The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-07-25
DOMAIN OF TEMPERANCE.
CATHOLICS AND PROHIBITION.

Rev. M. A. Landing of ScottdaIe,
Pa, president of the Priests Total Abb
stinence League of America, has
issued the following statement defin-
| ing the position of the Catholic Total
| Abstinence Union in the present dis
cussion of the liquor question::
"The drink problem and the relig-
-ious unrest SO prevalent in this coun-
try are closely associated, and what
would restore peace and confidence to
anxious souls would go far towards
solving the problem of drink. But
while the latter is chiefly moral ques-
ton, and to be solved by the Church,
the State can and should do much
by judicious legislation to remove OBJ
stacles in the way of its solution.
"A temperance campaign should be
so planned and carried out that all the
people could take part in it, and their
full strength be massed against the
common enemy The movement in
augurated in this country early in the
last century was of such nature that
Catholics could not take part in it.
Had it been otherwise, drink would
never have taken the hold it has on
the country, and the Sons of Tenn
perance might not have been con-
demned. The Whisky Instruction
and the laws legitimatizing the manu-
facture and sale of alcoholic liquors,
and thus increasing their use and
abuse, were not the work of Catho-
lies. And there would have been and
would be much less intemperance
among the immigrant workingmen,
but for their exploitation by the liquor
interests under the sanction of those
laws. Those poor people are prac-
tically forced to the excessive use of
| intoxicants.
when Catholics could not take part
in the common temperance movement,
they organized societies of their own,
and the Church continued and con-
tinues in the pulpit and in the confess
sional to combat intemperance by in
sisting on sobriety and, when neces-
sary, total abstinence. Her work is
not heralded to the world and attracts
but little attention, but it is unceasing,
and goes on in every pulpit and con-
fessional throughout the entire coun-
try. There is a unity and continuity
in her work that makes her irresistible
and insures ultimate success to any
cause she espouses.
with the sanction and the encour-
agement of the Bishops of the country,
representatives of the Catholic tenn
|
1872 and organized the Catholic Total
Abstinence Union of America. It's
object is to spread correct views re-
garding total abstinence principles by
relying upon the practice of the Cath
olic religion and total abstinence from
all alcoholic liquors by it's members
individually, and by the observance
of the maxims laid down for its guild
ance by the reverend clergy and by
the influence of their good example
and their kind persuasion upon their
fellow Catholics. The Union and it's
officers as such shall never take part
in National or local politics. 1t wishes
we'll, however, to all agencies working
| along legitimate lines to promote
Il
temperance and it urges it's members
to cooperate with such workers as far
as they can in their respective locali-
ties.
Though the Union for very good
| reasons is forbidden to unite with the
anti-saloon movement, local option or
prohibition, it does not seem that in
dividual members, as well as other
Catholics, may not do SO, if these
movements are rightly understood
and advocated. If countrywide or
statewide prohibition obtains, the
Catholic Church would be the greatest
gamer and reap rich harvest of
souls.
"But whoever advocates any of
these movements should begin by be-
coming total abstainer himself. This
is the first step in any consistent tenn
perance work. For myself, / would
get the traffic off my block If on it,
next help my neighbor remove it from
his, then unite with others to remove
it from our ward and city, then from
the county, and state, afterwards from
the country, following 1t up until, like
the first murderer, 1t becomes fugi-
tive on the face of the earth.
"But this is further on, for coun-
try-wide, or even statewide, prohi-
bition amendment will not obtain, IL
the politicians can prevent it; and
they are to be reckoned with, for it
seems that many, if not most of them,
belong to clubs having sideboards,
which are worse than saloons. And
this would likely prevent the outlaw
ing of such clubs by merely state