The Portland daily press., 1886-08-16
KNIGHTS OF LABOR.
Cardinal Taschereau's Letter to the
Bishop on the Order.
Cardinal Gibbons of Baltimore Also
Expresses His Opinion on the
Matter Under Consider
alton.

QUEBEC, Aug. IA, 1SS6.-The following is
translation of Cardinal Taschereau's letter
to the bishops on the subject of the knights
of Labor.
Your Lordship: On the 18th of May last l
represented to his eminence the cardinal pre-
feet of the sacred congregation of the Pro-
paganda the Emergencies OF opinion eX-
pressed by the newspapers OF Canada ana
the United States on the subject of the socie-
ty of the Knights of Labor, condemned in
September, 1884. AS it was pretended, the
effect of this sentence stood suspended by an
appeal affirmed to have been carried before
the Holy See after notifications had been
made in the constitution of this society. a, l
begged his eminence to make known with
certainty the position of the church in regard
to it, A letter from His Eminence, Cardinal
Simeoni. dated the 18th of July, informs me
that on the 9th of June last the sacred ONCE,
after re-examinatlon OF the questlon, maln-
tanned its Judgment of 1884 absolutely in the
same terms which are reproduced IN his let
ter, as follows: o;uot;on
and rules of the society of the knights OF
be classed among those which have been con-
demned according to the instructions OF this
supreme congregation on the 10th OF May,
1854, that the bishops be enJoined to proceed
as well against this society as against others
of the same kind, and to employ the rene,
dies ordered or advised in said Instructions.
Your lordship will recall that in my conStl-
tuition of the 5th of October, 1883, made no
representation. of my own upon the prlncl-
Piles of the organization and the rules Oh tne
society, but purely and simply transmitted
to the Holy See an authentic printed copy OF
it's constitution, with prayer to examine IL
all the more carefully because this society
seemed to embrace all branches OF work and
workers, which, moreover, its name clearly
indicated The pretended appeal to the
Holu hos hppn long invoked 10 CredCe
the belief that, pending the final decision,
persons could continue to enroll themselves
or to remain in the society, provided always
that they were sincerely disposed to opey
appeal had been really. made, it is Impossible
that the sacred office should not have been
seized of it, because this matter belong to Its
exclusive resort. Consequently, the decision
of the 9th of June, communicated to me py
His Eminence Cardinal SimeOni, is in reply
to it, The original sentence has been con-
firmed in its form and tenor; whereas, In TINS
last decision, as in the first, the holy once
recommends the bishops to proceed against
this society in the manner prescribed IN lts
instructions of the 10th OF May, 1884. l can
not see that there can any longer be any
doubt as to the rule to be followed by the
Catholics of the whole world over whom the
jurisdiction of that sacred congregation ex-
tends. Having discharged my duty IN con-
veying to your lordship this decision OF the
Holy See, beg you to accept assurances OF
| (Signed) E. A. CARDINAL TAscHEREAU,
Archbishop of Quebec.
| BALTIMORE, August IA = The American
will print tomorrow an interview with Car,
| dinal Gibbons, in which he says: Cardlna
| of Labor should not be taken as the senti
ment of the church toward that or
| ganization. | am not familiar with the labor
| organization in Quebec, but it is certain thai
| the Cardinals hostility grows out OF some 10
| cal laws or conduct of the knights which are
| contrary to the doctrines of the church. AS tC
| the Knights of Labor organization IN the
| United States, have not thoroughly eXamln
| ed their constitution or studied their purpos-
| es, yet from reading the newspapers and Mr
Powderly's public statements inter that IN 4
| objects of the knights are praisworthy and II
| no way opposed to the views OF the church
| The Catholic prelates will, to man, declare
| in favor of the organization of labor. Ther'
| can be no wrong in such course. Organlza
| tion is the basis of all progress-political, so
| does the church raise her voice and call ou
her children. | have no knowledge of tn
workings of the local societies in Canada
| Whether or not secret pledges are taken b.
| the knights here is question on which NOR
light should be thrown by their leaders. VI
| car-General Conway, of Chicago, who exam
| ined the constition of the body carefully, as
| sures me that it bears no resemblance to tn
| Free Masons, Odd Fellows and other organl
cations which the church has always antago
nized. A distinction must be made, too,:as +
the nature of the secret pledges We holt
that if man joins a society, swearing neve
to reveal any of its workings, no matter hoy
criminal, and to obey the dictates of its off
GERS blindly, he surrenders his personal liber
ty, becomes slave to his fellow men, ant
cannot partake of the blessed sacraments 0
the church. On the other hand, if a maj
joins an organization, swearing to keep Sc
cret its workings, with the proviso that moth
ing therein shall be contrary to the laws o
the land, to his conscience and religious ten
eus, we hold that his action is perfectly JUST
fable The whole question as to the church
attitude towards the Knights of Labor dc
pends on which of these oaths the member
take. If the latter, and in accordance wit
MI Powderly's statements, then the churc
says to the Knights of Labor "GOd spec
you" IT, however, the absolute blind pledg
is taken, no matter how laudable the object
of a society are, the church can never counte
nance it and will call ON her children to with
draw under the pain of accommodation. S
everything depends on the provision.