Evening journal., 1891-06-08
THE SOCIALISTS SCORED
Archbishop Corrigan on the
Pope's Encyclical.
THE RIGHT OF PRIVATE PROPERTY
Like His Holiness at Rome, the Arch
bishop Assatis the Theories OF the Henry
George Men and sustains the Principle
Of Individual Ownership In Land.

OF Individual ownership IN Land
NEW YORK. June s-Archbishop Corri.
gan preached notable sermon yesterday
in st. Patrick's cathedral. His text was
the recent encyclieal OF Pope Leo XIII
Concerning the encyclical the archbishop
said that in the whole history Of the
church probably no single document had
ever been awaited with such widespread
and universal expectation Continuing be
said:
''The doctrines contained ia the encycli.
cal on the condition OF the working classes
are Catholic doctrines. On account Of III,
limits Of time ! propose this morning
merely 70 touch on the first and most i'm
portant part Of the encyclicai, which treats
Of the right OF private property, and TO put
before you in a popular way as briefly and
clearly as | can the arguments alleged BY
the holy father
The soctalistic Idea
Mary causes he says, have brought
about the seething conflict now existing
between capital and labor and many theor
les have been advanced to solve this knott,
question. The socialists contend that the
remedy is to be sought in the abolition o,
| private property and the substitution o.
common ownership, the change TO b,
l brought about by those IN high official sta
| tion. They are Of opinion that by trans
l terring property from individuals to thu
I community, all citizens sharing alike ii
the allotment OF wealth aud comforts, the
i present evil can be remedied Now thu
| holy father says sthis solution in the first
/ place does not benefit the working classes;
secondly, it is unjust, because It offers
violence TO the legitimate owners and dis.
turbs social order.
The Right Of Private Property.
1.-THE aim OF the workman in hiring his
| services to another is clearly TO obtain 4
recompense which he may dispose Of &C
I cording to his necessities. IL he sets aside
portion Of his daily earnings lie certainly
has a perfect right 70 employ il in any
lawful way. II for the sake Qf greater
security he invests In real estate be simpl,
puts his savings in another shape Tiii
land 50 purchased Is undoubtedly as trul,
his possession as the wages were He car
dispose freely Of the one AS he did OF thi
other. But this is neither more nor les
than the right Of private property.
The Land Question.
Man has unceasing wants both 70
the present and the future, and, therefore
there ought to be for these abiding neces
stiles an unfailing means Of supply Now
where can we find such provisions cxcep
In the unfaiiing and teemlng fertility o
mother earth, so that he may not only Sc
cure for his wants the crops OF the presen
year, but also have a reasonable guarante,
Of similar support in future.
consequently the right Of private prop
erty in land comes 10 us by the very law d
nature, and to deprive one Of IL Is 20 4,
him grave Injustice One may object tha
the state by means OK common ownershiI
could make provision for human wants
The answer 20 this difficulty is that mar
is prior 20 civil authority, and his natura
rights therefore existed IN all their full
ness and perfection antecedently TO al
government.
Not According to Scripture.
Second, one may object from til,
Scriptures that God gave the earth I,
men, The phrase means that all men b,
legitimate means may acquire "A portion
Of it suited TO their wants and capacity
and without invading the lawful rights oI
others
(which one Of as is there whom thI
earth does not feedS Those who lack cap
ital in this regard supply labor Whence
IL may truly be stated that the whole econ
omy Of food and clothing and other neces-
saries is derived from labor, exercised
directly on the soil or other lucrative oc
cupation, the payment for which comes
from the earth or some other value from
that source.
The Pope Quoted.
This again, says the holy father,
shows that the private property is accord.
ing to the law Of nature Mother earth
sustains us not, however, without our
own cooperation The hand Of toll sowe
the seed and reaps the golden harvest, but
all this implies painstaking and effort on
our part, and the stamping Of our own
personality, so TO say, on the SOIL and so
establishing claim toit with which Others
may not interfere
{" so luminous, adds the holy father,
is the force of these arguments that il Is
q matter Of surprise that at this late day
men should attempt TO revive theories
long since obsolete-namely, that private
individuals may have the use OF the soil
and the various parts Of the earth but
that no one might ightfully own either
the ground on which he has built his
house or she field which he has titled and
| cultivated"
The archbishop here gave numerous
| quotations from the scriptures in suppor
Of the popes position.
''St. Paul, in his Second Epistle to the
Corinthians, twelfth chapter, says that
the children ought not to lay up for their
| parents, but the parents for the children
| II 10 hold possessions were wrong, st. Paul
| could not have given this advice.
BY the law Of lnature parents are obliged
to provide for their children and to fore
stall many eyentualities that may aris,
from day TO day. II Is difficult TO say how
this duty can be fulfilled except BY the
| possession Of property that may be left as
an inheritance to the little ones, or TO the
widow deprived of hernatural protector y
Fountain of Wealth WouId Run Dry.
The archbishop said that to substitute
the state for the parent according to the
socialistic theory in caring for the of.
/ spring was to act against natural Justice,
and to break down the ramparts of home
Besides IL the ownership OF all property
were made common, disorder and envy
and discord would follow.
The stimulus of exertion would be taken
away and the very fountains of wealth
would necessarily run dry. "We con
clude, then, with the holy father, that this
socialist theory OF common ownership
must be entirely set aside, because it in
| jures the very parties whom it is designed
to benefit. 1t is repugnant to the natural
rights Of individuals 1t perverts the
duties OF the state and disturbs the peace
Of families. When, then, there is ques-
tion of aiding the masses this, first Of all,
| must be laid down as "a Fundamental r,rin.