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The Commoner
VOL. 18, NO. 7
1G
Catholic Society for
Prohibition
Resolutions unanimously adopted
At tho 47th annual convention of tho
Catholic Total Abstinence Union of
Illinois, hold in St. .Philip Nori hall,
Sunday, Juno 23, 1918. Chicago,
Illinois:
"QrnLoful to Almighty God for the
many blessings Ho has bestowod up
on u during tho past year, we, tho
tnpmbors of tho Catholic Total Ab
'itinonco Union of Illinois in conven
tion assomblod, again ronow our fil
ial dovotlon to Holy Mother church
and with all tho vigor at our com
mand wo earnestly pledge our undi
vided loyalty and support to our
Illustrious and peerless President,
Woodrow Wilson, in his noblo efforts
to establish and maintain human
liborty and domocracy for all man
kind, "Wo keenly rejoice at tho groat
progross tho holy, cause of tompor
anc and sobriety has mado through
out tho world since our last annual
convention.
"It Is indood consoling to know
that today, amidst tho din of battle,
and tho roar of cannon, the manu
facture and salo of Intoxicating li
quors in ovory land, but particularly
in our own, has boon groatly cur
tailed and its evils lossencd to such
an oxtont, as to causo our fighting
forces, tho prl.do of our country and
tho hope of tho world, to bo more
ofllclont In tho discharge of their
patriotic dutios, and their general
conduct moro exemplary whether
training at homo or achieving mil
itary famo and glory on the flolds
of Marno or on tho heights of Vor
ilun. "Wo heartily commend tho socre
tarlos of tho army and navy for what
they have done in raising tho morale
of their respective branches of gov
ernment by eliminating from training
camps all sources of evil, and pro
hibiting liquor doalors from soiling
or giving intoxicating drinks to
young men honored by wearing the
Araorican uniform, tho grandest cos
tume in all tho world.
"Wo congratulate congress for
passing tho constitutional prohibi
tion Amendment and look forward
with' "pleasure to the happy day
when more than tho necessary-three-fourths
of tho states will triumphant
ly ratify same. And to this end wo
urge upon our Catholic votors tho
necessity of co-operating with our
non-Catholic brethren in electing to
tho various legislatures, as occasion
requires, onl thoso whom they bo
Hove will loyally support a measure
ratifying and confirming said amend
ment. "Wo rejoice at tho decision of the
supreme court of Oklahoma granting
the constitutional right of tho church
to procure wine for sacramental pur
poses, a right that wo sincerely hope
.will never again bo questioned on
Araorican soil.
"Belioving, as should be apparent
to all in this important crisis in our
country's history, that the conserva
tion and preservation of all food ma
terials are highly essential to tho
success of tho ennobling cause for
which our armies are now contend
ing on the battlefields of Europe, wo
call upon congress to immediately
pass such legislation as will prevent
the further waste of food material
during the continuanco of tho pres
ent war.
"Wo note with pleasure the ever
increasing number of our leading
Catholic publications and also of our
Catholic people, who are becoming
interested in the success of measures
having for their object the complete
dtitruction of the liquor traffic. We
firmly believe that with the aid and
co-operation of our Catholic press
and Catholic citizenship, tho evil and
blighting influences of tho liquor
traffic would soon disappear, and so
would earnestly urge upon all whoso
positions in tho . commercial, pro
fessional and social life of our coun
try entitle them to prominence, to
continue taking an active and ener
getic part in ridding our nation of
tho saloon and Its attendant evils.
"Wo aro oxtremcly grateful to his
Grace, tho Most Reverend George W.
Mundeloln, tho beloved Archbishop
of Chicago, for tho splendid en
couragement given our work during
tho past year, and wo take this op
portunity to publicly congratulate
him on his splendid achievements,
not only in tho religious life of the
Archdiocese, but in every field of en
deavor that goes to make for sobri
oty, civic righteousness and gener
ally a higher standard of citizenship.
May God spare him to tho people of
Chicago, whoso spiritual destinies he
so admirably guides, is our fond and
earnest prayer.
"Wo aro also indebted to many
priests in Chicago and elsewhere for
their zoal and activity in keeping
before tho public tho many advantr
ages and never failing virtues of a
sober and temperate life. Wo feel
confident that with the active co
operation of tho clergy and the laity
in this noblo work, the many vices
and evils following in the wake of
intemperance would soon disappear,
that our city would soon bo filled
with happy and contented homes,
that tho world would be a brighter
and happier place in which to live,
that love, prosperity and peace every
where would reign supreme, making
our existence hero an earthly para
dise like unto that life beyond where
wo aro told life is perfect and joy
complete. Respectfully submitted,
"Wm. J. Kinsella, P. B. Flanagan,
Chas. V. Ogden, John J. Brennan,
John F. Cunneen."
