Labour Notes.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXI, Issue 26, 27 October 1893, Page 25

Labour Notes.

A. lkttkb recently addressed by the Pope to M. Descnrtin?, the wellknown Bwiss Catholic statesman, recalls once more the deep interest taken by the Holy Father in the working classes, and bis anxiety for thejamelioration'of their position. The Pope alludes to his Encyclical Novarum Serum, which he speaks of as an outcome of his mission to aid and console the weak «nd sffliced. '< We have not failed to deal with the cause of the working elapses before the leading authorities of civil society, wishful that a multitude so great and of such importance should not ha abandoned without defence to an exploitation which converts into fortunes for some the misery of a large Dombei." His Holiness expresses his satisfaction that at a congress of workiogmen recently held at Bienne, in Switzerland, and representing countries differing in opinions end religion his Encyclical had be«n received with ac3lamation ;—"; — " They recognised of them••lves that it contains the most precious elements for the defence of their legitimate rights and for the preparation bo much desired of ■olid foundations on which may beelevatei an order of things which will be conformable to jostice, and which will assure peace in human •ociety by destroying the old distrust between employers and employed." The Pope goes on to point out the power of the Church shown by the experience of all times and all countries, and recognised even by her opponents, for carrying out sach an undertaking. He •ddoces her victory over slavery as a proof of what she can do to relieve the working classes :— ' It is also easy to understand that for the attainment of this great work of charity and true humanity, the b«st method to follow is to seek to imprint deeply in men's minds the precepts of Christianity and to cause the Gospel doe'rine to be accepted as at 0003 a gentle and a strong rule of conduct," The Pope, therefore, signifies his approval of the plan adopted by M. Dascnrtins to profit by thecongre^see, in making the principles developed in the Encyclical to penetrate the souls of the people :— " By the perfect comprehension of thesj principle-, dr^wn from the sacred writings of the Ohurcb, men will be convinced that their legitimate aspirations will by realised mt by the inconsiderate disturbance of •ocial order, but unler the powerful, salutary, and holy direction of the Spirit of Wisdom that Jesus Chnat, Our Ljrd, caused to descend from Heaven upon the eartn for tru p'irposs of guiiing mankind." The Pope further approves of a project to call a more important congress to deal principally with laws for the protection from excessive labonr of women and children. He points out that no efficacious relief can be found by the workingmen in laws varying with different places, "for since goods from different quarters often come for sale to the same place, it is certain that the rules and regulations imposed on the workmen in one place would tend to results favourable to one nation and detrimental to another." " These difficulties, and others of the same kind," concludes the Pope, "cannot be surmounted solely by the power of human legislation. That can only be if the rule of conduct laid diwn by Christianity is understooi and held in honour and if men conform their conduct to the teaching of the Church. On these conditions the geaeral good will find a powerful auxiliary in tbe conciliating wisdom of tha laws an I in the concurrence of all the forces at ihe disposal of each nation. '

A document published some two or three months ago, and alleged to emanate as a Papal Encyclical from Rome, was in truth the production of some enterprising American journalist. The sagacious comments, therefore, that certain of our contemporaries have made on the matter must go lor nohiog. It was rather a daring forgery, based generally on Papal utterances and the writings of theologian?, but with a strong dash of originality thrown in to give it Best. The development of a Papal utterance by a Yankee penny-a-liner, must needs have iis peculiarities.

Mr Michael Davitt has written a letter to the London Chronicle exposing the disingenuousness of the Tone? in pretending to fear for <Jie action towards the working classes of an Irish Parliament. '• The

Bfcal objection to Home Bui,-,' 1 be says, " lies in the dread of the 3t classes" of the three countries that an liish Parliament, reprevesting a nation of working farmers, labourers, and artisan, will, of necessity, devote moat of ita time and energies to social and labour

legislation, and that a 'dangerous lead' will thus be given to the aesembled wisdom of Westminster. There will be no army and navy no foreign policy, no externsl troubles or complications to take from' the domestic concerns of the Irish people the care and attention of 1 their National Assembly. It will be the wants of her fonr and a half million workers which will monopolise the efforts of the new Legislature of Ireland." The writer goes on to point out that the Tory leaders of old were more consistent and honest. He quotes Sir Robert Peel, for example, as having based a strong argument against O'Connell on his active sympathy for English trades-unionism. " From O'Gonnel.'s time antil the present day, 1 ' concludes Mr Davitt • I every Irish Nationalist leader has been a warm and nndeviating advocate of all measures which bad for object the protection and I betterment of the workiug classes of both Great Britain and Ireland. I Every Irish Naiional party io Parliament has consistently voted for ' such legislation. Oa the other hand every Irish Tory (or landlord), leader and par'y from Castlereagh to the present Ulster 'Unionise ' representation, have been at ona with the British Tories io opposition to such reforms as were advocated by the representatives of British I and Irish labour classes. Which party, therefore— lrish Nationalist or Irish " Unionist " — is likeliest to promote usefal and necessary factory and general labour legislation in a Homa Rule Parliament? "

; The Able Gamier, who is a candidate for a seat in the French ! Chamber, is a member of the Labour party. Needless to say the Abbe belongs to that Bection of the party which is Catholic. In recently addressing a workingmen's meeting, the majority of which was not Catholic, the Abbe contrasted the services rendered to them by religion with those they owed to the Revolution. Religion, he i said, had de ivered them from slavery and had founded for them 1 those syndicates and associations which, in the last century, were i possessed of enormous wealth. The Revolution had robbed them of I all this and left them often without bread and work. " I say to the 1 working classes, ' Have done with freethinkers and Freemaaonp, who 1 are leading you back not only to pagan civilisation, but to pagan 1 barbarism. Have done with them, I Bay, and come to us Catholics ; j for it is we, and we alone, who in the name of Jesus Christ and His I religion are able to give you social justice and the real food you need ! — food for body and soul.' "

The address of the president at the late Trades' Union Congress held in Belfast, containe 1 one particularly significant passage. The speaker, referring to the concluding lines of Moore's "Erin the tear and the smile in thine eye, ' spoka as followa :— " I may be a dreamer —perhaps I am— but I have loog thought that trader-unionism is yet destined to be the honoured instrument by which the beautiful sentiment expressed in the lines I have just quoted is to be realised and brought into practical operation, especially in our large centres of industry— that trades-unionism 19 the ' ism ' amengst all others whose mission it shall be to free our unhappy land from the terrible incubus of religious bigotry and political intolerance, which have hitherto been the means of separating into hostile camps those who should be brethien and who should dwell together in unity and peace. On the sth of March, 1892, we had a great labour demonstration in Belfast, with a view of assisting the linen-lappers in their efforts to obtain better conditions of employment. On that occasion orange and green were blended in a true union. I have it from responsible officers of thd police that the demonstration referred to did more to assist them in keeping the peace than any incident which occurred in their experience.