Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1896-10-22
A PRELATE'S COUNSEL
One of Americas Great Catholic
Leaders is Opposed to
Organism.
ARCHBISHOP lRELAND'S LETTER
The Chicago Platform Declared to
BIO a Threat Against So
cia Order.

The letter of Archbishop Ireland, writ
ten not as a prelate but in his private
capacity as a 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 unmistakablti
language the revolutionary character or
that platform. He says: The move!
ment which had its expression in thd
Chicago convention and which now seeks;
by means of popular suffrage, to en-.
throne itself in the capital of the MAJ
ton, is in it's logical effect against tho
United States; it is secession" He
quotes the frank announcement of arbi-
trary interference by federal authorities
In local affairs and observes: I'm thesi
words there is the old secession doctrine
that states are independent of the MAJ
tional government at Washington; there
Is the annulment of the Union: there II
notice served upon the flag of America
that outside of the District of Columbia
il is without power of selt-asseruon OF
self-defense" And again, The platl
form of the Chicago convention threat
ems the country with destruction OF social
,vder, with lawlessness and anarchy.
N the question of government by IN
iunoSon. the archbishop tells the people
of America that THE palladium of
4 In. cttfAp
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 a convention speaks of the SUI
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 constr
tute the courts as to make 1t insenslble
TO the stern voice of the law, and re-
sponsive to the passing whims OF poltl-
cal parties"
The archbishop sees in the platform n
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
of the proletariat against the property
holder. No other meaning than this can
be given to the appeals to tire common
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-
ware, they are lighting torches which,
borne in hands of reckless men, may
light up in the country the lurid fires OF
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
that it sis throughout a solid argument
against the Chicago platform. Free
worth in the commercial market of tho
world, little over half its nomina
value. Legal tender com
polling men to accept against their viii
money above its commercial value in thu
markets of the world. is rank injustice.
laborng classes will suffer the most Of
all from free silver coinageW With re-
spect to the farmer, he pertinently asks
i"Will they not receive a higher pric,
for their products? Maybe highe
price, but not higher value. OF wha
half dollar, if the dollar can purchas,
no more than the half dollar
The best market for tn
farmers's product is his own country
and If his own country is impoverished
If factories are closed, if laborers il
cities are penniless, the farmer will re
ceive but little for his harvests." Ill
scorns the absurd explanation of our in
dustrial and financial troubles by refer
ring to the crime of 1873" and say
that 1T is the great fallacy of the da!
to be attributing our hard times to tn
L. Al.
the silver standard we will have niue
harder times" and that zone of the chic
causes of hard times today is the agta
ton for radical change in the currenc,
OF the country"
Like all other men who think upol
this subject seriously, Archbishop Ire
land comes at last to consider the ethica
aspect Of the question, and asks: us
honest to try to pay debts with half tn
money which we received when we con
tracted them? That the preo
American nation will, rs n nation. de
clare to the world that IL will now max
law compelling its creditors TO be sat
ished with half, or little more, of tn
money they loaned TO it, and 90 on recor
In the eyes of the world as n broken
down, bankrupt. repudiating nation, ii
not possible to believe"
Holding these views, which are full
and carefully elaborated in this letter
which IL 100 long Tor reproduction here
II Is not surprising TO hear him say: Is
stand by the platform and the presider
tial candidate of the Republican CONVEX
ton at st. Louis. / am opposed TO m
platform and the presidential candidat
of the Democratic convention at Chicf
CO."
The following are the closing para
graphs of the archbishop's letter:
Here is the popular argument
favor of free silver coinage-we hay
had hard times under the gold standar,
That is true, and what is also true
that under the silver standard we sba
have much harder times. 1t is the gre,
fallacy of the day to be attributing on
hard times to the gold standard I'll
craze of free silver as cure for bar
times is applicable on the same theor
that a man who has been a long tin
sick despite the attentive care Of expo
physicians, will call for any quack WI
advertises TO cure all the ills Of hi
mainly. Hard times have come throug
the severe and resistless working
economic laws, which go their way