SYNDICALISM.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1713, 2 April 1913, Page 8

SYNDICALISM.

i NOTABLE ADDRESS BY CARDINAL BOURNE. LABOUR AND,CAPITAL, i TIMELY WORDS OF WARNINGS The following is Jhe concluding portion i • of 11 notfibleaddress oil Syndicalism delivi ered at Leicester recently by tho" Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster .(Dr. .Uour/ie) '■ ; - We'may uow po& to .the'.'6oilsid6ratioii 0 of. the .theories of' Syndioilism, ' first' in common-sense, and human ex- ■ psriimce, and next jri: that of .Christianity \ as delivered; - to,; ;us ;.by > tho Catholic ClHUth. ' /, '... -1. ■/■■-■' l ,- t ;i . ■lr: It will be apparent to,all at first sight ii that, tho new system is- extraordinarily , , complex, iind, indeed, far more ;couipli- . cated than aiiy method of government which tho world, has yet experienced. A yery largo number of syndical associations will havo to be created beforo every class 1 of 'H orker can find an organisation really ; v ow^i' particular, in- : dustry. Then tho. grouping, of these",asso--1 ciations so . as to' 'avoid .overlapping, \ and ■ ■ to safeguard .their, special will be i--.; a-; task calling for statesmanship ,of/,the vety- highest order. In; what/country and [•. at what period of tho world's history has i;, such statesmanship, extending,- as it must doin this ease, without break over a i ;long period of years, .ever, been found? 'V'Still, if the new doctriues are really,eff•' fective for their purpose, they, may,.well be given a trial. " .. .. j.-. , When, however, we coriio to Vexamino .them closel/,; we see that they are ba&jf upon the' glaring,.fallficy- which: underlies nil the. 1 attempts at'sbcial' reform which I; ignore the. teaching of; .Christianity—a • fallacy whicli may be summarised in tho .'. following terms:—Meii/. taken individuv ally, are ignorant of, or: careless - about, ;• or ,hostile.'to the .rights of their fsllowi in6n. But when they are brought.together ' ill, elective .corporations, these radical <le'.fects'of tfieiv. individual, "natures' ! will , gradually disappear.' It.is "lindoubtedly clear that' the chief .cause of the'.diffi-i culties between capital ajjd! labp[iir;yjjj£; .; tween those whohave lunterial rusoiircfis : : and those' who jroSsess only, ;the ! labour. V 1 of.'their, hands, is-to; be 'fbun;!' 1 inutile elemental weaknesses'land, passions' , of' mankind. ..Employers'of lalxJUr'have too ~ ofteii .allowed . themselves ' to' remain, in ... ignorance of-the conditions'in which those i : whom they .epiplpyedWere; compelled to' ;; live. They have iorgbtteh'.that the pays' mentof h. slender wago wals.not the cp'mr pleto/fulfilment of vhcir' duty. Others '■': have'. regarded industry or property mere-' I: ly as a means, from which,'.they wcro':to e draw, a pleasant existence' for themselves.' i: And it caniiot bo denied, that in, raier ' cases tho power of .capital has t be«n.iised ~. to crush and''utterl'y''ruin toilers' w-lio" had without fault given offence to tho' E 'master whom , they But- human ; faults and, frailties"'arc' hot' confined 1 to ;;otie-section; of humanity. ,oh the' ! side ,of the wotker there has been forget-' [ fulness of,: and indifference to, tfib'real' : interests of the industry Which gives him i ■ tho means 'of livelihood;' arid/ at' ;tmips,' hostile : bitterness and hatred. against, .#ll. fc.those .whose station in lifowas different Vfrpm their, own. If altowuers of capital ! aitd all .non-capitalists had followed, even , in essentials, the law' of:.Christ, which fought to goverh their 'mutual relations, terrible conflict would'-'never- have arisen between them. , Biit will this.dis- :> obedience tu moral guidance disappear ;„when all industries have'been.-transform-. ■ Ed into self-controlling corporations? The ' whole history of corporate organisations, ; .whether of capitalists or of non-canit'J- .. ists, .is there to declare the futility of' any such hope. Tho absorption of tlie'in- ■ 'dividual , employer into great limited' ; companies intensified rather than dirain- ; ished indifference to', "laud ca'rel«ssjii>ss i; about, .the condilipn- ot the employed; so that tho formation, of trade unions be-. ! ! came a necessary consequence, if the in- | interests' of tli'o Workers') were to ,bo pro-J I: tected. ' But tilts subsequent .development f, of-trade imiouisiii has demonstrated that >. here again a corporate forco is not ex-" 5- cm jit from the inherent failings of-indi-i: vidnal human nature, but- m'qy )«. used, . «t the bidding of a few leaders, or.at tho' ; will of a sniflll minority, to perpetrate j acts which no moral ..'principles ; tould' - justify. . |' ,r,., f< j«; ; ■: Lastly, Syndicalism, if it is to' com- : pleto its work ami to make''perfect tho ; reform of which it proclaims itself tho only reliable champion, must embrace ' every form of public service, oven those : which hav;e for,their object tjio prottic- ; tion of Society and of' the nation against ' violence and attack. In other words, the ; polite, the army, and the navy mnst all : alike bo syndicalised. Such proposals seem to strike nt the root of/ those conceptioiis of public older, and of national . safety," and ft patriotism which are deep' ; down inutile hearts of the vast inajority- : : of mankind, and are nowhere moroj'ft.vefe i diced than hero in England. . For -..tliiS" ' reason alone, apart from those which ; have ten stated and many, qtfjepi whicli ' ffW ; Dfe;alleged,'it appear^ I :clear?'that ■/ Syndicalism is a' TJtopi.a in' no' way conk ? onant - with common-sens© or the teachinga; of-economic history. . Rights Denied by. SynHicalism; n ~ I Speaking as a Catholic Bishop to those ; ivho hold the; Catholic - faith, it is right p- that I should say how these new social doctrines appear, to me in tho. light of the te i"lnn a ' of the Church; Nfcdless to ~ wij, I have no, ivish to giye.an authorita-. tivo decision on of .which . 'ii'«; still ■ obscQre, and on wllieh . neither '■ tho Church herself nor her 'accredited f.. theologians have pronounced a definite i; opinion. , . j 1 ; in .;the' first place, Syrdicalism seems th-.? rights of I'u'ivate ownership, | which tlip Church lias ever-defended as, being pnlii-oly in harmony with the law of ; Gdd. it is i-rue tliat. she has encburagqd. : ftnd blessed those : who for>'God's-sake---j liavo . embraced poverfyfaiidi: ('shared thsir worldly'' gaods-'Mvi tiltheh ,J f- brethren. But sho has hover made this i: extraordinary way of life a matter, of : obligation. There i? nlithing contrary to' :-the moral law in possessing -priyato pros'perty, but tlia possessor must ever bear - in mind that; property, like all other of ' God's gifts; -pirries with it duties to Hiiu and to our. •■. . .. ';. Next, Syndicalism appears to.dcnv' :the'. ' s'Tisht of the individual to dispose of tho of his .hands, which is, after all, a form of property, in 'the Way,;that; li£ prefers. If lie is to work at all,-lie is"to' bo allowed to do so onlv.'iu tho way and according'to the rules established by the ■ syndical ninions. Jt is not easy to. see how a continual coercion of this kind can ;'lx' . justified on moral .'grounds. . ,t • f-.:Thirdly, Syndicalism has not hesitated ! to ayail itself of such-methods as "sabot; age/' Tanging'.from the neglect of work' ' or tho production* of inferior work to .the wilful of tho iinpleiuenfs : of iiidustrj - ; even to the, extent of, imperil-. , ' ling human life, in order to force its'opponcnts to yield to its demands. .; Such ; methods are clearly lis anuch opposed'to Divine ns they are to civil law. . fourthly, Syndicalism does not shrink from .calling to its aid such weapons as the sympathetic strike, or from suggesting that it, sho.uld, if need arise, boccarr r Tied to its full logical dcvelopniont— the general or universal striko t)f all workers simultaneously. I have, on other occa- - ; sions, whilo admitting in extreme cases the necessity and lawfulness of-lock-outs . or strikes, pointed oiit that, owing.to tho' misery which they inflict on numberless persons in no way responsible for tho matter in dispute, and the injury whioh , they do to .the society of men as a whole, some, tremendously 'powerful.- justifying - cause is required, before they can be, regarded as legitimate. The Sympathetic Strike, , Jor the same reason I'am inclined to ''think that tho sympathetic lock-out or : strike of those who aro in no way personi ally interested in the question : which-has ■ ' occasioned the dislocation of somo .other ; industry can- hardly; ever be justified; whilo tho idea of tho nnivers.s,l strike tipi pears to mo contrary to ovory principle of : justice and charity: I know well -that j these extreme methods, in tliis and other | political controversies; are being justified Jon the ground that there is real ' war being waged between . capital and ■labour; and that in war all means-, however terrible, may be lawfully • employed. This argument, to my jiiflpf--1 liiciil. is iibwtnU-ly fallacious. H is not t sU'ictli- correct lo> define the industrial..

