ARCHBISHOP IRELAND ON THE STRIKE.
INASMUCH as the Catholic archbishop represents a people always most prominent in labor disturbances, his utterance on the merits of the present crisis becomes a matter of general interest. The following frank expression is reported in a dispatch dated Chicago, July 15:— Archbishop Ireland, of St. Paul, being asked what he had to say upon the railway strike to-day, spoke as follows:— I dislike to speak of the Chicago strikes, because in so doing I shall blame labor, while, because of my deep sympathy with it, I should wish to have never said but words of praise for it. But in a moment of social crisis, such as the one through which we are passing, it is my duty to speak loudly, and to make the avowal of the truths and principles which will save society and justice. I am glad of the opportunity which a representative of the Associated Press affords me. The fatal mistake which has been made in connection with this strike is that property has been destroyed, the liberty of business interfered with, human lives placed in danger, social order menaced, and the institutions and freedom of the country put in most serious jeopardy. The moment such things happen, all possible questions as to the rights and grievances of labor must be dropped out of sight, and all efforts of law-abiding citizens and of public officials made to serve in maintaining public order and guarding, at all costs, the public welfare. Labor must learn that, however sacred its rights may be, there is something above them, and absolutely supreme,—social order and the laws of public justice. There is no civil crime so hideous, so pregnant of evil results, as resistance to law and the constitutional authority of the country. This resistance is revolution. It begets chaos; it is anarchy; it disrupts the whole social fabric. Labor, too, must learn the lesson that the liberty of the citizen is to be respected. One man has the right to cease from work, but he has no right to drive another man from work. He who respects not the liberty of others shows himself unworthy of his own liberty, and incapable of citizenship in a free country. Riots and mob rule, such as have occurred in Chicago, do immense harm to the cause of labor, and set back its advance for whole decades of years. Labor thereby loses the earnest sympathy of thousands of friends, and gives courage and triumph to its enemies. Worse yet, the principle of popular government suffers. It is no wonder that, reading of the occurrences in America, Europe announces that the republic is a failure, and that a strong monarchy only can hold society together. I am far from saying that labor has not had its grievances in America, nor that redress must not be sought. I would not respect the laborer who seeks not to defend his rights, and to improve his condition. But all this must be done within the lines of social order and law. The remedy for these ills is a healthy public opinion and fair public legislation, and all legitimate efforts in these directions, whether by single or united force, are laudable. For my own part, I believe the large number of men who join strikes are more to be pitied than to be blamed. They are led on by irresponsible and tyrannous chiefs. Labor unions have great statutes, but one marked evil in them is that they put the liberties of tens of thousands in the keeping of one man, or a few, who become their absolute masters, their despotic czars. The solution to the differences between capital and labor is necessarily complex, and no precise formula has been or can be found. A generous sense of justice toward all, a deep love of one's fellows, and attentive listenings to the teachings of Christ, will lead on all sides to a better understanding and to happier mutual relations. Certain it is that, so far as it is possible, the laborer should not lack support for himself and family. He should not be overburdened, either in weight or time of labor; he should be treated as a rational and moral being, with all respect due to his human dignity. His remuneration, if diminished in periods of depression, should increase in periods of prosperity.