The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-12-02
DOMAIN OF TEMPERANCE.
THE WORKlNGMAN AND THE
LIQUOR TRAFFIC.

The following is taken from an
address delivered at Des Moines, Iowa,
by Treasurer Lennon of the American
Federation of Labor:
''Wageworkers have been the main
stay of the liquor traffic on the North
American continent, but, thank God,
they are going to knock it out. The
saloon does not produce a thing which
Is benefit to the human race. It is
a non-producer and must be supported
by those who work. Every man and
woman should be against the liquor
traffic from start to finish. am
speaking to the wageworkers, but It
may be applied to everybody.
"The workingman is the first of all,
perhaps, the most interested in his
wages or means of income. What ia
the influence of the saloon upon
wages? That is for you to answer.
Suppose twelve printers, and I know
the printers will not take offense at
this reference, get $21 a week. Six
of these take the money home Satur-
day and spend it for food, clothing,
books and other things that are essen
tial to the right kind of living. The
other six stop at the saloon on their
way homeward. They spend, say so
cents, the same amount they spend
every working day at saloon. This
is net lowering Of their wages OF
SO every week, and yet the liquor inter-
ests ask those men to sign petitions
which will mean the lowering of many
wages i'm Des Moines.
Have you ever considered the effects
of the liquor traffic on children? Did
you know that they are driven to toll
by booze when they should be at the
school house? The children of the
parents whose money goes over the
bar go to work at immature ages.
The offspring of the man and woman
| addicted to liquor is forced into the
industrial world long before the chill
dren of the other class. After the
saloon was put out of business, figures
show that the attendance at the public
schools increased from five to twenty
per cent sixty days after the doors are
closed. There is also greater regu-
larity of attendance. Education is
neglected when the saloon is present.
The saloon wants people to remain
ignorant. It is upon ignorance that
the liquor traffic thrives. Liquor is
not for educational development. Do
you want to stand for the continuation
of ignorance?"
''The workingman is beginning to
understand that when he patronizes
the saloon he is helping maintain an
institution which brings to him no
returns. There is nothing in the sa-
loon which tends toward better man
hood Or better womanhood. You say
is has been long in existence. So has
despotism, but that does not make it
right. The influence of the saloon on
the government is bad. In some mu-
inequalities dominated by the saloon
there are some men in office who could
not be elected dog-catchers under
ordinary circumstances. When Theo-
dore Roosevelt continues his investi-
cations in the question of good govern
ment he will discover that the unstable
government rests on the liquor traffic.
IF you want to know where the
miners of America stand upon the
temperance question, I'll tell you. In
our constitution we have a clause
which forbids any member to sell
intoxicants even at picnic. That's
what we think of the liquor traffic.
Some people say that the saloon is a
kind of doctrine. Because the liquor
traffic tends to enslave the people, to
make them satisfied with improper
conditions, and keeps them ignorant,
the leaders of the trades unions are
called on to fight the saloon"