The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1915-01-30

every future marriage and family:
Capitalism is bending all it's strength
to overpower the American workers
by virtue Of the claw" and socialism
is determined to outlaw the law.
Our Social Incoherence is to Blame.
What have we done to meet these
sinister influences. We have done
much in an individualistic, and in q
half-hearted organized way, but we
nave never held out a national pro-
gram or shown the strength of a ma
tional movement. We have been sat-
1sf1ed with the crumbs that have fall
len from the table of succeeding adj
ministrations and compromised orr
selves with party bosses. but we have
failed to build upon our own united
strength and inherent potentialities.
We have put our trust in the eff
f1cfency of truth but failed to make
the truth prevail; we have put our
trust In the hierarchy and the clergy
and forgot that they could lead only
at the head of on army; we have pin
ned our hopes to schools and col
leges and failed to place our alumni
within the Catholic movement: we
expected wonders from the Catholic
press and failed to support it: we
have built up Catholic societies and
we have neutralized their influence
through petty jealousies; we have
been hypnotized by the promises of
politicians and chloroformed by
Catholic office-seekers and Office
holders. In all these things we have
done something. perhaps much, but
we have stopped short of success. The
enemy has shown us our weakness
and exposed our nakedness. He has
rendered us service.
catholic Defence Of American De.
moeraey.
These are the days of direct log.
islation. Shall Catholic citizens %
after some direct legislation? Is the
time at hand for an American Center
rarity? This is psychological mo-
ment in American politics. The at
tempt to outlaw Catholic citizenship
must find on the Catholic side an or
gan or mouth-piece to voice Catholic
demands and to enforce them in the
political arena.
inere must be a program at least.
The political parties must be con-
fronted with it. Their program must
reflect it. The American Federation
OF Labor has pursued a policy of this
Kind for a number of years and it
mas found favor and met with sue
cess. There is now a trade-unionist
group in congress. Labor's demands
are respected in the American legis-
latures. We should do we'll to fol-
low the example.
Any political program of Catholic
citizens, or of Catholic movements
would set down as its basic princi-
pies, first, loyalty to American insti-
tutions. decentralization of power.
state rights; second, religious toler-
ance and ecclesiastical freedom for
all lawful denominations, Sunday OBJ
servance. Christian marriage, educa-
ton, charities and morality; third.
social welfare Of the commonwealth:
Christian spirit as the mediation be-
tween capital and labor, as against
socialist class antagonism; the
rights of private property, trade
unionism. agricultural syndicates,
merchant association. just taxation, a
protective tariff, minimum of legis-
lation.
Religion no Private Matter but Po-
litical Concern of All.
The reason and justification of this
course is to prevent the exclusion of
religious thought from the life of the
nation. The program must follow
logically and consistently from Chris
tian doctrine. It shall tolerate no
law contrary to divine law, provide
cooperation but not union Of state
and church, defend the necessity of
religion for the well-being of the
state as a public policy, champion a
progressive conservatism and open
up to the American commonwealth
the fountain of true Catholic human
ity.
Against this program our own in
herent disunion will initiate at the
first, and from without the opposition
of Catholic and non-Catholic party
politicians. But we must learn at
the last to prevent the suicidal divi-
sions Of the Catholic vote and to
place the National Christian assets
above partisan politics and personal
interests. It may be but small
minority that will enter the lists, but
it will be a militant nucleus of great
er things to come. History teaches
1t.
AUTO FOR FIRE cHAPlAlNs.
A number Of public.spirited resi-