The Russellville Democrat., 1886-08-18

An Open Letter In Reply to Arch
bishop Taschereau and
Other Bishops.
l would say gentlemen, 1t il moi
my place to dictate TO you in spirit
ual affairs, but In this case / beg
leave TO differ with you and your
opinion - regards the Knights VI
Labor. There is no oath in it moi
anything that / am not willing to
leave before the public if required
and neither is there in it anything
which deprives a member of doing
his duty to God and man. To the
contrary it Is the first principle Of
christianity. By being charitable
in aiding and assisting suffering hu
manity and to obtain fair and re
munerating price for his daily labor
and to prevent him from becoming a
white slave in free country. Gen
tlemen, it is not becoming to any
person who obtains their living from
the laborlng community, as you and
the like of you are necessarily COM
PEELED to do, to Cypress them or pre-
vent them from doing anything per-
tanning to method by which they
may be assisted in procuring and
maintaining their legal rights, as
the more money they are enabled to
receive from their daily labor, the
more they will be able to contribute
to your Sunday collections and
Christmas and Easter ceremonies.
1t is by you, gentlemen, and your
predecessors that my country is an
der the tyranical oppression of the
unfair and brutal government of
England. You have been for years
persuading the poor blind people of
my country to bear with the oppres-
sion that has been imposed upon
them by the said government. Think
you that we as free citizens, of
America, who have now got our eyes
opened to freedom, shall be dictated
to by you or any other Priest or
Bishop, except in religious teach
ings? And, furthermore, would
wish you and all gentlemen of your
cloth to confine yourselves to the
spiritual affairs of mankind and not
interfere with his action on the labor
question or his politics, and by SO do.
ing you will fill the command of the
one whom you claim as your Master,
when he said to you, "Be We there
fore wise as serpents and simple as
doves" By the way you have been
talking through the public press,
find that your understanding about
the labor question Is very limited,
or you would not be providing sticks
to beat yourselves with. Masonry,
which you have long since discarded,
has proved itself to be the salt of the
earth for charity and uniting the
human family in the bonds Of broth
erly love and affection. There is
certainly but rcry little charity In
you, when you are exercising your
utmost power to prevent your main
support, (the laboring class of peo-
ple) from lettering their position in
life. Any person who would preach
doctrine, such as you maintain in
your arguments, that would, without
. doubt, destroy all their privileges
in this life, would undoubtedly
preach a doctrine which would de.
stroy as well the privileges which
would be granted them through the
salvation of their souls. Ii you
could persuade, through the argu
ment you hold as the laws and regu-
lations of the Catholic Church, all
men from joining the Knights OF La
Dor, you would most certainly re
ceive the reward for which you seem
to be striving to gain possession OF,
to-wit: a handsome little sum or for
tune, at the hands of Jay Gould, the
oppressor of more laboring men than
any ten institutions In the United
States. Please, Rev. Sir. be kind
enough to restore to them, since you
seem to wish to favor them, all funds
which you have received from them
since you have been preaching to
them in your diocese. ! will now
give little advice to my Canadian
brothers, which will, ii needed, be
far more beneficial to their worldly
welfare than the advice given to
them by you, which is as follows:
Attend services regularly every Sab
bath, but do not give one penny for
the support OF the church, either di
rectly or indirectly, and will vouch-
safe to say that you have no spirit
ual adv isors left within the space OF
60 days, for within that time they
will all be on the strike themselves.
/ am yours truly, M. M.
Catholic knight of Labor,
Sedalia, Mo.