The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-09-28

through them reaching the parents.
The story is told of how on one January
night in 1859 three drunkards stag
gered into his doorway and handed
him a rumpled sheet which read:
For Gods sake organize temper
ance society"
The paper was signed by seven
men, including saloon keeper Those
were the days when st. Paul was
filed with border turbulence and the
riot of drink. The next Sunday Fa-
ther Ireland began his campaign by
organizing the Father Matthew TEN.
perance Society of eighty members
He made hut to hut visits in st. Pauls
Shantytown, throwing whisky bottles
out of the squalid doorways. His en-
ergy was so abundant and his zeal
for work such that the term "conse-
Grated blizzard as applied to him
by one of his admirers, was accepted
by many others as peculiarly happy
expression.
The original intention seems to
have been to accept only children as
members of the society, but this was
soon extended to include also adults.
The basis of membership in this Soci-
ETY. was the signing of pledge The
greatest number Of saloons in st. Paul
at that time were owned by Irishmen.
The temperance society grew so
strong that it soon spread throughout
the city Within few years only two
saloons, owned by Irishmen, were left
| in the city, and the total number had
been greatly reduced.
In order to make permanent work
OF temperance which he had inaug-
urated, Father Ireland stumped the
state in favor of high license law.
After ten years of hard struggle he
had the satisfaction of seeing the
state legislature pass the high license
law. At the same time, he continued
his work of the temperance society
in it's relentless fight against the
liquor traffic, Branches of this So
ciety continue to flourish in different
parts of the city down to the present
day.
Scarcely had he come out victorious
from his war against liquor when the
great Vatican Council was called In
Rome. In this Council the doctrine
of Papal infallibility was afirmed.
Father Ireland was summoned to
Rome to attend the Council as dele.
gate for Bishop Grace. Although pos
sessed of no special dignity at this
Council, he soon proved to the assem-
bled prelates in Rome his sterling
worth and ability. They looked upon
him as the 'splebeian apostle" 1t is
said that on one occasion, as Father
Ireland approached the vast PapaI
audience chamber, Pope Plus TX
whispered to a Cardinal who stood
by, Behold, the future
Becomes Bishop.
His knowledge of conditions in the
Middle West was great, and this be-
came known at Rome. So, without
consulting his Bishop the Vatican ap-
| pointed him Apostolic Bishop OF
Nebraska and Titular Bishop of Ma
ronea. Bishop Grace, however dread
ed to lose the active service and the
great abilities of Father Ireland, and
Immediately sent a messenger to
Rome to respectfully petition that the
! appointment be withdrawn. He made
I it clear that he needed Father Ire
land in the North, and asked that he
be made co-adjutor bishop with the
right of succession. His petition was
favorably received, and Father Ire
| land was appointed Co-adjutor Bishop
| of the Diocese of ST. Paul, and conse-
Grated Titular Bishop of Maronea ON
| December 21, 1875. He succeeded
Bishop Grace on July 81, 1884, and
| became the first Archbishop of st.
Paul on May Is, 1888.
In order to spread the cause of
temperance both at this time and at
a later date he toured the Eastern
states in temperance crusade He
delivered lectures in the principal cit
les. and aroused intense enthusiasm
everywhere for the cause which he
championed, and incidentally drew
down upon himself the admiration Of
| the whole country as one of the fore
most orators in the United States. He
established branch societies., dedicat-
4 ed to the work of temperance, in many
/ places, and soon beheld the great
work flourish throughout the East and
| the Middle West, owing to the impetus
which he had given it.
! In spite Of his great efforts and his
comparative success in the cause OF
| Temperance, he soon found great con-
gestion of population. especially
among the poor, in st. Paul as else
where. Investigating the causes
thereof. he discovered that in nearly
| all cases the excessive use Of intoxi-
!, eating liquor was at the foundation
Of both poverty and the misery to be
Il found in the tenement districts. With
characteristic energy he again set
about to strike at the cause and to
! give to these unfortunate people
! new opportunity to live. He realized
that, as the average Irish immigrant
was used to only unskilled labor,
these people might well initiate the
example of the German and the
Swede, and settle on the land, far
! from the temptations OF the city.
Colonization plans.