conflict as a state of- war. • At most,' tho term may be used analogously, and analogies are to bo employed warily and with circiumspcctioh'." And no such lame and halting analogy can justify in God's sight the criminal -acts -lvhich- "sabotage" and the iiniv'e'i'sal':'titiliko most. cetfainly -involve. , Lastly, the Syndicalist campaign is promoted, inspired; and directed, almost exclusively, by' thtise who neither accept noi; practise the teachings of Christianity, while many; of them; do not recognise; in any way God or'lliS'law. On this ground. .!)lono;it behoves 'Catholics to be continuously, on'their guard against their .teach- ' lest, led by blind guides,'they enter on a path that will bo the destruction of their eternal as well as of their temporal hopes. . . Fundamental Facts. Such, then,' is'the"judgment which, it appears to me; weiniiist as -Catholics pass on the Syndicalist r-eriicdies for those evils , flip, '.existence of which we recognise and dcploro as ;ully;'and more practical])fliaii they do. It is not in such theories, but in tho .frank -acceptance of fundamental unchangeable facts that, the beginnings of a remedy are to be found: .sucji ifaets" as, ..for..instance, that industries must; ba built up on just and equitable principles;* that enormous fortunes beyond .the. power .of one individual to wield conscientiously are not .to the law .of Christ) because they render practically impossible the discharge of the obligations which attach to all God's gifts; that/ though all men were created for tho'Same eternal destiny, there must, over bo'oii'this earth inequalities of tal- • ent, of 'opportunity, and of achievement; and. that, -liistly, this life is not an j end in' itself; but only; a preparation for: a future-and : more perfect existence, tho attainment of which will depend, on oiir fulfilment'here of those ;duties which belong to us, both in a corporate and in an individual capacity. Meanwhile we are called .upon to; do our utmost to lessen t'ie' stress of tho conflict between so many'contending interests; and with •faith iii ' God'S teaching, and in the Gospel which Ho lias-given to lis for tho liealing of the nntions, to build up around lis those. Christian principles in which alono aro 'to be found the solution of tho 'problems which we havo been considering.