The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-10-13
ARCHBISHOP IRELAND's' LETTER.
The Present Crisis Wildly and Truthfully
Set Forth.

Following is an abstract Of the letter
written by chibshop Ireland of st.
Paul, Mimi, In reference to a letter
from twenty-seven business men OF that
state requesting his views upon the
political situation.
stand by the platform and tho presi-
ventlon at st. Louis. I am opposed 10
the platform and the presidential oandi-
date OF the Democratic convention at
Chicago.
The days of the civil war excepted, al
no elms did SO great peril threaten the
country as that which isj involved in the
political campaign of to-day. The CUES
ton Of free and unlimised ooinags OF sill
yer Is put In the foreground. This
question has Its impor tanoe but it is OF
minor imports In the presence Of
other questions which are brought Into
issue.
The movement which had its express
sion In the Chicago convention, and
which now seeks by means of popular
suffrage to enthrone itself in the capitol
OF the nation, 10 10 its logical effect
against the United States; it. Is secession,
the secession of 1864, which our soldiers
believed they had consigned to eternal
death at Appomattox, but which de-
inands again teo9gnition from the
American people. The declaration in the
Chicago platform has and can have no
other meaning.
"We denOunoe arbitrary Interference
by federal authority in local affairs as a
violation Of the Constitution Of the
United States and q crime against FREQ
institutions.
The words point to the act of Grover
TO protect national property and enforce
national laws during the Chicago riots
in 1894. In those words there is the old
secession doctrine that states are inde-
pendent of the national government at
Washington, There is tho annulment of
the union: There 10 notice served upon
the flag OF A nel ioY outside thatithe Dis
trict.of COlNmbia IL Is without power Of
selfassertioa or self.defense.
The platform of the Chicago convention
OF social order, with lawlessness and
anarchy. The personifcntion Of law and
of social order In America IL our courts,
and the promise of safety to our free In
stitutions Is the prompt obedience of the
people to those courts. And now the
courts are TO be shorn Of their power,
and shorn Of it in favor of mobs bent on
"We especially object,'' says tn
Chicago platform, "to governments By In
junction as q new and highly dangerous
form Of OPPRESSION
Worse, to my mind than ell this 10 phe
spirit Of socialism that permeates the
whole movement which has issued from
the convention Of Chicago. 1t is the in
In America. The war of class against
class Is upon lis, the war of the
proletariat against the property holder.
Many adherents Of the movement do
not perceive its full meaning; but lot
them beware. They are lighting torches,
which, borne In hands of reckless men
may light up in the country the lurid
fires OF commune"
There may be room In some things for
peaceful amelioration through we'll In
formed public opinion and orderly leQls-
lation, but class hatred and angry passion
never lead to aught but general misery
and suffering.
The people Of America must today
look warily around, guard against catch
words and misleading war cries, avoidIs
giving any countenanoe TO socialistio or
anarchistio tendencies, and know that
the best condition of prosperity to ami
and all classes of the people is peaoeiu'I I
commonwealth and assured social order ,
The monetary question 10, indeei .
have, however, my convictions IN bis
matter. The free and unlimited ooings
Of silver at ratio of 16 to by the
United States Independently OF the cher
great commercial nations into dollars
which shall be made legal sender viii
disturb the whole business of the 1
depression far beyond anything whoh
we are now experiencing.
The one hope Of the silver party ishrt !
under frse coinage we will raise the +
value Of silver to e1.2e an ouoe,
measured in gold" On what nuthcity
is this saidP On the mere word othe ?
men who make the assertion. Thick G
perience Of France contradicts the assr-
ton: France, with all the countries of
the Latin union, had to give up the DIN
age of silver. lest, ove1oaded witkthe 9
silver of the world 10 should lose all it's d
gold.
The boast that the United States Done
is able to whip England and the rest of
the world into the coinage OF silver t 16 '
to or to force the value Of silver nj to | Fl
81. 80 an ounce is mere nonsense We re L.,
great people, indeed, but we have not >
yet grown to that commercial strength
that our country means the commercial q
world. :
IL 6ne government stamp gave vlue,
the debased coins issued in the past by
impecunious sovereigns would not Ia We
ruined the subjects Of those sovsreiRis.
! am absolutely convinced that the ,
la boring classes will suffer the mos OF
all from free silver coinage. And yet
the laboring classes are those that ar the
most urgently appealed to in this free
silver movements.
But will not the farmer be benefed?I
Will they not receive higher price for ,
their products? May be higher nice, ,
but not higher value. or what useis it +
to have dollar instead of half dllar ]
If the dollar can purchase no more Than I
the half dollar, and will farmers receive !
even nominally a much higher price :
than they do nowp The beat markit of !,
the farmers produce Is his own couitry.
And II his own country is Impoverished,
If factories are closed, II laborers in ,ities
are penniless, the farmer will reoeiy, but
Ii tile for his products. {
Men OIL salaries will scarcely hon, to c
have their salaries doubled, even Joni c
nally, and then their salaries, suol as 6
they may be, will have only half th, pur- t
ohasing power they have today. those 8
who owe debts, payable principal and q
interest in gold. will receiye the same 9