The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1886-12-10
An Archbishop on the Land Question.

y
The pastoral !ei ter of the Roman Cath
olic Archbishop of New York is, 10
view of recent agitations, especially re-
markaDle for the vigorous and aoie
assertion of the rights of property which
it contains. All theories of Com mmunlsts
or Socialists which are based on denial
of the right of man to the ownership ot
what his skill of mind or hand has pro-
ducsd. OF his economy has saved, are
strongly con- batted. The Roman Cath
olic Church 10 this respect insists 1gOn
the most conservative principles, and
places under its ban the vagaTies OF rea.
soning by which the rights of individual
possession are attacked.
Recognizing that these many notions
have their root in perversion OF the
doctrine of equal rights, the Archbishop
saws L is necessary, dTst Of all, to under
stand in it's true sense the statement
that all men are created equal. 1t does
not mean that Ole man may not surpasS
another in power or strength or beauty,
for no two men are exactly alike IN these
respects but MEL are created equal In
that they are all destined to the same
ultimate md, have the same essence,
and are end we'd with the same faculties
wherewlth TO attain that end" The
power 20 improve and the freedom of
directing his action, constitute the es--
sential rights of man. Right is defined
as .'tbe moral faculty which each one
has for what is his or what is due TO
him, and mans right to anv partlcu-
lar object in Gods universe depends on
whether it is necessary to him In rela-
tiOn TO his last end, or even useful, pro-
4 a. irrIf nf n q
respected" "
From these funa Imental statements
the Archbishop proceeds to d cOnsdera-
tion of the question boldly debated
nowadays, whether or not man can have
the right Of property or ownership in
land.r The first thing TO be determined
is what the right OF property is. 1T is
the moral faculty of claiming an object
as ones Own, and of dispCsing Of both
the object aud it's utility according TO
ones own will, without any Tightfui in
reference on the part of others. -
While It is universally conceded that
man has a right to the use OF certain
things, it is sometimes vehemently de
MED that he Can acquire the Ttgi' to
possess these things as his own, upon the
plausible ground that. all being equal, no
man has right to exclude others who
have rights as strong IS his from ne
air, the light, and from the earth and its
farm LANDS.
Then taking up the land question, the
argument in support of the right of
ownership is so tersely set forth that 1t
may pTo6tably be pOndered as it was
written. Undoubtedly God made the
earth for the use of all mankind but
whether the possession thereof was to be
in common, or by individual ownership,
was left for IsasOu to determine. Such
determination, judging from the fects of
history, the sanction of laW, from the
teaching = 'f.e wisest and the actions of
the best and bravest of mankind, has
been and is, that man can by lawful acts
become possessed of the right of owner
ship in properly, and not merely in its
use. The reason is because man is
strictly entitled 20 that of which be is
the producing cause, to the improvement
he brings about in it, and the enjoyment
of both. But 1t is GEAR that 10 a farm,
for instance. which one has by patient
toll improved in value, in a block of
marble out of which one has chiseled
perfect statue, he cannot fully enjoy the
Improvement he has caused unless he
have also the right to own Tie object
thus improved. He has a strict right
uuN Ohll dlC AllC laws dlll oNCulS "ulCu
ignore it-eitheT to ownership and enjoy
ment, OF to full compensation for the
improvement which is his.
ITO strive to base arguments against
ownership in land by reasoning on the
universal dIstr caCion of air and light is
only freak of the imaginat@sl. Human
Industry Cannot scatter a cl, ud from be
fore the face of the sun, nor lift a for
that may be freighted with damaging
vapOrs we take the air aud iae light as
God gives them, and we owe him thanks
for his bounty. II was only the earth
which fell under the primeval curse
when man had sinned. and It is only the
earth, not the air nor light, which man g
Industrious toll can coax back to some
thing like its original fIuitfulLess. When
he has done so, his just reward is to en-
JOY the results without hindTance from
others"
Then follows the familiar argument
that If the right of ownership is denied.
the iaed OF stagnatiOn in huC.In enter
prise '' sown. While it is true that too
often the rights of the to:ler are trampled
on and the fruits of his labor seized from
him-and this too frequently with the
concurrence or connivance of law-and
this constitutes an evil to be corrected :;
yet the redress can never be brought
about by denying fundamental right Or
ty perpetrating a radical wrong. "Seek
rather for redress of such ilksome griev-
ances by the wise methods which the
Church of Christ is forever teaching,
though her voice may pass uuheeded By
the great ones of earth.'' How the
teachings of the Church are applicable
to tLis IT medy Of evils urdeI which the
poor do grcan is set forth i'll long ex-
tract from the encyclical of the Pope.
A large proportion Of that class liable
to be misled by Socialism, being a part
of Roman Catholic congregations, their
religious training must be regarded as -
security against the spread of the theory
of anarchy.-EDcbange