The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-03-12
TRADES UNIONS.

of the working classes is near to
the heart Of the Holy Father is
apparent from the Intention for
the month Of March which is,
Trades Unions.
The experience Of the ages has
shown conclusively that the only
salvation, in a material sense, for
the workingmen is a union or Or
ganization that will bind them to-
gether and cause them to strive
towards a definite end, which is
the welfare of the majority. In
ancient times the working
classes so-called were in deplor-
able state. Their condition was
plain slavery or serfdom. With
the advent of Christianity the
workingman began to look up,
and the employers of labor felt
the restraining influence of the
Church. This condition lasted
down into the Middle Ages. when
the guilds arose and welded into
compact bodies the craftsmen of
every kind. Even the guilds in
the course of time felt the urge
that comes from power, and they
eventually degenerated into des-
potlc bodies.
Leo XIII. commenting on this,
said that "the ancient working
mems guilds were abolished, and
it has come to pass that working
men have been surrendered all
isolated and helpless to the hard
heartedness of employers and the
greed of unchecked competition. -
For several centuries there was
no redress for the evils inflicted
on the workingmen. The history
of England and other countries
during that period bears sad wit
ness to the degradation into
which labor had fallen.
The rise of present-day union
ism may be traced directly to the
Catholic Church. Less than a CEN
fury ago Bishop Kettler in Ger
many. Ozanam in France, and
later Pope Leo XIII. gave the in
spiration and furnished the prin-
ciples that made trade unionism
an accomplished fact. The
Church, in the persons Of her
great leaders, saw that without
this form of organization the
workingmen would return to a
condition that Pope Leo styled
"httle better than slavery"
From that time the formation Of
unions has progressed through
out all the civilized nations of the
earth.
Viewed in this light there is
every reason why the unions
should be grateful and eternally
thankful to the Catholic Church.
1t is, therefore, all the more pain
full to see even Catholic labor
leaders sometimes uniting with
the forces of socialism-the most
bitter enemy of the Church-and
endeavoring to ride into power on
the wave of socialistic impulse.
Even when they have achieved
this unenviable goal it has been
at the cost of their principles as
Catholics.
Today there seems to be an or
gained movement, strong in this
country, incipient in other lands,
to crush the labor union. This
move is but an attempt to return
to the condition when unions and
guilds were non-existent it
means, if successful, the death
blow to the rights of labor. Hence
the Church through her Bishops
and social leaders has protested
and continues to protest right
here in America to-day against
this new foe to the plain rights
OF labor. True, the unions have
had their faults. Not infrequent-
ly have they been led by men of
the basest character, men who
used them merely to raise them
selves into the class of aristocrats.
The unions have been betrayed at
times, and the workers have paid
the penalty.
AT the same time, the union,
when rightfully conducted in the
interests of its members. is the
strongest bulwark that labor pos
sesses against the encroachments
of wealth and power. To crush
the rights Of the people, by abol-
ishing unions or depriving the
workingmen of the privilege and
right of collective bargaining. is
to invite revolution. This has
ever been the history of capital