Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1896-10-22
A PRELATE'S COUNSEL
One of Americas Great Catholic
Leaders is Opposed to
Organism.
ARCHBISHOP IRELAND'S LETTER
The Chicago Platform Declared to
be Threat Against So
ciaI Order.

The letter of Archbishop Ireland, writ
ten not as a prelate. but in his private
capacity as Il citizen, cannot fail to carry
weight with mutitudes 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 it's declara-
ton relating to the federal authority and
the integrity of the Supreme court. The
archbishop points out in unmstakable
language the revolutionary character of
that platform. He says: ''Thc 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 it's logical effect against the
United States: it is secession lie
quotes the frank announcement of arbl-
trary Interference by federal authorities
in local affairs and observes: In these
words there is the old secession doctrine
that states are Independent of the ma
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 sel1-asseruon or
self defense" And again, "The plat
form of the Chicago convention threat
ems the country with destruction of social
order with lawessncss 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
at Washington. the counterpart OF
which in majesty and in power to Oh
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 III that
convention comes to power, to so constr
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 sees in the platform a
sectional and guarded expression of so
cialism The convention of Chicago lis
the International of Europe, now TAX
ing body in America. The war
of classaaaganst class is upon us. the war
of - prolctariat against the property
rider. 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 denunclatlons
against plTtocrats and corporations and
money grabbers and bankers. Many adj
herents of the movement do not per-
ceive it's 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
n 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
that it sis throughout solid argument
against the Chicago platform. Free
coinage, he says, will give us money
worth in the commercial market of the
world, little over half its nominal
yalue IS * 81 Legal tender com
polling men to accept against their will
money above its commercial value in the
markets of the world, is rank injustice
laboring classes will suffer the most of
all from free silver coinageW With re-
spcct to the farmer, he pertinently asks,
will they not receive a higher, price
for their products? Maybe a higher
price, but not higher value. Of what
use is it TO have Il 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 harvests." He
scorns the absurd explanation of our in
dustrial and financial troubles by refer
ring to the crime of 1873" and says
that 1t is the great fallacy of the day
to be attrihuting our hard times to the
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 agta-
ton for Il radical change i'll 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: us 1T
honest to try 70 pay debts with half the
money which we received when we con-
tracted them? That the great
American nation will. as Il nation, de-
clare to the world that it will now make
a law compelling its creditors to be sat
iStied with half. or Il little more, of the
money they loaned to it. and go on record
in 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,
it is not surprising to hear him say: Il
stand by the platform and the presiden-
tial candidate of the Republican conven-
ton at st. Louis. | am opposed to the
platform and the presidential candidate
of the Democratic convention at Chica-
go"
The following are the closing para
graphs of the archhishop's letter:
Here is the popular argument in
favor of free silver coinage-we have
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 cure for hard
times is explicable on the same theory
that man who has been long time
sick despite the attentive care of expert
physicians. will call for any quack who
advertises to cure all the ills of hui
mainly. Hard times have COME through
the severe and resistless working of
economic laws. which so their way in