CARDINAL MORAN ON SOCIALISM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12909, 4 July 1905, Page 6

CARDINAL MORAN ON SOCIALISM.

AN IMAGINARY ENEMY.

, Sydney, June 26. iS opening a fair at St. Francis' school, Surry Hills, Cardinal Moran referred to the .present campaign against - socialism which ho said was being earned on with apparently singular success throughout New South Wales. He stated that all of them knew the Premier was engaged in warfare against socialism. A few months ago » addressing the Hibernians, he (Cardanal Moran) said he was in doubt as to what was meant by the word' " socialism," and since the campaign -gone on his difficulty had increased. There could be no doubt that the socialism'. Mr. Beid and his colleagues were assailing was that class or socialism which.-meant communism and anarchy. But he wished that their eloquent discourses were delivered in France and Germany, where individuals were endeavouring to undermine the country. It seemed to him that this campaign was quite out ot place in Australia, where our democracy had no such aims. ! (Applause.) It was difficult to understand how leaders could go about the country combating euoh extreme views, when there was no enemy against them. The people must be puzzled as to why this campaign.was being carriedjm at all. We had heard an explanation. During; the past few months there had been held in literary circles in Spain, England, France, and Germany the tri-oenten&ry celebrations of a work of Cervantes, known as Don Quixote, and it had occurred to him that as. we had no literary celebration here the leaders of the Commonwealth were engaged in a Don Quixote campaign—(laughter)— so that they could say that Australia had done its part in commemorating tie publication of this great work. No one could doubt that those distinguished leaders who were travelling through the country were engaged in marshalling their military forces when there was no enemy. They were sharpening their swords, but there was only tho well-known windmill to receive their, thrusts,, and the only enemy at which to discharge their artillery was the soap bubbles of their own fanoy. ' It seemed strange that such,men should thus do honour to Don Quixote. Our democracy was not an enemy. (Cheers.) It was only a social development carried out on constitutional lines, and its objective, instead of being to subvert society and join the ranks of communism, was rather to promote prosperity and : make for peace and plenty. From his heart he wished. Australian democracy every success in attaining this objective. ' MR. RED).'IN REPLY.'

The Prime Minister has retried to Oar-, dinal Moran's remarks on the socialistic aims of the Labour party. "On the 4-th inst.," said Mr. Reid, " Cardinal Moran, at of the Hibernian Society, referred to the campaign against socialism, which I and my political friends are organising, as if it were an affair of the , imagination, -and an attempt to materialise 'ghosts.' Yesterday Cardinal Moran returned to the arena in political controversy, 1 and made further observation on the same subject. His Eminence wishes in© to change the scene of my efforts and transfer them to France and Germany. He thinks the campaign out of place in this country, where ' our democracy has no such aims.' He also confesses to an. increasing difficulty as ; to 'what the word ' socialism' means. "I feel it due to my friends and myself to reply to these repeated political addresses tyhich are olearly intended to influence the public against me and in favour of Mr. Watson and the Socialistic Labour League.- Mr. Watson says I am trying to raise a 'bogey.' The Cardinal comes to his side, and says it is, a 'ghost.' Mr. Watson wishes to efface rue politically. The Cardinal wishes me to emigrate to -Europe. The result would apparently bo the same—relief • to His Eminence and the leader of the Opposition. "If our ' democracy' ' has no aims leading to 'communism and anarchy,' and in that I hope the Cardinal will prove to be right, 'am I wrong in making assurance doubly sure? Does the Cardinal forget that the head of the Socialistic Labour League of Australia declares that no man ought to join a labour league unless he is a socialist? Are not theso leagues the greatest combined political force in Australia to-day? Are not they a largo part of the Australian 'democracy?' Do they not claim the right to. speak and act, and legislate in its name? Has the Cardinal, forgotten that the socialism of nearly all of these great leagues is defined in a few words of plain English as meaning 'the nationalisation of land and - the means of production, distribution,, and exchange?' Js he alone ignorant- of the fact that the objective, the ideal, and to which every, labour league's efforts,are expressly.consecrated,' is an Australia in which there all be no private enterprise, no right to possess private, property, no right to work according to lil>erty of choice, and where all things shall be held in common? Is not that something like the 'communism and anarchy' of the European socialist?" '"On Tuesday night, Mr. Watson, speaking at Brisbane, drew no line between Australian arid European socialism. He declared that "socialism " is the trend of political history throughout the civilised world." ( "Can the 'plank' be realised, and can land and the means of production, distribution, and exchange' become vested in a socialistic Commonwealth without the destruction of private property? Is not the destruction of that right, and the right, to work as you like, and for your own benefit, the necessary prelude to national ownership, and universal and exclusive national industry? Surely no one can deny that? Well, I believe such a, scheme to be disastrous, and worse than anarchy in one sense, because out of anarchy a better solution than that might come. "I; feel that my views can have Jjjtle weight with Cardinal Moraji—that is, judging from the effect they seem to have produced! But I ask the Cardinal to listen to an authority for whose teachings he must feel the most- profound reverence. Leo XIII., 14 years ago, had no difficulty of understanding on the subject of socialistic aim, or as to it's intention as one of its first steps to destroy the right of private property, and as another, the destruction of free, human, industrial effort.

