Show THE GREED OF CAPITAL CONDEMNED another dauger danger which menaces our republic is the constant conflict between capital and labor we therefore at all times must view with feelings of regret and alarm any antagonism existing between them because thereby society itsell itself is imperiled with the church we condemn nihilism socialism and communism and we equally condemn the heartless greed of capital the remedy must be sought in the mediation of the church through her action on the individual conscience and thereby on society ety teaching each its respective duties as well as rights As stated by his eminence cardinal gibbons labor has its sacred rights as well as its dignity paramount among the rights of the laboring classes is their privilege to organize or to form themselves into societies for their mutual protection and benefit in honoring and upholding labor the nation is strengthening its own hands as well as paying a tribute to worth for a contented and happy working class is the best safeguard of the republic we disapprove of the employment of very young minors whether male or female in factories as tending to dwarf and retard the true development of the wage earners of the future we alf pledge dge ourselves to operate cooperate co with the clergy in discussing and in solving those great economic educational and social questions which affect the interests and well being of the church the country and society at large we respectfully protest against any change 1 in n the policy of the government in the matter of the education of the indians by which they will he be deprived of christian teaching that the amelioration and promotion of the physical and mom moral culture of the negro race is a subject of the utmost concern and we pledge ourselves to assist our clergy in all ways tending to effect any I 1 improvement in their condition WORKS OF NATIONAL VIRTUE we are in favor of catholics taking greater part than they have hitherto taken in general philanthropic and reformatory movements the obligation to help the needy and to instruct the ignorant is is not limited to the needy and ignorant of our own com communion murdon but we are concer concerned nod both as catholics and as americans in the reformation of all the criminals and the support of all the poor in the country by mingling more in such works of national virtue as our non C catholic at holic citizens are engaged in and taking our proper share in the management of prisons and hospitals we might exert a catholic influence outside of our own body make ourselves better known and infuse into those good works something of supernatural charity and at the same time that we are solacing the unfortunate and reforming the erring and we should be able to insist on catholic inmates being freely ministered to by their own clergy we mu must st assert and secure the right of conscience of catholics in all institutions under public control there are many christian issues in which catholics could come together with non catholics and shape civil legislation for the public weal in spite of rebuff and injustice and overlooking zealotry wo we should seek alliance with non cath ol 01 olics lee for proper sunday observance without going over to the judaic budai sabbath we can bring the masses over to the moderation of the bhrim tian sunday to effect this we must set our faces sternly against thesa the sale leof of intoxicating beverages on sunday the corrupting influence of saloons in politics the crime and pauperism resulting from excessive drinking require legislative restriction which we can aid in procuring by joining our influence with that of the other enemies of intemperance let us resolve that drunkenness shall be made odious and give practical enciu encouragement rage and support to catholic temperance J societies we favor the passage and enforcement of laws rigidly closing saloons on sunday and forbidding the sale 0 of f liquors to minors anu and intoxicated persons 1 ahe HE FREEDOM OP OF THE HOLY SEN SEB we not only recommend catholics to subscribe more generally for catholic periodicals quarterly monthly or weekly but look with eagerness for the establishment of daily catholic newspapers in our large cities and a catholic associated press agency if our catholic literature Is not dot equal to the standard by which we measure it this Is du due at least in part to the slight encouragement coura gement now given to Cat catholic holle writers of the better type if the best catholic books were extensively purchased and read more would be written which we should be proud of we recommend therefore the work of catholic circulating libraries and reading circles anda and also efforts to have the best catholic books and periodicals introduced into public U b libraries but we do not MI call 8 all 11 books catholic that are written by catholics nor a journal which ba as a Cat catholic holte on one page and infidel or int immoral moral on Rn another other acas As fast as practicable we hope for the introduction of proper church music in all our churches where other music is now heard the music should help devotion at the divine divide service and not be such as tends to divert the mind from heavenly thoughts efforts should be made to have the congregation join in the singing a catholic custom formerly but practiced in only a few churches nowadays we cannot conc conclude ludd wit without bout recording our solemn conviction that 1 the absolute freedom of the holy see is equally indispensable to the peace of the church and the welfare of mankind we demand in the name of humanity and justice that this freedom be scrupulously respected by all secular gove governments we protest against the assumption by any such government of a right to affect the interests or control the action of our holy father by any form of legislation or other public act to which his full approbation has not been previously given and 10 we pledge to leo XIII the worthy pontiff to whose hands almighty god has committed the helm of peters bark amid the tempests tempest of this stormy age the loyal sympathy and unstinted aid of all his hia spiritual children in vindicating that perfect liberty which he justly claims as his sacred and inalienable right |