The Coconino weekly sun., 1896-10-22
One of Americas Great Catholic Leaders is Opposed to
 Bryanism.
ARCHBISHOP lRELAND'S LETTER
The Chicago Platform Declared to be a Threat Against So-
 cial Order.

ten not us 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 every body. He does not lay special stress upon the financial plank of the Chicago platform, but upon it's declara- tion 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 it's expression in the Chicago convention and which now seeks, by means of popular suffrage, to en- throne itself in the capital of the na- tion, is in it's 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: 'ln these words there is the old secession doctrine that states are independent of the na- tional government at 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 sclf-assertion or self-defense." And again, "The 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- function, the archbishop tells the people of America that 'The palladium of American liberties is the supreme court at Washington, the counterpart Of a.l ;,, fn force absolute justice, does not exist among the nations of christendom. And now a convention speaks of the su- prem court as it may be hereafter con- stituted,' intimating unmistakably the in tention. if the party represented in that convention comes to power, to so consti- ute 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 sees in the platform a sectional and guarded expression of so- cialism. The convention of Chicago lis the international of Europe. now talk 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 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 np in the country the lurid fires of . commune"
 Archbishop Ireland thinks that the pamphlet of Archbishop Walsh of Dub lin on bimetalism "has no bearing what. ever on the situation in America and against the Chicago platform. Free coinage. he says. twill give us money worth in the commercial market of the world, a little over half it's nominal value. Legal tender com polling 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 laboring classes will suffer the most of all from free silver coinageF With re- spect to the farmer, he pertinently asks, .'Will they not receive n higher. price for their products? Maybe q higher price, but not higher value. Of what use is it to have a dollar instead of a 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 harvests." He scorns the absurb explanation of our in. dustrial and financial troubles by refer. ring to the "crime of 1S73," and says that Tt is the great fallacy of the day to be attributing our hard times to the gold standard" He thinks that under the silver standard we will have much harder times" and that .one 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 aspect of the question, and asks: "Is il honest to try to pay debts with half the money which we received when we con. American nation will, as q nation, de. clare to the world that it will now make law compelling it's creditors to be sat isfied with half, or a little more, of the money they loaned to it, and go on record m the eyes of the world as broken down, bankrupt, repudiating 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 1t IS not surprising to hear him say: "l stand by the platform and the presiden uai cahdidate Of the Republican cOnven ton at St. Louis. I am opposed to tn, platform and the presidential candidate go."
 The following are the closing para graphs of the archbishops letter:
 Here IS the popular argument ii favor of free silver coinage-we tav, had hard times under the gold standard That is true, and what is also trne i that under the silver standard we sbol have much harder times. It is the rrea fallacy of the day to be attributioes s'e" o, hard times to the gold standard. Th craze of free silver as cure for bo r times is applicable on the same theor that man who has been long tim sick despite the attentive care of expcr physicians, will call for any quack wh advertises to cure all the ills of hu manity. Hard times have come throug the severe and resistless working o economic laws. which go their way i