The morning call., 1894-05-11
THIS Is PLAIN TALK.
Archbishop Ireland to the Rail-
way Engineers.
Labor Has Rights, but SO Has Cap
ital, and Both Must Be
Protected.

ST. PAUL, May 10.-The Brotherhood Of
Locomotive Engineers formally opened
their biennial convention this afternoon.
In the morning a session was devoted to
preliminary routine work, and this after
noon the formal address of welcome was
delivered in the beautiful metropolitan n
Opera-house. the speakers being Governor
Nelson, Mayor Wright of st. Paul. Mayor
Eustis of Minneapolis. Archbishop Ire
land and others. Grand Chief Arthur re-
sponded for the engineers.
Archbishop Ireland, in the course of his
speech, said: 81 he interest and rights of
labor l often have pleaded for. and low
ingly do l plead for them now. l hate
that view of labor which makes of 1t
mechanical force purchasable at mere
market value. l demand for the laborer
and his family so far as by true, just
and rational measures we can reach
thereto, the means of decent livelihood,
the opportunities to develop Intellect,
to care for bodily health and
moral and religious growth. tc receive
due portion of the joys of human exist
eDce in recOmpeus Sc for the tolls which
will not fail to press upon them. Let me
now enter my brief plea for capital. Prop
erty is the very foundation of the social
fabric. 1t is the incentive and reward of
industry and energy. He who men,
aces property is an anarchist, and
the anarchist is the deadly foe
of order. of right. of society. He
is the wild beast. solely bent on destruc-
ton, from which security and civilization
never can drift. Without capital the mil
lions of willing workingmen are idle and
the factory doors remain closed, fields are
untitled. mines hold their treasures In con-
cealment, no ships plow seas, no railroads
span continents.
Without capital labor Is latent. un-
productive energy. Why to-day are there
among US legiOns of unem mployed? Because
capital hies away from Us. 1t is an easy
matter in clubroom and on public squares
TO discuss capital and its obligations.
AS matter of fact, capital is
timid OF its life. Make 1t insecure;
it will shun you. leave you to beat the air
with your idle arms. The laws of the
financial world are as inflexible as those
of the four seasons of the year. The State
or the country in which. through mob
riots or oppressive statutes, property is
endangered and made unproductive, will
be surely abandoned to their own sterile
resources.
II am not afraid to mention the word
strike. Nor will l say that it never should
be eoGnseled. l say this much, however.
of strikes: They are in the Industrial
world what wars are between peoples-to
be dreaded for the ruin they cause
and never TO be urged except
when all other counsels have failed
and where great interests are
at stake. and when strikes do take place
they must be like wars between civilized
nations. conducted under the dictates of
justice and humanity. Amid the utmost
force of strikes propsrty must be held
sacred and the liberty of other men al
lowed, as we demand that our liberty be
allowed. These are the imperious laws of
social justice and of Gods religion.
'This is an age of reason. as distin-
guished from previous ages Of semi-barbs-
riSm and brute force. Why. then, cannot
nations cease putting their pride In their
power to murder men and arbitrate their
differences? and why cannot employees and
employer equally avoid discord by peace
full Rrbitration?"