The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1906-07-21
SOCIALISM
Its Evil Influences Set Forth
By Bishop Cotton
An Important Question Of the
Day Analysed.


poor, to wish to improve his condition
and human sympathy urges his fellow
man to help him. In general, there is
one or other of two ways which must
be chosen by men to relieve human
misery. the one might be called the Old
Nay. which has existed from The be-
the Creator of all men, teaching them
t" love and help one another; the other
might be called the new way, which
springs from society itself which tN
acts community of interests and pos
sessions, recognizes no allesianc" 10
any superior being, and holds ne re-
sponsibility to other than himself
writes Rt. Rev. c. Fl. Cotton, d. D..
in the Volksfreund.
The old way has for it's leader and
teacher the one Holy Roman Catho-
lie and Apostolic Church; the new is
led and taught by certain men who
have formulated ideas for the recon-
struction of society, and they and their
followers are styled Socialists. Both
stand today on directly opposite plat
forms. Religion and Irreligion-or
Christianity on the one side, and So
cialism on the other
The Church proclaims mans right
to possess private property as a right
inherent to his nature; upholds mans
home and headship in the family:
recognizes inequality in men as to
skill, health. strength and the inequali-
ty of fortune growing out of these diff
as children of the one Divine Creator.
and made equally for the one eternal
destiny. the Church would have men
liv" kindly and brotherly one to an
other and make these accidental diff
ferences on no bar to their general
love.
Socialism on the other hand, would
reduce all possession to a common
ownership-wOuld break in on the sa-
cretlncss of the family life and union
by turning its guardianship over to
the State; would reduce the individual
man to one of n countless mass of men
by dwelling all differences, and order
ing all aims. At it recognize no God.
it has no past. no future, but one
only enSlaving present Is it not Il
condition far worse than any that has
ever existed. and would not this reme-
dy be worse than the disease it claims
i, would cure" Let the world keep tn
the old way-let men refuse to be led
ership of God whose voice is heard
speaking through His church. and in
following the church we are following
Him: and one day shall be brought
through her teaching and her sacra-
ments into His heavenly home.
The Church is the Guardian and the
protector of mans rights and liberties.
1t holds that man has Il right to pos
scss land on which to abide with his
is to get his means Of subsistence as
the fruits Of his toll; he has not only
the right to what the land produces,
but he must own the land itself for
future use and pass it as an Inherit
,iuce to his children for them to use
for their needs and sustenance Civil
la raj inc IN, N,ft
applying what the divine law DEGREES
which says To men. thou shalt not
covct thy neighbours wife. nor his
house. nor his field. nor anything that
is his What is said of the right to
possess land can be equally MAIN
tanned for the profits of toll from the
land or anything else.
The Church holds mans right to
sufficient return from his labor to en-
able his to live comfortably and de-
Gently. and therefore forbds an en-
ployer either by withholding wages or
reducing them by force or fraud, from
being sufficient to enable him to pro-
tuie IL uolililS So tilil lie HAY nave
home and means of sustenance or the
equivalent thereof. The employer
must recognize that the man working
for him is a man equal with himself,
that he should give him fair living
wage. To be little ones workmen is
to show ones self unworthy of esteem.
To underpay a laborer is to wrong
society itself. of which the labor is an
important part. Where workingmen
bind themselves together for the sake
of protecting their interests, the
Church has no words of disapproba-
ton: she only forbids them to resort
to acts of violence against fellowmen,
in the person or in property, and she
wishes that the same right which they
claim of uniting. be allowed to those
of their craft that do not wish to
join their union. The Church would
have capital and labor to live in peace
as brothers of the one great human
family. necessary to each other for
the common good. They should not be
antagonistic, but friendly. 1t is tn
the rich mans interest to have his
work continue. If this spirit of reli-
gion would animate employer and en-
plOye the happiest relations would al