The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-08-10
DENIED BY IRELAND.
Archbishop Says he is Not Taking
Active Interest in Strike.


New York. Aug. 9.-This afternoon
Archbishop ireland passed through
New York, returning home from the
Catholic Loyal Abstinence convention
at Hartford To the representative Of
the Associated Press he said that the
report IN some New York papers TO the
effect that he had been invited to make
efforts tending towards the settlement
of the strike, or that he had himself
the intention of putting himself for
ward in this connection was utterly
unWarranted and without foundation.
Being fur Their urged to express an opin-
ION upon the present strike. and strikes
in general, he said:
To employees entering willingly into
strike, the matter is one of their own
personal concern and others have but
TO CCCcede 20 hem their personal right
to act ia suCn manner as they viii.
Men are the masters Of their hands
and of their own labor. the liberty is
theirs To work or not to work, pro
Vided they understand the cOnse-
QUences- Not only, indeed, is this lib
erty at all times theirs, but we must
furthermore grant that occasions may
arise and do arise when a strike how
ever serious ths consequences for the
workman, is a means. and at times.
perhaps, the sole means. through which
rights appertalning to them and which
are of vital Importance TO their uIti-
mate welfare can be secured.
When III is That under this aspect Of
things strikes may be allowed or even
commended, is a question to be deter
mined by close examination of the cir
CUmStances Of each particular strike
4 am laying down genera. principles of
etnlcs-not deciding the merits of any
pa ticular case.
But while the right to enter upon a
strike Is and must be conceded, as a
right belonging to the personal freedom
OF wOrkingmen. this must be ever de-
manded-and in the name of the same
prlnclple of personal freedom under
Whlch men may refuse to wOrk-that
they may cease to work. must in no
Wy interfere with the liberty of 9TH
eIs VINO may wish TO work. The per
sonal freedom of the individual citizen
IS the most sacred and precious inner
ltance OF Americans. The constitution
ana the laws authorize it; the spirit of
the country prOclaims it; the prosper
nation, require it,
Whatever the other interests at
stake, that Of the personal freedom of
the individual Outranks them all. and
TINS must be sustained, even if those
are 10 be sacrificed. Neither state DOr
4elio" cltzen- may interfere With any
personal liberty. This is the very. core
OF Americanism. This is the teaching
OF national and Christian ethics
IL IS not Tor me to dispute the bene-
MS that may be believed TO accrue 10
the Workingman from labor unions: nor
am prepared TO say from Information
that comes TO me through newspapers.
that IN the present strike unions pre-
TEND 10 shorten personal freedom of
men that do not join their ranks. But
this may be ever emphatically asserted
and maintained as an inviOlarIe Drfn-
ciple, sAAt however much labor unions
may have reason to widen their muster
rolls. ana however much they have the
legal and moral right to do this
through pacific and persuasive meth
DDS, they must not attempt to wrest
from men outside their ranks the right
T. work, or to seek to cOerce them into
inactivity by Illegal or unjust attacks
upon their civil and moral freedom
Equity ana law are superior to the
personal welfare of an individual. or of
aEEregations OF individuals, and equity
and law demand that the personal free
dom of the citizen, whoever he is be
made sacred and secure. So long as
this freedom is respected the questions
evoked in the present strike may be
left, in my opinion, to the men. en-
ployers or employees who are directly
concerned in it, although meanwhile
all citizens have many reasons to hope
and to pray that brotherly love and
calm counsel viii prevail both among
employers and employees, and thai
peace viii soon again reign in thl
land"