Untitled article | AdventAI

Pacific Press Publishing Company · New York · January 17, 1895

Rum and Romanism.

“FATHER” ELLIOTT, the Catholic priest who is fishing for Protestants in Ohio, has gotten into trouble with his financial backing. It takes money to conduct his propaganda, and consequently, the managers of the enterprise called upon the Roman Catholic beer brewers, distillers, and saloon-keepers to donate for the conversion of heretical Protestants to the true Catholic faith. The drunkard makers contributed liberally and then seated themselves comfortably in “Father” Elliott’s congregation to watch the priest convert Protestants. But the priest is fishing for Protestants, not papists; and consequently he baits for fresh water fish with a temperance bait. Seeing how popular Protestantism palavered over what they foolishly thought was a temperance victory in the Satolli-Waterson decision, Priest Elliott hastened to add a “temperance night” to his programme. The result is told as follows in the Wine and Spirit News, under the “scare head,” “The Liquor Men Bled and then Roasted:” —

One of the most outrageous, and to say the least, most ungrateful acts ever perpetrated upon the liquor traffic of the State of Ohio, and purely a money-making scheme, is that which is now being engineered under the supervision of one styling himself Father Elliott. So bold have become his operations that the Wine and Spirit News, the official organ of the Ohio State Liquor League, deems it necessary that every person engaged in the liquor traffic in the State should be made fully acquainted with the facts, and be in a position to protect himself against this skin game when approached by one or more of its advocates. Prompted, perhaps, by the successful operation in the robbery line, by the Rev. Howard Russell, superintendent and general chief schemer of the so-called Anti-Saloon League, Father Elliott has concluded to take the road. Although his mode of operation is, to a large extent, similar to that employed by the Rev. Russell, Father Elliott has introduced a new scheme to fatten his purse. One of the first cities to be called upon by Father Elliott and his followers was Toledo. The programme for the six evenings’ entertainment was published, but good care was taken not to include anything derogatory to the liquor interests. The church committees were soon in the field with their subscription books, and the very first persons called upon were those engaged in the liquor traffic. The liquor men, as all other business men ever ready to assist any project looking to public interest, subscribed liberally, most of the donations ranging from five to ten dollars each. The brewers, wholesale and retailers, were called upon alike, and seldom was the committee sent away empty-handed, and when totally summed up it was found that the liquor traffic defrayed the entire week’s expenses. A large number of the liquor men who had so liberally donated to the affair, attended the lecture at St. Francis de Sales Church, on Cherry Street, last Thursday evening, and their reward was the most damnable tirade against their business.

These Roman Catholic dealers in “fire water” are evidently not trained Jesuits, or they would have stoically swallowed the bitter pill while comforting themselves with the papal maxim, “the end justifies the means.” However, they seem to feel justified in making an “end” of contributing “means” to support Priest Elliott’s propaganda.