Griggs courier., 1896-10-23
81 4 ) : a1l e
A PRELATE'S COUNSEL.
Ono Of Americas Great Catholic
Leaders is Opposed to
Organism.
ARCHBISHOP lRELAND's LETTER
]. The Chicago Platform Declared to.
be Threat Against So
cial Order.
ARCHBISHOP lRELAND's LETTER

capacity as citizen, cannot fail to carry
weight with multitudes of voters of his
own faith, and it is good reading for
everybody. he does not lay special
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: "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: 'In these
words there is the old secession doctrine
sthat states are independent of the ma
6onal government at Washington: there
Is the annulment of the Union: there is
notice served upon the flag of America
that outside of the DistrictSof Columbia
It is without power of sclf-assertion or
eif-defense." And again. 'aThe plat
form of the Chicago convention threat:
ems the country with destruction of social
order, with lawlessness and anarchy.
/ On the question of government by in
junction, the archbishop tells the people
of America that ''The palladium of
American liberties is the supreme court
ut 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 convention speaks of the su-
prem court as it may be hereafter con-
stituted.' intimating 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
spopsive to the passing whims of politi-
cal parties"
The archbishop sees in the platform
sectional and guarded expression of So
.cialism. The convention of Chicago ''is
the International of Europe. now TAX
ing body in America. The war
of class against class is upon us. the war
holder. No other meaning than this can
be given to the appeals to the common
people, to labor, to the poor and down
trodden. and to the denunciations
against plutocrats and corporations and
money grabbers and bankers. Many ad-
herents Of the movement do not per-
ceive its full meaning; but let them be-
ware, they are lighting torches which.
borne in hands of reckless men. may
light up in the country the lurid ires of
a cOmmune"
Archbishop Ireland thinks that the
pamphlet of Archbishop Walsh of Dub
lin on bimetallism has no bearing what
ON fk1r, oft Tn md
that it ''is throughout solid argument
against the Chicago platform. Free
coinage. he says. ''will give us money
worth in the commercial market of the
world, a little oyer half its nominal
peliing men to accept against their will
money above its commercial value in the
markets of the world. is rank injustice"
He is absolutely. convinced that the
1aboring classes will suffer the most of
all from free silver coinage?" With re-
<Psst to ,,a the farmer, far he pertinently asks,
for their products? Maybe a higher
price, but not higher value. OF what
use is it to have dollar instead of
half dollar. if the dollar can purchase
eo rse taan best the markell haf fod dolar 1bs
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-
Eeive but little for his harvests." He
scoros the absurd explanation Of our in
ring to the ''crime of 1873" and says
that 1T is the great fallacy of the day
10 lse attributing our hard times to the
goad 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"
Like all other men who think upon
this subject seriously. Archbishop ire
land comes at last to consider the ethical
aa:..ct Of the question: and asks: ..Is it
zaonry which we received when % V we con. ene
tracted them? That the great
American nation will. as a nation. de-
clare to the world that it will now make
a law compelling its creditors to be sat
lsfied with half, or q little more. of the
money they loaned to it, and go on record
down. bankrupt, regulating nation, it Is
not possible to believe"
Holding these views. which are fully
and carefully elaborated in this letter,
which is too long for reproduction here.
It rs not surprising to hear him say: II
stand by the platform and the presiden-
tiai candidate of the Republican conyen-
lion at st. Louis. am opposed to the
platform and the presidential candidate
OF the Democratic convention at Chica-
The following are the. closing para
srHphs Of the archbishop's letter:
favor Of free silver coinage-we lave
had bard 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
faliaGy of the day to be attributine our
hard times to the gold standard. Tie
craze: of free silver as a cure for hard
times: 10 explicable ON the same theory
that q man who has been a long time
sick despite the attentive care Of expert
sdvertises to cure all the ills Of hu-
nanity. Hard times have come through
The severe and resistless working Of
ocsnenic laws. which .so their way in