The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-05-04
LAWLESS SOCIALISM
SOCIALISM, UNPRINcIPLED IN
THEORY, WILD AND VIOLENT IN
METHOD, is THE PERIL OF
AMERICA TODAY.
From the Address by Archbishop Ire
land at the "Grant Day" Celebra-
tion in Galena, H., on
April 27.

April 27.
In the course of an address on
Some Problems of Democracy de-
livered at the Grant Day" celebration
in Galena, ILL.,, last Saturday, April
27, the Most Reverend Archbishop Ire
land spoke as follows on the economic
peril that menaces American Democ-
racy:
The economic peril is we'll within
our doors: care is needed that it do
not penetrate further into the interior
of the household. It is seen in the
lawless ambition of those who have
less to have more, Of those who have
nothing to have something. 1 say the
lawless ambition. For, far be it from
me to set brakes upon ambition rightly
ordered to win for oneself fair por-
ton of earths possessions and earths
honors, upon efforts rightly ordered to
turn that ambition into actual owner
ship. The earth is given by it's Maker
to the children of men, to all the chill
dren of men, that all live of it, that all
enjoy the perfume of it's flowers, the
nutriment of it's fruits. But He who
made the gift, laid down laws, pre-
scribed conditions, under which alone
ambition to possess and actuality of
possession make for the greater good
of the whole human race, under which
alone men, singly and collectively, are
to be allowed to plan and act.
| The interest of the individual man
Yes. But above the interest of the
individual man, whoever he is, primes
the interest of the social organism
Man is born into the social organism:
he is bound by ties of nature, by the
exigencies of soul and of body, to fell
bowman, whether within the circle of
the family, or within the wider con-
fines of an aggregation of families,
civil society. The rights of others he
must respect and guard, no less than
his own: upon the salvation and well
fare of the COLLECTIVELY, family or civil
society he must put a higher price
than upon that of his own personality.
Were it otherwise, the COLLECTIVELY
perishes, and the individual himself
perishes.
| Whatever leads to the disruption of
the social organism is forbidden: that
also is forbidden, which ruins private
property-the foundation stone upon
which rests the social structure, the
very core of life in human effort and
human aggrandizement, whether in
the individual or in the COLLECTIVELY.
Eliminate private property, destroy or
minimize unduly it's rights, make it
insecure or profitless-you have ruled
that labor is not worth the fatigue, that
Incidence and improvidence are priv
ileges to be sought for; you have
stilled personal and national progress,
you have driven back the human race
to the chaos of barbarism and saw
agery.
Democracy and Equality of
| Possessions.
All men are born equal: democracy
is the government Of the people for
the people Therefore-say some
there should be equality of posses
sions; and the Office of the govern
ment is to lend its authority to the
enforcement of this equality. Fatal
misconceptions of the meaning of the
Declaration of American Independ-
ence, of the meaning of American
democracy!
equal in the meaning of the Declara-
tion of Independence-equal so far as
the laws Of the land may reach, equal
in rights derived from government,
equal in such opportunities as govern
ment creates or is enabled to create.
But all men are not equal in natures
gifts, physical or moral, and equality
of this kind no government can create,
no government is allowed to presup-
pose.
In the battle for the possessions of
earth the essential factors are
strengh of limb, perspicacity of mind,
perseverance in toll, self-control in
winning the prize, in holding it when
it is won. In all those endowments
men by nature or willing choice are
utterly unequal: in those endowments
no constitution, no law will ever make
them equal. And, SO, say what we
will, do what we will, men will never
share alike in the ownership of the
things of earth. Equal in ownership
today, tomorrow they will be unequal:
for the possession of the things of
earth is the reward of things that are
necessarily unequal-personal talent
H1A
its value over other forms of govern
ment: it increases to the individual
| Continued ON pages.)