Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-02-16
T tntimation Gate Is Locked to
Aid SaIoonist Stirs
Up Storm.
ST. ALOYSIUS PASTOR
DEMANDS RETRACTION
Testimony of Anti-Saloon League Of
fetal at Senate Hearing
Cause of Trouble.
To the Editor Of The Star:

( To the Editor of The Star:
In your issue of February IA page
two, column seven) you printed what
4 purported to be the testimony OF Mr..
I Andrew Wilson before Senate COM
T. mittee. It was stated that IAN entrance
gate at the church est. Aloysiusl had
been locked. forcing traffic to another
entrance to further this evasion" of
the excise laws. I wish to state that
there has been no forcing of traffic to
another entrance. To accuse a church
and its pastor of conspiring to evade
the law is a very serious accusation
and has caused no little establishment
and regrets. 1t is well known fact
that the entrances to st. Aloyslus
Church are open from $50 am. until
10 PM every day, and any one can as
certain the fact at any time.
L am writing to Mr.. Wilson to ask
him to disavow publicly that he made
any such statement rejecting dishon-
crably upon body of clergymen
whose services in everything pertain
ing to religion need no proof for the
citizens of Washington.
Hoping you may be able to give
prominence in your columns to this
denial and so stif1e calumny at its
FRANCIS P DONNELLY, s. J.,
Pastor Of st. Aloysius.
Considerable resentment Is expressed
by the pensioners of st. Aloysius
parish and by the members of the
Jesuit order in charge of the parish
work at the statement made by Andrew
Wilson of the Anti-Saloon League be-
fore the Senate committee hearing
those opposed to the reappointment of
the chairman of the excise board. Mr..
Wilson intimated that in his opinion
a certain gate at st. Aloysius Church
had been locked in order to assist the
proprietor of saloon on the opposite
side of North Capitol street to evade
the provision of the law regarding the
400-foot distance from a church or
school.
Wilson's remarks was that the gate
referred to was an entrance to the
church. while in reality. they say. it
was gate in the fence on the l street
side Of the church. Then they contend
that this gate has been locked so long
that Oldest members of the parish
really remember that 1t was used in
their boyhoOd, but has not been used
for something like twenty-five years
Rev. James P. Donnelly, pastor of the
church. says it has been closed so long
that the key is lost.
They contend that it has not been in
use for years before the excise laws
went into force. and therefore it being
closed had no connection with any al
legged attempt to evads the law.
Published Denial Asked.
Resenting the imputation that the
parish authorities have connived in
an attempt to evade the law, Father
Donnelly has written to Mr.. Wilson
asking him to publish a denial Of his
yelled charge. In this letter he says
that instead of trying to thwart the
law the parish faculty is doing its
best to assist in unfolding the law.
Mr.. Wilson must be mistaken when
he says that the gate was open when
his associates took measurements.
There is no one in our faculty at this
time who can remember ever seeing
the gate open. The man who has been
in charge of these gates and entrances
for six years says he cannot remem-
Der ever seeing it open. We cannot
even find the key. Many of the fac
ulty didn't even know that the gate
existed. AS near as we can find out
the gate has not been in use for TWEEN
ty-hve years. Some of the Oldest men,
bers of the parish tell US that they
remember using it in boyhood, but
=
"As far as I can judge. the reason
Why the gate was closed many years
ago was because it opens on / street,
and it probably was found more con-
venient to use an entrance with double
doors from ] street OF course. as the
gate had been locked for so long. Mr.
Wilson and his associates found the
lock rusty when they made a visit the
-other day. 1t seems to me that the
only proper thing for Mr.. Wilson or
cany one else was to have made inqui-
: ries. which would have disclosed the
real facts. before he gave to the COM
mittee and those reading reports of
{ the hearing the impression that we
deliberately locked this gate in order
{ law. This is an unjust charge. and
! expect Mr.. Wilson will retract his
. statement"
!. No Reelection Intended.
! II had no intention of rejecting on
I any one in charge of ST. Aloysius
: Church" said Mr.. Wilson today. II
4 was making a point against the pro-
! prietor OF the saloon in question and
!. the excise board for granting him a
: license. I have had a letter from the
{ pastor Of the parish. which I hone to
{ answer in a kindly spirit.
The present excise law was passed
. March 4. 1913, and went into effect
!. November l. 1914. 1 am morally Ger
j tain that the gate referred to has not
!. been in use since that time. 1 made
!, no reference to any door of the church.
: but to the gate
: Some time prior to November l. 1914
I. the measurements l quoted were made
as i understood it, through the gate
Z then open. and to the church door, and
! mat they were something under 400
: feet from the door of the saloon To
!. ]engthen this distance as much as nos
!. sible the proprietor of the saloon built
q storm door. throwing the entrance a
J few feet further away
: was not present when the measure
ments were made. but my understand.
!, Ing was that the gate was then open. 7
have visited the gate since the hearing
: ~ which referred TO this matter with
several other witnesses and found IN
Z lock on the gate heavily rusted."
: 1mputation Resented
Z Resentment of the imputation apains,