St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-05-10
Bishop Ireland Delivers a Powerful Ser
mon on Socialism and Its De-
yelopment,
Analysing the Foundations Of Society
and Showing Their Relations to
the Church.
In This Land OF Freedom Each Has
Responsibility in Uphold
ing Law.
None Can Compel His Fellow to
Adapt Their Ways of Life to That
of Another.
Law Must Kse Obeyed.

congregation upon the evils of socialism
and the present agitation in different parts
OF the country. The gospel of the day
was the tenth chapter of st. John and
upon it he based his discourse, speaking
substantially as follows:
The gospel tells the duty of the shepherd
OF souls. If need be he gives his life for his
flock. The supreme shepherd of the flock to-
day is the ponUiH of Rome, and how we'll he
does his duty all the world knows. He treats
with princes and potentates and speaks his
convictions fearlessly. In no one instance
has he shown his watchfulness better than in
laying down rules for the conduct of both
rulers and subjects in civil society and ire
Spect1ve OF their duties to it. Again and
again has he published his encylical letters
on civil society, on the dangers of socialism
and communism threatening civil society.
Amid the chaos of the present time the frame
work OF civil society is made to be in
danger. Centuries age it was taught
that the individual was supreme in relig-
lous matters, and if the individual be
supreme in religious matters, why should he
not be in those of far less significance, the
duties of civil society. 1t is to-day becoming
more and more evident that the sole author
ity which is able to uphold religious affairs is
the only authority capable of proclaiming our
duties to civil society. The teachings of the
holy father, the pope find wond rous actual
ity in America to-day, when thousands and
thousands meet and proclaim their contempt
for all law and dare to
TRAMPLE IN THE DIRT
the representative emblem of law, their
country's flag. 1t becomes our duty to re-
peat to ourselves the solemn principles of
the Catholic church and the soul-saving prin-
ciples of the world to-day, the church
teaches this fundamental principles; That
the organization of man into civil society is
the mandate of the Creator, that having
placed man here in the world ae wills him to
be in q state best suited to his faculties and
intellectual endowments. Man is a social
creation and must live in state of organized
society, hence the Creator gave society the
authority for the maintenance of its own in
terests. and this is Gods own authority.
Men select the ones who are to ex-
ercise this authority, but do not give it
to them, as they have it not to give What
authority have you over the life or over the
interests of other men? If taking life under
any protest they are simply murderers, en-
croaching on the rights of individuals. Their
power is from God, and he who resorts to it
resists the fat of God. The argument of the
philosophy ridicules the divine right of kings.
There is no fiat of God including king, but
man selects them and selects the president of
a republic, and they exercise the authority
of God. Kings rule by right divine; presi-
dents of this republic rule by right divine;
legislatures which make laws and magistrates
men who would set their authority at defiance
are all enemies of the country. Men who
would go around talking otherwise, and men
who would dare write articles against God in
newspapers are worse than mobS in society.
If there is no right divine in society, why do
mobs submit to it? If there is no right divine
right there, why not proclaim that might is
right? To be sure we do not see God with
our own eyes, We do not touch him with our
own hands of flesh. but He is everywhere; He
is the essence, the soul and the life of author
ity and truth, which is absolutely
necessary. This is the cardinal doc
trine of the Catholic church. The
church does not mean that man must submit
to the name of authority, nor that the in
herited usurpatiou of authority is of divine
right, nor that each Individuals the judge of
authority. In the application of this prin-
ciple to our own country, in whatever its de-
gree, it is the authority of the government in
all its degrees. The authority of this republic
is the voice and the command of God. Under
this cardinal doctrine the respective duties Of
rulers and subjects follow: 1t is the rulers
solemn duty to respect their Office, to treat it
with dignity, to forget themselves, as they
are the representatives OF the highest author
ity that can be named, to exercise authority
for the specific purposes for which it is given
them and not to use it to subServe their own
passions or private interests. He is guilty
who steps into Office not acquired by quiet
and legal means-he has usurped Gods own
priesthood. 1t is the doctrine of the church
that it is the duty of officers to enforce law
There are those who respect their Office and
there are those who make civil authority the
means p.
OF INCREASING WEALTH.
Men, however criminal or however much
they despise law, if they are useful to keep in
office certain officials, if they can be pur-
chased, they are allowed immunity from law.
Is il not true that some classes are allowed
absolute freedom? s'TheSe men put me in
Office, these men keep me in Office and 1 am
bound to protect them.' The men most to
blame for communism and socialism and So
cial disruption are not the poor, miserable
flock of the wards, but first of all the men
they put in Office. If the whisky and beer
and immoral elements rule, why would they
not claim lawlessness for themselves, why
not claim right to outrageous acts when
told to submit? This is the necessary conse-
quence of violation of the principle to the ex-
IRENE. The very men in office are RESPONSE
BILE. I'VE must not murder voters, we must
respect voters for they put those men in Of
fee" The fault also lies with the so-called
conservative, prudent class, who do not seek
to put in Office men pledged to law and au-
thOrity. Men of America continue to pay no
attention to religion or morality, to think it
has nothing to do with politics or elections
to put IN office men whose moral nature Is
known to be pitted to the core, and soon there
will be but one candidate for Office, the coro-
ner, to sit on the remains of all in total
wreck. The duty of subjects or of citizens is
to obey the law, and he who resists it resists
the ordinance of God. The idea has gone
abroad that in matters of civil law there is no
duty of conscience, but God will ask a reck-
oning. He wills respect for law, that its
guardians and its symbols be always and
everywhere inyiolable. If we want redress
we must seek it in way not to shatter the
social fabric. We muSt-no matter what the
provocation-respect the laws, respect the
property OF others, respect the freedom OF
others. l cannot say to others: "You must
do as l do; you must work on the same con-
dition that work; you must remain at home
because do" One set of men work only so
many hours, but they are guilty if they try
to impose the same condition on others. The
freedom of others must be respected and es-
peclally so in America, the land of freedom
1t especially behooves Catholics to beware.
Whatever mobs may arise, let no Catholic
forget his church and be there The Catholic
is essentially the child of the law, the child
of authority, the church is the school of
authority. You are brought up to res pect
Gods law and whether you receive
it from direct or from his servants, the pas
tors or magistrates, matters not. When
mobs assemble it is the duty of officers to re-
move every sign of oppression. They must
not let the servants of anarchy believe them
selves free. Those to be punished the worst
are not those obeying wicked leaders, but the
leaders themselves. All sorts of abuses have
been allowed under specious names, and if a
man spoke OF personal freedom or wrote in
cendiary articles for publication. The people
have an opportunity to respect the Catholic
doctrine against absolute liberty of the press.
In these riots much has been said against the
Slavic nationalities as not fit to enjoy this
country. This is not so. They are well dis
posed but do not understand our customs or
language, and we permit a few demagogues
to lead them. l do not put the labor question
Oh the same footing as socialism. There is a
wide difference, but socialistic. leaders take
advantage of the opportunity to draw
THE LABOR QUESTION
into difficulty. Labor has its rights; so has
capital. Capital has often been cruel and
cold hearted, but the way to overcome it is by
peaceable agitation, and all will be well
sooner or later. Laborers must understand
that certain changes would be abso-
lutely destructive of the nation. Let them
show that they are worthy: that their rights
be considered. Do not attempt to impose
your own will on Others, On this point labor
has shown itself to be undeserving of public
sympathy. They can make any demands but
IL.