The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1904-07-16

THE PASSION OF THE RICH OF
TODAY.
IF this were all, it were bad enough,
but the passion of riches, which in
our Socialistic system, is the supreme
remedy of all our ills, is in reality
the prolific cause of countless evils
and the handspring of enormous
crimes. Already st. Paul has said:
For they who will become rich, fall
into temptation, and into the snare of
the devil, and into many improbable
and hurtful desires, which drown men
into destruction and perdition' Tim.
vi:9:. Look, for example, at our re-
cent land frauds, by which thousands
OF acres were withdrawn from public
entries by INSCRIPTIONS syndicates!
Look at our postoffice frauds, which
are Mt this time engaging the attention
of the government! Look at the enor-
nous swindles recently perpetrated by
the American steel trust, by which
over GOO millions We're taken in cold
blood from innocent investors!
"Now, if the passion for gold can do
such things under the eye of govern
ment organized for the protection Of
private property, and in the face Of
the law, which is actually pursuing
the perpetrators of such crimes, what
would it be under robber govern
ment such as contemplated by Social
ism, whose act of Inauguration in
wolves the wholesale confiscation of
all private property, of all wealth and
all means of production. A govern
ment composed of professional athe-
lists, devoid Of all fear Of God and
dread of hell; n lot of corrupt and
ruined politicians, whose lives have
been spent in saloons and club-rooms,
making political speeches, organizing
SOcialistic clubs and wOrkingmen's
associations, melting ignorant and
willing dupcs to arson and bloodshed;
what we ask, is to become Of a
country ruled by such elements as
these.
CRIMES AND SOCIALISM.
Socialism says: All our crimes
proceed from misery; let there be no
more misery and there will be no more
crime And again: Sin is misery;
remove misery and there will be no
more sin. There lies the redemption
of the world. Let him come the de-
stroycr Of our misery (Socialism), he
will be our true savior
"Flat extreme misery may and does
bcget great crimes cannot be denied:
but il excessive misery may create
great crilcs, far greater crimes can
be laid at the door of wealth. We
have already pointed out some Of
these in the recent past. Numerous as
those isolated cases may be, they are
nothing compared with what they
would be under a Socialistic regime
which idoliZcs wealth and makes the
'Mammon of Iniquity' the savior of
the world. Our own age can furnish
us the best illustration of what the I'M
bridlcd passion of wealth is capable
Of OH the score of crime. And bear in
mind, that Socialism, which points to
wealth as the savior of the world from
sin and crime, must, of necessity, in
crease this evil thousand fold, since
it roots in the very nature of man and
finds in wealth the most effective
means to crafty his passions.
ut is appalling to think of the pre-
varications, public and private, per-
pctratcd every day by this passion for
acquiring riches in the shortest pos
sible time. Think of the enormous
iniquities consumatcd every day in
the pursuit Of fortune! Think of our
stock exchange, where mad gamblers
hourly suspend themselves rccklessly
with their families and their friends
over an abyss of poverty and misery,
committing themselves and all they
hold most dear in the world to this
god Of chance, which alone they adore!
Penetrate into these dens of iniquity
with the reports of the daily press and
see these frenied worshippers of the
golden calf throwing out in cold blood
a million at time to rake in another
million OF more, which by turn in
fortune, they hope to win, never for a
moment stopping to think of the con-
sequences; see them pale, haggard and
wild with excitement, presenting the
perfect picture of a mailman; see
them, and say if this is not the climax
of human degradation into which the
love Of wealth is plunging this
country of ours.
THE SPIRIT OF THE AGE.
1--WE can trace this same spirit Of
prcvarication under the inspiration Of
this spirit Of Mammon, into every
branch Of commerce, where lying,
cheating, cunning, the most barefaced
misrepresentation, forgery and even
bankruptcy are resorted to as an ordi-
nary means Of making money. We
find it even in the field Of literature,
where sensational writer's prostitute
their talents to satisfy the morbid
craving for immortality, simply be-
cause it pays. We find 1t in the home