The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-09-23
A>SloTIoN91& ~
JDo a5=fTaz a4&S52sGsg lTT0RGIcAL.


Il claim to on some other ground.
poor man who cannot support himself
has claim on our help, but out OF
charity, not out of Justice. lie is our
brother; he is child of our common
Father in heaven; he is destined to be
a felloW-ctizen with us forever in the
kingdom Of heaven; the bond Of mu-
tual love which binds all such in one
body, and make them one big family,
requires that all who can, should out
of their abundance assist those who
are in want. But this does not cause
the abundance of one to belong to a
needy neighbor in justice; it only pre-
ScribeS that as much as is required to
succor him in his necessity should be
given him out of charity. A sufferer
who is in pain has a claim on my
sympathy and pity, not that it would
be unjust to deny him my sympathy,
but because pity and compassion re-
Quire it of me. But when ten pounds
are due to another in justice, those
his property; he has right exclusive
Of all others to all the benefits that
can be derived from them, because
they are his. Because they are his he
can dispose Of them as he pleases; he
can put them in the bank, or spend
them, or give them away; he would
wrong no one even if he threw them
into the sea- Any one who steals
them, or to whom he lends them, must,
if he would be just, restore them to
the owner, because justice requires
that all should have their own.
We may divide the species of Justice
into individual or communicative and
social justice.
Communicative justice regards the re-
lations between man and man in their
private and individual capacity. 1t
supposes perfect distinction of
rights between them, and prescribes
that these should be duly observed and
respected 1t exists between physical
and moral persons, provided that
their rights are perfectly distinct from
each other.
| Social Justice regulates the mutual
relations between the individual and
! the society or state to which he be,
| longs. AS a member of society the
individual has certain duties toward
! it; he must contribute his share to the
/ common burdens; he must be ready tC
defend the common veal at the call
Of authority; he must obey just and
equitable laws. This duty of render
ing to the State what is its due is
called legal justice. On the other
hand the State has it's obligations
toward its subjects; it must distribute
burdens, honors, and rewards equit
ably without showing favor to particH
lar classes and persons; not indeed
with absolute arithmetical equality al
round, but according to respective
merits. The virtue which should
regulate the distribution of burdens
and rewards among its subjects by
the State is called distributiVe justice
To such as have committed crime anC
injured the common veal the State
metes out cOndign punishment accord
ing as vindictive justice demands.
There is a difference of opinion
among Catholic writer's as to whethe
legal, distributive and vindictive jus
tice, which we have grouped togethe
under the name of social justice, arr
really subordinate species of the vir
tue, or whether communicative justice
is the only species that may in strict
ness be so called. Whatever view b,
taken we must allow that in commu
tative justice alone is there perfec
distinction between debtor and cred
itor; it alone observes arithmetica
equality in satisfying it's obligations
it alone binds to restitution after be
ing violated. In social justice, on tn
contrary, there is no perfect distinc
ton between the state and it's sub
jectS; social justice does not prescrib,
, the observance of arithmetical equal
ity, nor does it's violation bind t
restitution, except when by the sam,
act communicative justice has also beef
infringed
That which in justice is due to M
is my right, as it is called. | have
right to my life, to my good name, t
my property; and any one who de
prives me of these rights is guilty O
injustice. Rights, then, are the sui
ject-matter of justice, and in this, it
strict sense, right may be define
as moral power of having, doing, 0
eXacting something.
1t is said to be a moral power, t
distinguish it from the mere physica
capacity of brute force, when confer
no rights of itself 1t is moral powe
which may not without injustice b
interfered with. 1t is the power Q
having and possessing as ones ow
something which man values an
: which serves his convenience an
: wants; or of doing something, or giN
ing scope to his bodily or mental actiN
ity; or of eXacting some service a
due to him from another
A right is in re or ad rem. A RICH
in re is alright which one has to some
thing determined and already his owr
: In order that one may have right i
re the object must already exist;
must not be merely possible or future
3 it must be determined and separate
t it must belong to the person by It'll
| of justice so that it is his. If one @
these conditions is wanting but moi
], withstanding some one has claim i
Justice that something should becom
| his property, he has right ad rem t
5 it. Thus farmer has right in r
: to his harvest after he has gathere