Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1894-07-21
A PASTORAL.
Bishop Ireland Talks About
Strikes.
He Lectures the Offending on Both Sides
Points Out Their Criminal Errors
and Exhorts TO Patriotism
and Obedience.
Archbishop Ireland on the strike.

Archbishop Ireland on the Strike.
CHICAGO. July 18.-Archbishop Ireland, of
St. Paul. being asked what he had to say
upon the railroad strike, spoke as follows:
II dislike to speak of the Chicago strikes,
because in so doing l shall blame labor,
while, because of my deep sympathy with it,
l should wish to have none but words of
praise for it. Yet, in a social crisis, such as
the one through which we are passing, it is
a duty to speak loud and to make the avowal
of truths and principles which will save so
ciety and uphold justice, and / am glad of
the opportunity which a representative of
the Associated Press affords me.
The fatal mistake in connection with this
strike is that property has been des troyed,
the liberty Of citizens interfered with, hu-
man lives in danger, social order menaced,
the institutions and freedom of the country
put in most serious jeopardy. The moment
such things happen, all possible questions as
to the rights and grievances of labor must
be dropped out of sight and all efforts of law
abiding citizens and of public officials made
to serve in main tanning public order and
guarding at all costs the public veal.
Labor must learn that however sacred its
rights be. there is something above them
and absolutely supreme-social order and
the laws of public justice. There Is no civil
crime as hldeous or as pregnant of evil re-
suits as resistance to law and the constitu-
tional authority of the country. This resist
ance is revolution; it begets chaos; it is an
archy; it disrupts the whole social fabric
which insures the safety of the poor as we'll
as of the rich, of the employe as we'll as the
employer.
There can be no hesitation to bring in the
hel p of the repressive powers of society when
property is menaced.
"Only savages or men who for the time
being are turned into savages will burn or
destroy property, whether it be the factory
or the rich mans mansion, the poor man s
cottage. railroad car national build
ing. More criminal and more inexcusable
yet is the act of numbering human beings or
CT en6aagcring their lives. Labor, too,
must learn the lesson that the liberty of the
citizens is to be respected. One man has the
right to cease from work, but he has no right
to drive another man from work. He who
respects not the liberty of others shows him
self unworthy of his own liberty, and inca
lpable of citizenship in free country. Never
fcan riots and mob rule and lawless depreda-
ton be tolerated. The country that permits
them signs its death warrant.
Riots and mob rule, such as have occurred
lin Chicago. do immense harm to the cause of
labor and set b OK its advance by whole dec
'ades of years. Labor thereby loses the
earnest sympathy of thousands of friends
and gives courage and triumph to its enc
'mles.
''Worse yet the principle of popular gov
ernment suffers. 1t is no wonder that, read
ing of the occurrences in America, Europe
announces that the republic is failure and
that strong monarchy only can hold society
together. Nowhere on earth has the poor
man such liberty, civil, social and industrial,
Jas that which he enjoys in America. Is this
liberty to be used in tearing down the re-
ipublic which blesses and protects them?
Il am far from saying that labor has not
had its grievances in America, nor that re-
dress must not be sought. | would not re-
spect the laborer who seeks not to enjoy all
his rights and to improve his condition. But
all this must be done within the lines of So
cial order and law. The remedy for these
ills is a healthy public opinion and fair pub
lie legislation. and all Legitimate efforts in
these directions. whether by single act or
sunlted force, are laudable.
Labor has made great progress in the
recent past; it must not be too hasty. Time
and patience are requisites to final success.
GAS to strikes, l repeat the words of la Dor
leader, Z. Y. Powderly-'they are nearly
always failures and should scarcely ever be
resorted to, even when most zealously
guarded from wrong doing.
''The workman when he apparently gains
his purpose, find on computation that he has
suffered severe financial losses and has
weakened his chances for future employ
ment. Besides, strikes affect the great re-
public of America as well as the employer.
and workmen should consider the rights of
the public of America as we'll as the ems
ployer; workmen should consider the rights
of this public. whose moral support, more
over. the cause of labor sorely needs.
For my own part, l believe the large
number of men who join strikes are more
to be pitied than to be blamed. They are
led on by irrespontible and tyrannous chiefs.
Labor unions have one marked evil in that
they put the liberties of tens of thousands in
the keeping of one man or of few, who be-
come their absolute masters, their despotic
czars.
''These strikes read lesson to capital
Capital must. for its own sake, as we'll as
for humanIty's sake, be mindful of its own
duties and of the rights and interests of
tabor. The solution to the differences be-
tween capital and labor is necessarily COM
plex, and no one precise formula has been or
can be found. generous sense of justice
toward all, deep love of ones fellows and
attentive listenings to the teachings of
Christ will lead on all sides to better un-
derstanding and to happier mutual rela-
tions. Certain it il, that 50 far as it is posi-
BILE the laborer should lot lack the means of
rupport for himself and his family: he
should not be oyerburdened either in weight
or time of labor; he should be treated as a
rational and moral being, with all respect
due his human dignity.
His remuneration. if diminished in peri
DDS of depression, should increase IN periods
of prosperity. Industries which allow some
profits which secures the laborer from want
in sickness and old age gain strength TO
themselves, while comforting the working
men. And, as to some means of prevention
Of strikes and dangerous disputes between
capital and labor, nothing better, so far, has
been suggested than arbitration. within all
the lines of wisdom and justice that national
legislation can throw around it. Arbitra-
ton will give at least moral Conclusion
against which neither capital nor labor
could well hold out"