The Church and the Saloon Power
The Roman Catholic Church has set itself one of the hardest of tasks in endeavoring to eliminate from its societies saloon keepers. The fact is that two-thirds of all the saloon keepers and whisky sellers of the country are members of the Roman Catholic Church. The Wine and Spirit Gazette challenges Archbishop Corrigan to carry out the decision of Satolli in the archdiocese of New York. The archbishop fails to meet the issue, and it is a question as to whether he will meet the issue in a district where the great majority of saloon keepers are Roman Catholics. The whisky power is mighty, not only in the Roman Catholic Church, but in some Protestant churches. A writer in the Advance of August 9 mentions two cases in Protestant churches where members own saloons, and yet are considered in good standing. And this writer says there are "thousands of saloon keepers in regular standing in the Protestant churches." The power of money is mighty.