The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-03-24
ARCHBISHOP kEANE
on LABOR UNIONS
The Noted Prelate Misrepsent-
ed in a False Dispatch Sent
Out Recently. :
He Did Not Call the Trade
Union a "School of +
Thievery." e.

Editor Labor World: Will you
kindly permit me, through your COL
umns, to call the attention of the read
ers of your valuable paper to an AS
sociated Press, which appeared recently
in the principal papers throughout the
country. 1t is in justice to the speak
er, who was fnisrepresented and thus
put in false light before trade union
lists, and in Justice to the members OF
the union themselves, that I wish to
place before them the truth i'm this mat
ter. Here is the dispatch as it ap-
peared:
''Archbishop Keane, metropolitan OF
the Dubuque archdiocese, in a sermon
at st. Raphael's cathedral, at Dubuque,
Iowa, denounced the trade union as a
school for thbevery.'"
When the archbishop's attention was
called to it he lost no time in repudiat-
ing it in the most emphatic manner.
A president of labor union in Kansas
City wrote to him asking him if he
. had branded labor unions as a school
for thievrW.'' This inquiry drew from
Archbishop. Keane the following letter.
which clearly defines his position on
the labor question::
Il think you might have done me
the Justice to take it for granted that
L had been. misrepresented by that en-
terprising CD reporter. The only COR
rect part of the report is that part
which says: The employer who does
not pay his emlOyes the amount Of his
hire is al thief. The employe who does
not give to his employer the labor he is
paid foil, is also thief Throughout
1 laid clown principles; as to existing
facts did not pretend to say what
they are, but said, conditionally, that
any organization, either of labor or
capital, which ignored the foundament-
al principles of justice and good will,
was wrong. have always been a
stanch and outspoken friend of organ
lied labor. 1t is as it's friend that l
would warn it against ignoring Of
principles"
The United Mine Workers Journal,
from which the above letter is taken.
in commenting in the way in which
Archbishop Keane was misrepsented.""
says the Associated Press and the daily
papers, which gaveasuch promi n ence to-
the ;denuncf alton accredited to Arch
bishop Kea1ie should correct the false
statements, but of course, it will not be
done. =
Unfortun ntely what the Journal says
is true. The lie with it's seven league
boots has got the start Of the truth and
it will be hard for the latter to catch
up with 1ti. 1t is even to the interest
of m EN- bers of organized labor to be on
the alert for false statements of the
kind referred to. The enemies of or.
ganized labor are always on the watch
for every opportunity to do injury to
| the cause of trade unionists and many
of them are not particular what means
desired result. Let us always have the
! truth No man fears the truth. The
| lie must be nailed at its infancy for
| as it travels along it grows to larger
proportions and then it is mighty OBJ
stacle to overcome. There is no doubt
but that the archbishop will be quoted
| by our enemies for years to come on the
false statement attributed to him. 1t
| is as trade unionists, who has the in
| terest Of the cause at heart and as one
| who does not fear the truth and de-.
| sires it at all times that I have called
| your attention to the above. Eternal
| vigilance is the price of liberty and
! thanking you Mr.. Editor for giving.
| publicity to the above. I am, yours
! respectfully.
| AUGUSTINE MURPHY, Sec: Treas.
Duluth Typographical Union.