardinal Condemns the Meth
DDS of Mrs. Nation.
From the Baltimore Herald.


From the Baltimore Herald.
Cardinal Gibbons, like his great Eng
hsh forerunner Cardinal Manning, has
always been warmly and actively inter-
ested in matters practically, as wen as
theoretically, bound up with the broad
question of pubic morality.
1t will, therefore, surprise none to learn
that he has been paying close attention
OF late 10 the extraordinary development
of Mrs. Nations anti-hquor crusade.
In an authorized interview with rep
resentative of the Baltimore Sunday Her.
aid His Eminence yesterday gave express
sion, with great earnestness and deep
feeling, to the views which he holds re-
garding total abstinence in general and
Mrs. Nations movement in particular
Il have never been able to convince
myself" said the cardinal, that what we
call total abstinence is essential to moral
ity. The moderate and occasional use of
alcoholic liquors is not to be condemned.
In countries like France and Italy, where
the people, as rule, drink wine, no Sc
rious harm results from the practice. Even
in Rome-even at the Vatican-wine is
not prohibited, and. as we know, the papal
doctors themselves prescribe it to His
Holiness.
Then, again, long since came to I'M
derstand that, putting aside the point of
principle, it was virtually impossible to
enforce a total abstinence law in a large
community or in state. Look at Maine
as an instance, and you viii see how true
this is. The attempt to enforce such a
law must consequently lead to one of two
thlngs-illegality or hypocrisy; possibly
both
Turning to Kansas and speaking as a
l'dfhnlin and A T
confess that the disturbances which have
occurred there since the institution of the
present anti-liquor crusade have filled me
with pain, sorrow and establishments
Either the total abstinence laws of Kan
sas are wise, just and necessary, or they
are not.
IF they are necessary and wise and
just, they should be rigidly enforced by
the legislative authorities. If, on the
other hand, they are none of these things,
they should be legally and regularly re-
pealed.
Nothing, in any case. can, in my opin-
ion and belief, warrant or justify Mrs.
Nation and her followers in taking :he
law into their own hands, wrecking the
property of the saloonkeepers and usurp-
ing functions which should properly be
reserved for the state"
You ask continued the Cardinal, an
swering remark of his interviewer,
whether, in the words used by Louis Ma
poleon to excuse his usurpaton, there
may not the moment when it is permissi-
BILE to 'sortir de la legalite pour rentrer
dams lie droit' Ito fout legality for the
sake of right. That is of course, only
another way of suggesting that the end
may justify the means. / am not pre-
pared, nor do l wish, to subscribe to any
such theory. At the same time L admit
that if, as result of Mrs Nations de-
plorable violence, the illegalities and evils
now existing in Kansas should be cured,
l shall rejoice.
but meanwhile there is no blinking
facts. and the chief fact Is this-that it
is shameful and regretable to see Kan
sas (by which / mean the government of
Kansas, leaving the correction of public
evils, if they be evils, to possibly we'll
meaning, but assuredly mistaken bands
of women"
"You ask me again. added His Emil
nence, meeting another objection, how
if the government neglects its evident du-
ty, the evils can be righted unless by vio-
lence and protests like Mrs. Nations?
The point you raise is natural and proper.
MY answer is that it should not be nee
essary in a self-respeeting community for
women. to have recourse to such violence.
The state should act, promptly and thor
oughly.
II am strongly of opinion that the wisest
action 1t could take would be the repeal
of the total abstinence laws and the sub
stitution of measures more surely calcu-
lated to help morality.
What measures? you may ask. Well,
to begin with, the cost of liquor licenses
should be made exceedingly high. In
Maryland l have suggested that the
price of a license should be $1,000. Next,
rigorous care should be exercised to- in
sure the issuing of such licenses only 10
reputable and decent citizens. Next, l
should counsel the strict limitation OF the
number of saloons in every district, and
the infection of a severe fine for the first
violation by saloon keepers of the con-
dittons on which the licenses are granted.
On the repetition of an offense l should
suggest the absolute withdrawal OF the
offending saloon keepers licenses.
similar measures have been adopted
with good results in the state of Mary
land. Why should they not prove equally
efficacious in Kansas?
do not imagine that because l de-
plore and condemn the irregularities of
Mrs. Nation and her friends l cannot SYM
pathize with the motives that prompt
them. / can quite understand how pain
full and horrible it must be for wives and
mothers to see men wasting their sub
stance and making beasts of themselves
ia the liquor saloons. But, 1 repeat, it is
not the duty of women, however well
meaning, to defy law and destroy private
property. By their violence women do
but unsex themselves.
Redress for public ills should be pro-
vided by the regularly constituted author
tiles, and by them only"
-s-s-