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Show CIIUUCII FIIEE OF POLITICS. The conditions of our civilization, the drag on institutions and their peculiar pe-culiar mechanism get in our way. Nature has imperatively set many of the limitations against which we vainly struggle. Hence the social inaction in-action so much spoken of is political inaction, social inaction, economic Inaction, In-action, natural and inevitable inaction, inac-tion, and, therefore, it is wrong to call it in particular Catholic inactionv But even as regards the Church there are conditions which one must note in expressing ex-pressing a judgment concerning her relation to modern economic questions. ques-tions. American practics bids the Church to remain free of politics. Modern political conditions make all social reform and most social morality moral-ity questions nothing other than political po-litical questions. Modern circumstances circum-stances so diffuse Catholic men and women throughout the whole social body that the channels of solidarity are choked up and it is practically impossible. to call out a unified expression ex-pression of Catholic feeling or instinct in-stinct on any question other than one touching on spiritual or religious in terests as these are traditionally understood. un-derstood. Now, if social reform is made political and our much-vaunted traditions forbid the Church to be a political agent, what is she to do? It is remarkable that for a certain twelve years, during which bishops and priests preached and wrote with customary regularity for social justice jus-tice and reform, not one of them was known to have appeared before a 'certain congressional committee in advocacy of any reform with which that committee might be concerned They were roundly praised by i( chairman, a man not of the Catholic faith, for the wisdom and self-restraint that kept them within what termed their legitimate field of action. Sometimes, when situation. are analyzed, an-alyzed, they are understood. Cathv''c , Citizen. ' , |