The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1902-02-08
CELLS In SALOON BUSINESS.

CELLS IN SALOON BUSINESS.
1t has been frequently stated by the
opponents of Irish Home Rule that the
inhabitants of the Emerald Isle are
not fit for selfgovernment because
of their addiction to intemperance
Some advocates of total abstinence ani
prohibition have been often guilty OF
;stigmatizing the Irish at home ant
abroad as terrible topers. OF late
years. however, the Irish have Jared
better ut the hands of their traducers
and they are not at present held up tC
reprObatiOn as they used to be. Tho
cry of rum and ROmanism" against
them ut home is no longer heard from
the antagonists of Home Rule. since
Hon. Edward Blake disposed of that
argument in the British parliament by
the official reports of the government
Neither is the cry often heard in this
country since the defeat of James q.
Blaine for the presidency through THE
instrumcntality of B,rcllards SANDER
Gus tongue.
Once in a while. however. somebody
repeats the antiuuated lie that the
Irish are a nation of drunlarls. and
that when they come to the United
States their highest ambition is to be-
come policemen or saloonkeepers.
Even in Ireland they vet believe that
Il great many of the eXiles engage in
the liquor business in this country.
The New Ireland Review" of Dub
lin. in it's issue for last December. con-
tains Il communication from an Irish
Catholic who says: 'To the Catholic
Irish in America it is Il constant re-
proach that their countrymen outnum-
Der all other nutionalities as proprie-
tors of liquor saloons"
/, A gentleman named Stockley, who
says he is an Irish Catholic, wrote to
the New York Sun and asked how the
Irish in the American metropolis, or in
the country Mt large, compared numer-
ically with other nationalities as rum
sellers. The Sun gives the following
answer:
"For the United States 10 reliable
estimate can be made. Out of 272
names of keepers of liquor saloons in
New York, taken Mt random, we find
1O7 German. 4S Irish, 43 Italian and
40 Jews, besides "a not falling under
these heads. The proportions might
easily change, SO far as the Irish.
Italians and Jews are concerned, in a
complete study of the 5000 names of
liquor dealers in the business direc-
tory. In small towns, wh@'e there are
few Jews or Italians, the proportions
Of Germans and Irish would he in
creased. But we doubt very much If
the two races would change places.
The Germans would retain their emln-
ence we think"
In his recent address to the Irish of
Boston, Senator Hoar said he could
not forbear paying n tribute of hon.
age to Archbishop Ireland of Mime.
sofa, who had told him within six
months that not five per cent of the
liquor dealers within his diocese were
Catholics. If the Archbishop spoke of
Catholics Of all nationalities, as he
evidently did, the percentage of Irish
Catholics would be quite low: and the
allegation of the writer in the New
Ireland Review" to the effect that the
Irish Catholics outnumbered all other
nationalities in the saloon business,
would be ridiculous, so far rs Min.
nesota is concerned.
In Minneapolis, according to the city
directory, there are at present 32s
licensed saloons. After actual count
we find that 46 of the PROTECTORS bear
Irish names. To our personal knowl.
edge only about IL of these were born
in Ireland and 6 in Minneapolis. The
others were born in different states
Of the Union. and in the Do
minion of Canada. That fact
speaks volumes for, the noble
work in the cause of temperance
performed by Bisnop McGolrick in
this city before his elevation to the
episcopacy, and by such champions OF
total abstinence as Rev. James
O'Reilly and Rev. J. M. Cleary in
more recent years. 1t is mainly owing
to the labors of these faithful disci
pies Of Father Mathew that so few
Irish Catholics are engaged in the