Archbishop Purcell on Labor Unions
ARCHBISHOP PURCELL, in a recent speech, in Cincinnati, took strong ground on the labor question: “He agreed with a recent writer who believed that trades unions were detrimental to the laboring man and every person concerned. With reference to the eight-hour movement, if eight hours were agreed upon to-day, six or four hours might be demanded to-morrow—for who should set a limit to such arrogance and dictation? If labor said to capital to-day it must have five dollars, to-morrow it might demand ten. No government could continue to exist under such a system. The next cry might be that to possess property was robbery, and a division be demanded. Thus every loafer and drunkard would require a new sub-division each Saturday night, until there should be nothing remaining to subdivide. A remedy for these evils was in a liberal education.” Such sound words from the Archbishop ought to have weight with Catholic laborers.