The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1908-03-07
AN UNJUST CRITICISM.

in the Daily Picayune on Thurs
day last. We heartily agree with
our metropolitan contemporary
10 denouncing the severe and
caustic and at the same time un-
reasonable attack upon Cardl-
nal Gibbons. We can Sc, no just
reason why the eminent Cardinal
should be so severely censured
for expressing an opinion, which
is the result, doubtless, of mature
deliberation. The article follows:
In regard to the atrocious and
outrageous attack made by the
leader of the liquor prohibition
press of Chicago upon Cardinal
Gibbons, the chief dignitary OF the
Catholic Church in the United
States, because the Cardinal had
given out in a public statement
tina. he doubted the practicability
Of prohibition in the large cities
like Baltimore, while it might be
entirely successful in smaller COM
munities, the Lynchburg, Va.
News, the leading paper in a
decidedly Protestant city, says:
"Considering the lofty type Of
Christian manhood represented by
Cardinal Gibbons, the well-known
probity of his character and the
wealth of good for humanity which
he has accomplished in his day
and generation, it does seem
nothing short of unadulterated
infamy that he should now be
subject to an attack such as we
have described. Twas towards
hand, indeed, that sought, in car
rying out certain propaganda, to
throw the foul, mud of calumny
against the lintels of an honored
church, and the worthily-worn
surplice of one of its earnest and
generally beloved disciples. Car
dinal Gibbons has in large degree
the respect and admiration of the
Christian world, together with the
affection and supreme confidence
of those of his faith throughout
the United States. The malice
born anathema of the Chicago
scribe will not hurt him he stands
too high for such things to reach
him. But it will operate to the
hurt of prohibitiQn's cause, as long
as such fiery, unreasonable zealots
as is the Chicago prohibition press
manager are allowed to continue
in official connection with the
The attack made on the vener-
a BILE and eminent churchman by~l
the Chicago assassin of character
was as follows:
"Cardinal Gibbons. of the Catholic
has been heard from. He
seems to agree perfectly with Cardinal
AdOlphus Busch, of the Anheuser-
Busch Association, of st. Louis.
Cardinal Busch gave out an interview
in Kansas City, in which he announces !
his conversion to local option. He
still holds, with some timidity, how
ever, it seems. to the doctrine OF high |
license in the larger cities.
1.-The Hon John p. st. John, our
peerless leader of quarter of
century ago, once said in speech in
my hearing, that the advocacy of the
liquor traffic was always bottomed on
either ignorance, avarice or appetite.
lin the case Of men like Gibbons, it
be ignorance, though it may
be appetite instead of avarice. In
Iced, it may be both avarice and APP
petite. l think we ought to be as
gentle as the facts will warrant in
lealing with these beer and whisky
preachers.
but when a man announces such
7iews as Gibbons announces he ought
o exchange his surplice for white
lprOn, his prayer-book for an icepick
md 60 to keeping bar
The mind that would deliberate
y conceive and harbor such an in
amous libel, and the hand that
vrote it, would not hesitate to plan
N assassination and to WELD a
,nife, or speed a bullet or hurl a
dynamite bomb st the object of
heir fanatical hate and fury.
'uch an expression under the
irumstances was assassination
d intention and almost in act.
The Kentwood trouble is the le- s
itimate result of the policy of &