The Irish standard., 1914-08-15


according to his testimony, control
the board of commissioners which
conduct the affairs OF the city. SIX
sevenths OF the land IN Lead is owned
by the company, either IN tee or
through mineral rights. Many busl-
ness houses and residences are built
on land which at any time the COM
pany may decide to use tor inning
purposes and these occupants must
move on ninety days notice in such
cases without compensation OF any
sort for improvements or for dam
ages received. The people of Lead
workers and business men-are we'll
fed subordlnates completely at the
mercy of the Superintendent of the
NINE, who has been vested with abso-
lutte power by the company's direc-
tors.
Bishop Busch and Sunday observ-
ance.
The question of Sunday observance
naturally came up for quite lengthy
consideration. Bishop Busch, who
was the second witness to be exam
ined, related the story of his agitation
for the Sunday rest, of its endorse
ment at first by the ministerial asso-
citation, of the evasive manner in
which the company received the
proposition. One of the inducements
offered to the non-union men who
came in to break the strike (or assist
in completing the lockout) of 1909
was this matter of Sunday work, and
the superintendent expressed himself
as loath to do away with it on that
account.
Superintendent Grier, who had pre-
ceded the Bishop on the stand, en-
deavored to show that the men had
an option to work on Sunday or not,
as they pleased, but the Bishop en-
phatically declared that men using
this option had been Disseminated
against.
The Bishop told how every effort
was made to adjust the hours of mass
to suit the workers but how, owing to
the work on shifts on Sunday, this
had failed. He then related how he
had gone to Milwaukee and had been
called on there to speak on "Condi-
tions in the Mines" how he had told
of conditions in Lead, the only min
ing community with which he was
familiar, and of the indignation his
remarks had caused in Lead because
Of the misunderstanding of their i'm
port. He earnestly championed the
"one-day-rcst-in-sev law; saying
that he realized that under modern
industrial conditions it was oftentimes
impossible to close down whole es.
tablislmcnt at once and that a regu-
lation of this kind would naturally
strengthen Sunday observance. He
declared that not only the moral and
spiritual but the physical well-beine
of man required such regulation
"It is my firm belief" the Bishop add
ed, "that great unrestricted power
such as the company has is danger
Gus thing" "The spread of thi:
practice of Sunday work." he declared
in answer to question from Commits
sioner Garretson, "will hasten those
things which we all fear-the spreat
of the ever increasing Irresponsible,
in this country. What America needs
today is return to the principles o
conscience and the first step in tina
direction is Sunday observance"
The facts disclosed at Lead SHOW
the Catholic people of this countr.
should exert their influence to restric
the power of such great corporation
as the Homestake Mining Co. ant
that they should vigorously enter int
campaign for Sunday observance
and the passage of legislation provid
ing for one days rest in seven. Sucl
legislation is at present in force ii
New York State and has recent.
been declared constitutional for tn
second time in the Niagara Count.
Court. The trouble with many of ou
Catholics, however, shown also il
this investigation, is that they aban
don their principles when these com
in conflict with their economic inter
ests. Some of the tools of the Home
stake Mining Co. are Catholics, VIII
have shown their bitter enmity to tn
Bishop throughout this trouble
Catholics in this country should ceas
to compromise with the "time-spirit
and it would be better by far for bot
themselves and for the common
wealth.
Messrs. Commons, Garretson, Ler
non and O'Connell were the onl
members of the Commission presen
at these hearings. The others, 70
pressing business or other reason:
could not be present. Professor Com
mons startled those who had followe