Communications
COMMUNICATIONS THE DOCTRINE OF FASCISM Wollaston, Mass. TO the Editor:—The learned discussion of Fascism by Dr. John A. Ryan is very interesting. To the layman,...
...Now, it may be that there is an ideal form of civil society recognized as such by leading Catholic thinkers and Fascism may not be in accordance with that, but I hold that "any" form of civil society, if safeguarding the authority of the Church and allowing the spiritual development of man does not contradict Catholic doctrine...
...Certainly he has not violated fundamental human rights to the extent that certain communistic legislation does in our country, and as certain proposed legislation further suggests doing...
...The day may come when a like discipline will be needed in these United States...
...Du Brul (in his letter to The Commonweal of November 17) has unintentionally misquoted me...
...Under present conditions they [the small manufacturers] are threatened with extinction...
...Du Brul may reply that that is quite all right for the employee, but what about the employer...
...It is admitted that if the plant is enlarged it "will only make the price situation in his industry worse than ever...
...The business which he now has and which is not sufficient to be profitable to him would increase the orders of the other plants in the industry and thereby improve the condition of the industry as a whole...
...but our industrial waste is enormous—even in those businesses with a reputation for careful and efficient management...
...To the layman, who is also a business man, it would appear however that the outstanding fact in the whole matter is that the results of Fascism have been beneficial to the Italian nation...
...That day will not dawn, however, if sound Catholic principles are applied to the social problems of our country...
...Judges are sufficient...
...Elizabeth Church...
...My contention is that the employer in question should pay either a living wage or, if that is impossible, suspend operations...
...Rev...
...Wages which do not give the worker a chance to live properly are not real wages—they are counterfeit wages...
...Besides, would not our country be more peaceful and better governed if lawyers were discarded...
...In a word, Mussolini's work has been constructive...
...John A. Ryan, but I believe he is overstating his objections to Fascism in the articles recently appearing in your magazine...
...Such lawyers who love money more than justice are detrimental to society...
...E. A. Filene (an employer and an economist) claims "that an industry which cannot afford to pay a living wage has no place in the economic picture...
...As for the Catholic moral aspect of the situation, I requote from Father Harrington's Catholicism, Capitalism or Communism, an excerpt from the Pastoral of the American Hierarchy: "The laborer's right to a decent livelihood is the first charge upon industry...
...The employer is under a moral obligation to pay at least a living wage...
...William E. Kerrish...
...If, after reducing management costs, the employer cannot operate (paying a living wage) without financial difficulties he should shut down...
...TO the Editor:—The Commonweal of September 29 carried these opportune and ponderous * words: "The long-drawn-out battle to avoid punishment, it is noted, is suspiciously related to the funds of which the culprit disposes, and the charge is even made that, in accepting the money which he knows must be the fruit of crime, the lawyer who goes on fighting while there is a shot in the locker, is virtually an accessory after the fact...
...A. R. Bandini...
...By the same token they are bound to be sound American principles...
...One of the ways for any one of them to lessen its chances for being forced out is to make its business more efficient...
...Should not such men be punished and deposed...
...Of course, there may be a difference between "contrary to Catholic doctrine" and "condemnable by the Church...
...Filene again: "The big thing in industry that makes for high costs is waste— waste growing out of inefficient management...
...Catholic lawyers should protest and expose those lawyers who have no conscience...
...While the methods followed in carrying out these results, perhaps do not fall in line with our ideals of democratic government, it might be remembered that Premier Mussolini is dealing with the Italian nation and not the American republic...
...but as the two phrases are liable to be taken in the same sense, I wish Father Ryan would make his point clearer...
...Rev...
...That strict discipline was needed in Italy there can be no doubt...
...A living wage is not always a fair one, but a fair wage must be at least a living wage...
...Herbert Hoover's committee of engineers found that "over 50 percent of the responsibilities for these wastes can be placed at the door of management and less than 25 percent at the door of labor...
...Labor organizations are now demanding that efficiency experts be consulted in an effort to find means of reducing management costs...
...A living wage is a minimum wage, i.e., "enough to buy the necessities of life and enough of the luxuries to make working for the necessities a desirable thing...
...In fact, I think it is pretty well settled that, with the above provisos, the Church does not condemn any social system: feudalism, monarchism absolute or parliamentarian, republicanism, state socialism, democracy or autocracy, none of these systems is "per se" condemned by the Church...
...TO the Editor—Pardon me for presuming to correct Dr...
...This is the human and Christian in contrast to the purely commercial and pagan ethics of industrv...
...To quote Mr...
...Stockton, Calif...
...A LIVING WAGE Brooklyn, N. Y. TO the Editor:—Mr...
...He affirms that "Fascism contradicts the Catholic doctrine...
...158...
...Raymond Vernimont...
...LAWYERS AND CONSCIENCE Denton, Texas...
...The employer has a right to get a reasonable living out of his business, but he has no right to an interest on his investment until his employees have obtained at least a living wage...
...Until the minimum wage law [in Massachusetts] the easiest thing in the world was to cut down wages...
...He probably does not mean to say that a good Fascist cannot be a good Catholic...
Vol. 5 • December 1926 • No. 6
