Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1896-10-22
A PRELATES COUNSEL
One of Americas Great Catholic
Leaders is Opposed to
Organism.
ARCHBISHOP IRELAND'S LETTER
The Chicago Platform Declared to
) be Threat Against So.
cial Order.

The letter of Archbishop Ireland, writ
ten not as a pTelate, but in his private
capacity as citizen, cannot fail to carry
weight with multitudes of voters of his
own faith, and it is good reading for
stress upon the financial plank of the
Chicago platform, but upon its declara-
ton relating to the federal authority and
the integrity of the Supreme court. The
archbishop points out in unmistakable
language the revolutionary character of
that platform. He says: 1.-THE move
ment which had its expression in the
Chicago convention and which now seeks,
by means of popular suffrage, to en-
throne itself in the capital of the ma
ton, is in its logical effect against the
United States: it is secession" He
quotes the frank announcement of arbi-
trary interference by federal authorities
in local affairs and observes: I'm these
words there is the old secession doctrine
that states are independent of the ma
tonal government ut Washington: there
is the annulment of the Union; there is
notice served upon the flag of America
that outside of the District of Columbia
it is without power Of self-assertion or
self-defense." And again, 1.-The plat
form of the Chicago convention threat
ems the country with destruction of social
order. with lawlessncss and anarchy"
On the question of government by in
junction, the archbishop tells the people
of America that 1.-THE palladium of
American liberties is the supreme court
at Washington, the counterpart of
which in majesty and in power to en-
force absolute justice, does not exist
among the nations of christendom.
And now y convention speaks of the SUI
prem court as it may be hereafter con-
stituted,' intimatins Enthusiastically the in
tention, if the party represented in that
convention comes to power. to SO consti-
tute the courts as to make it insensible
to the stern voice of the law, and re-
sponsive to the passing whims of politi-
cal parties
. The archbishop secs in the platform a
sectional and guarded expression of So
rialism. The convention of Chicago sis !
the international of Europe, now TAX
Ing body in America. = The war
Of class against class is upon us, the war
of the proletariat against the property
holder. No other meaning than this can
people, to labor, to the poor and down
trodden, and to the denunciations
against plutocrats and corporations and
money grabbers and bankers. Many adj
herents Of the movement do not per-
ceive its full meaning: but let them be-
borne in hands of reckless men. may
light up in the country the lurid fires of
q commune"
Archbishop Ireland thinks that the
pamphlet of Archbishop Walsh Of Dub
lin on bimetallism has no bearing what
ever on the situation in America" and
against the Chicago platform. Free
coinage, he says, will give US money
worth in the commercial market OF the
world, little over half it's nominal
value. Legal tender com
peling men to accept against their will
money above, it's commercial value in the
markets of the world, is rank injustice"
He is absolutely convinced that the
laboring classes will suffer the most of
all from free silver coinage:" With re-
spect to the farmer, he pertincntly asks,
-~Will they not receive a higher price
for their cir pro roc sts Maybe higher
use is it to have dollar instead of
half dollar, if the dollar can purchase
no more than, the half dollar.
The best market for the
farmers's product is his own country.
and if his own country is impoverished.
if factories are closed, if laborers in
cities are penniless, the farmer will re-
ceive but little for his harvcsts.'' He
scorns the absurd explanation of our in
dustriai and financial troubles by refer
ring to the ''crime of 1873" and saws
that 1T is the great fallacy of the day
gold standard He thinks that under
the silver standard we will have much
harder times" and that zone Of the chief
causes of hard times today is the agita-
ton for radical change in the currency
of the country"
this subject seriously. Archbishop Ire
land comes at last to consider the ethical
aspect of the question. and asks: SIS it
honest to try to pay debts with half the
money which we received when we con
tracted them? I" That the great
American nation will. as nation de-
clare to the world that it will now make
law compelling its creditors to he sat
isfied with half, or 4 little more. of the
money they loaned to it, and go or record
IN the eyes of the world as Il broken
down, bankrupt, repudmting nation, it is
not possible to believe"
Holding these views, which are fully.
and carefully elaborated III this letter,
which is too long for reproduction here.
a
stand by the platform and the presiden-
tial candidate OF the RepHblican cOnven-'
ton at St. Louis. am opposed to the
platform and the presidential canditlate
of the Democratic convention at Chica-
60"
The following are the closing para
graphs of the archbishop's letter:
Here is the popular argument in
favor Of free silver coinage-we kave
had hard times under the gold standard
That is true. and what is also true is
that under the silver standard we shall
have much harder times. 1t is the great
fallacy of the day to be attributing our
hard times to the gold standard. The
craze Of free silver as q cure for hard
that man who has been a long time
sick despite the. attentive enre 5pf export
physicians, will cali for any g|ndck who
mainly. Hard times have come through
the severe and resistless working Of
economic laws, which 60 their way in