The Irish standard., 1907-02-23

healthy competition" Yes, as light
destroys darkness, socialism will de-
stroy competition by being co.opera-
ton" The Cardinal said: THE dema-
cog is blaming the rich for the condi-
ton of the poor and the laboring
classes Socialist speakers generally
to blame for their own degraded con-
dition, because they leave politics en-
tirely in the hands Of the rich and
their friends, the politicians, who take
good care that their faithful servants
are placed in nomination as candi-
dates for the lawnlaking positions,
and the laborer, in this his first and
only political act of the year, betrays
his fellow toilers by casting his ballot
for their capitalist masters. The Car
dinal said: "He has not the capacity
to discern that after all due allow
varied condition of society must re-
suit from law of life established by
an overruling providence" AS a
Catholic socialist, most empllatically
deny that Gods providence ever es
tablished a law of life that can rea-
sonably be construed to justify the
system that divides the people into
antagOnistic classes, arrogant rich,
degraded poor, milionaires and pau
pers; the system that is cursing hu-
manity with The most complete system
of human slavery that was ever de-
greed. 1t drives childhood from the
home and school into the mill and fac
tory; it drags woman down from her
rightful and exalted position in the
home circle, as mother of the race,
into the degrading servitude OF the
factory and the sweat shop into the
demoraizing tenement house, where
men and women of all ages are hud-
died together like a. brood of animals,
where domestic privacy is impossible
and, worst of all, into the den of vice,
where the field of responsibility is
forever closed against her; the sys-
tenn that places a premium Of profit
on every species of financial crime,
to heaven for Nengeance:" ''WilIfully
murderous wars Oppression of the
poor" "Defrauding 1aborers of their
risntful wages No. Gods provl-
dence is not responsible for riches
and poverty. These dep1orablc coldi-
tions result from the criminal use
that man makes of his free will"
That God condemns riches is proven
hy tha fact that He closes the gates
of heaven against the rich. Woe he
to YOU, oh rich, for you have your
consolation in this world 1T is
easier for Il camel to pass through the
eye Of Il needle than for Il rich man to
enter into the kingdom OF heaven"
These facts do not sustain the Car
dnal's assertion that Cod gave you
riches" etc. Did God wreck railroads
to enable j. Gould anu others TO buy
them for d. tritle. and get rich from
their revenues? Did God destroy COM
peting refineries, SO that John ID.
Rockefeller could establish the "Stand-
ard Oil" monopoly! We know that
God did not give these neil: their
riches, but He did ''overturn the
tables of the mul1Ny -changers, and
scourged from The Temple those who
bought and sold, saying: My house
made it u den of thieves" II banking
and commerce were unjust Wheil' Our
Savior ''dwelt amongst u.s. when did
His unqualified condemnation change
to Imperative approval; for the Car
dinal says that riches and poverty
"thesc varied conditions" re-
suit, etc. Socialists insist that trans
actions that We're unjust in Our Sa-
vior's time are equally unjust today.
They. will never cease to condemn the
system that makes justice impossible
nor will they ever cease to strive for
the inauguration OF the system that
will make injustice impossible. The
socialist philosophy is very simple as
we'll as just, and God became It's alt
thor when He gave men dominion
over the whole earth and every creep
ing creature that moveth upon the
eartl.' Gen. 1926. Socialism is strict
ly and exclusively I; material. All
economic science, the natural, the
common sense means Of sustaining
life. After giving man, collectively
dominion over the earth and it's re-
sources, God said: I'm the sweat of
thy face shalt thou eat bread" Gen
,, 3-19. Thus, God gave every human
being the unrestricted Opport,nity
INN ti1a o,,1 Ia 1ol,