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Show MORAL AND ECONOMIC QUIBBLES. A writer on one of the city dailies, who is a close reader of this paper, asked it's editor what support Cardinal Manning had for declaring that "by the Jaw of nature all men have a common right to the use of things which were created for their use and sustenance." This quotation appeared ap-peared in au article from "F. D.," on the first page last- week. Cardinal Manning wrote this iu justification justi-fication o the law of self-preservation, which transcends tran-scends all man-made laws. Our friend took exception ex-ception to the quotation because, he said, it gave to a hungry man freedom to sandbag another to obtain food. This was not a true interpretation of Cardinal Manning, and our friend was apprised that appropriating another's property was justified justi-fied only in extreme eases, such as arise but seldom, and after all other means have been exhausted to provide bread. The question of the journalist what support Cardinal Manning had for justifying robbery, as it would be legally termed, in a case where destitution could be relieved only by appropriating the means of another the answer is to be found in Scripture. The gospels relate that on their way to a certain place in Judea, the apostles with Christ became faint from hunger. Passing a field on the highway, high-way, the disciples entered and helped themselves to the growing corn until they were tilled. Another question is suggested by this incident: Why could not Christ have taken a pebble from the highway and converted the same into food sufficient for the disciples Repeat the miracle of the loaves and fishes? The answer is that he chose to establish the common right of man to the use of things created for his io and sustenance. Therefore, There-fore, he did not rebuke the disciples for appropriating appropri-ating the corn. Another objection made to "F. D." in his presentation pres-entation of ills of the latter-day industrial system was mention of the linotype machine as one of the great factors displacing labor and increasing the army of unemployed. . Our friend maintained and we are inclined to think his, observations are. accurate ac-curate that the linotype machine, has served to increase rather than diminish employment in the publishing business. Of course, in the beginning the machine hit the hand printers hard, but of late years conditions have adjusted themselves. Newspapers News-papers are twice and triple their former size. Newspapers News-papers are printed in places where none could be established before. Books and magazines are so cheap and plentiful that the poorest man can buy a modest library. All because of the linotype machine. ma-chine. And the men displaced by the machine have knocked out a living as country editors, or as actors in barnstorming companies. Some have even taken up the gospel, but we could absolve them from all conceit: of exhortation. At any rate, there are few, very few, printers at this day who honestly look for employment and do not find it. ' This is one and only one example of the machine -working no injury to industrial conditions. It does not disproxe "F. D.'s" argument that the multiplied mul-tiplied use of labor-saving machinery results in over-production, and leaves willing hands to beg bread who would rather earn it. |