■" Leo XIII., in his famous Encyclical Letter, declared: 'To remedy these evils the socialists, working on the poor man's envy of the rich, endeavour to destroy private property, and maintain that individual possessions should become the common property of all, to be administered by the State, or by municipal bodies. They hold that by thus.transferrins property from private persons to the community the nresent evil state of .things will be set to rights, because each citizen will then have his equal share of whatever there is to enjoy. But their proposals are so clearly futile for all practical purposes that, if they were carried'out the woriking man himself would be among the first to suffer. Moreover, they are emphatically unjust, because they would rob the lawful possessor/bring the State into a sphere that is not its own,- and cause complete confusion in the community ' v" 4 Un ! 1e X the , bffac! of 'Private Property a Natural Right,' the Pope observes: - ' What is of still, greater importance, however, is that the remedy they propose is manifestly against justice. For every man (has by nature the right to possess property a ? ll 1 ! s 1 . ow "; This is one of the chief points ot distinction between man and the animal creation. .:;.'.....■. :•"

"Under the head of 'Private Property Consecrated,' the Pone writes:— . '"With reason, therefore, the common opinion of mankind, little affected by the iev dissentients, who have maintained the opposite view, has found in the study of nature, and in the law of nature herself the foundation of the divisions of property and has consecrated by the practice of all' ages the principle of private ownership, as being pre-eminently in conformity with human nature, and as conducing in the most unmistakable manner to the peace and trap, quility of ■human nature.' " Again:'. ~'

Thus it is clear that the main tenet of socialism, the community,, of goods, must be utterly rejected: for it would injure thosi whom' it is intended to benefit, it would bo contrary to the natural rights of 'mankind and it would introduce_eonfusion and disorder into the' Commonwealth. Our first and most fundamental principle, therefore, when we undertake to alleviate'the condition of the masses, must be the inviolability of private property.' - - " " V.Under the head 'All men are not equal.' Leo XIII. l are( ]. _ 4 iw'-t I**1** it - be laid down in the first place that humanity must remain as it is Tt is impossible to reduce human society to a level' .1 he. socialists may do their utmost, but all striving against nature is vain. There naturally exist among mankind innumerable differences of the most important kind; pennle differ in capability, in diligence, in health, and in strength: and unequal for. tune., is a necessary result of ineouality in condition. Such ■ inequality is far rom being disadvantageous either to individuals or to : the community; social and public life can only go on by the help of various kinds of capacity, and the plaving of many parts • and each man. as a ride, 'chooses the part which peculiarly suite his case.' ,; " Coming clown to the present vcar," concluded Mr. Reid, " and to Australia herself, does the Cardinal forget that Bishop Dunn' of Wilcannia, delivered a few weeks ago

from the altar a protest and warning agai«,i the socialistic tendencies of labour organic tions in his own diocese? Will Cardin I i Mbran let the publio have the benefit of V opinion on the nationalisation of land and th means of production, distribution, and et* change? Does lie think that plank of th Labour organisation of Australia a 'cho*?* ■ and the army that has that inscription n™ ' its political banner an array of disemboS spirits?' If the Cardinal Links no dount, he may justly regard mus[ $> .' Quixote. But my opinion is that■ thev »„! 1' ominous, sinister, and livftsjj facte ■ and th f ; '' they represent the fixed sad open and £ clared objects of vast organisations of m ;: very much alive, and men determined to ™ ' <,'' tare the Australian democracy. " And h ■ ■ Having that, I call upon all wfc, think'aft " ; do to meet organisation with counter „ ganisation and enthusiasm, and with 'eoW ' ■ unity and earnestness and determination^' J '