VETO FOR INCREASE IN PRICE
OP WHEAT
A Washington dispatch, dated
July 12, says: In vetoing the $28,
000,000 annual agricultural appro
priation bill because of its amend
ment fixing tho government guaran
teed minimum wheat price at
$2.40 a bushel, tho President in
formed congress today that he did
not believe tho farmers of America
"depend upon a stimulation of price
to do their utmost to serve the na
tion and tho world at this time of
crisis." The President said the pat
riotic spirit of the farmers has been
"worthy of all praise and has shown
them playing a most admirable and
gratifying part in the full mobiliza
tion of tho resources of the coun
try." He added that the bumper
crops they have raised this year have
relieved "tho anxiety of the nations
arrayed against Germany." v
Congress was informed the Presi
dent did not boliovo that such in
elastic price provisions as contained
in the bill could be administered in
a way hat would be advantageous
to the producer and consumer be
uuusu uioy ostaunsu arbitrary levels
which are quite independent of the
normal market conditions. The ad
ministrative method in fixing prices,
ho said, has been entirely satisfac
tory and should bo continued.
A fixed minimum price of $2.40 a
bushel, tho President said, would in
crease the price of flour from $10.50
to $12.50 a barrel and would put an
additional burden of $387,000;000
this year on the consumers. Such
an Increase in price, he said, would
lorce a similar increase in Canada,
thus enlarging the whole scale of fi
nancial operations in this country
and by the allied governments and
affecting practically the entire world
Coal Operators 'Ask
for War Prohibition
A Washington special, dated July
12, says: Tho National Coal Associa
tion, composed of bituminous oper
ators, has submitted to the fuel ad
ministrator a plan for speeding up
coal production, in which it recom
mends nationwide prohibition of li
quor for the period of the war as a
means to the end desired. The plan
with its prohibition recommendation
has been laid before President Wil
son by Fuel Administrator Garfield.
Tho war, it is declared, can not be
waged with tho "most important in
dustrial activity handicapped by the
drink habit among its millions of em
ployes. The operators' committee has also
addressed a personal letter to all sen
ators and representatives, laying
down the argument that the coun
try can not have both liquor and its
necessary amount of coal next winter.
The situation, it is urged, is critical
now and immediate relief must be
sought in the way indicated.
Supported by Statistics.
Tho committee has in its posses
sion recent statistics to show that
the liquor traffic is regularly cur
tailing the production of coal in
practically every mining section.
Operators complain that after every
pay day there is great difficulty in
making up labor crews because men
take three or four days to have a
spree and loaf around drinking
places and in a great majority of
cases remain away from work to re
cover from the effects of 'drink.
Many who get back in less time
are unfit for good work and for a
week are seriously incapacitated for
normal service, it is asserted.
The statistics cover wide areas in
Illinois, West Virginia and Pennsyl
vania, where comparisons can be
made for a period of two or three
years between the output of "dry"
and "wet" territory. The men who
recover, the committee declares, with
greater constancy and corresponding
ly larger output in every case in
"dry" sections. The normal output
of the bituminous coal industry is
400,000,000 tons and this year, in
view of the speeding up of war in
dustries the mark is set for an in
crease in this total of 100,000,000
tons. The operators agree, almost
unanimously, that this can never be
attained or even hoped for with drink
conditions as they now are.
Statement by Hamilton.
A. R. Hamilton of Pittsburgh,
chairman of the committee, made
this statement on the committee's
action :
"Our committee is composed of
inautiuui upturning men, representing
all the principal producing districts
of the country. They are men of all
shades of personal opinion. Some
cme,,from "wet" states, some from
dry states and some from states
partly "wet" and partly "dry." They
all told their firnron anA . 4.
- " 1HOOC1UCU
their figures to show not only the
relative efficiency of the mines as be
tween "wet" and "dry" states, but
the difficulties of working out any
practical benefits from drink restric
tion along the border line between
"wet" and "dry" territory. The re
sult was a determined and unquali
fied stand for national prohibition.
The committee feels that the
drinking evil has become so rampant
in the mining communities that its
complete elimination is fundamental
ly necessary in the effort to speed up
the mines sufficiently to get the
100,000,000 additional tons of coal
this country will require this year. It
is now up to congress to. make a clean
cut choice between booze for the min
ing communities and coal for the w
and the public." ar
A MIGHTY CHANGE OF OPINION
Six years ago last January, Frank
H. Hitchcock, postmaster general in
tho cahinet of President Taft, recom
mended national ownership of all tel"
egraph lines.- He was promptly re
pudiated by his superiors and his
party, and for a time it was thought
that he might be forced to resign.
His successor in office, Albert s!
Burleson, advocated the same policy
for five years, meeting nothing but
fierce opposition.
Now, under, the stress of war and
with" an inexcusable strike threatened,
we find a recommendation by Mr.
Burleson, supported by the President
that the government take over the
telegraphs and telephones accepted
almost everywhere by the people as
logical and necessary.
The American people are pledged
to win the war at any cost. As they
are sacrificing life , and treasure to
that end, so will they surrender, if
need be, many theories and tradi
tions to which they have tightly held.
Whether the great renunciation in
these matters is to be permanent or
only temporary, like our vast arma
ments and almost incredible expendi
tures, must be loft to time and ex
perience. New York World.
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