1.

Enormous change has been felt passing over from politics, industrialization to
practical economics in the world. Elements of conflict is seen scattered among
society, from the vast fortunes of the rich to those who are utterly living in poverty,
the giant leap of industrialization and discoveries of science to moral degeneracy,
and others.
2. The Church has addressed occasions when it needed to refute false teachings,
especially in the sphere of the condition of the working classes. Purposely the
Church wants to treat this in detail, so as to avoid any misapprehension. The
discussion is not at all easy, in fact it is also dangerous, as it may be perverted to
sway the minds of other people to judge maliciously as they would, eventually
leading to revolt.
3. There must be a remedy to be found to quickly alleviate the condition of the
working classes from unjust treatment. Organizations before that helped the working
classes have been abolished, leaving the workmen vulnerable to the abuse of greedy
employers. Usury, which used to be condemned by the Church is still practiced by
some. Some very wealthy men have only improved the burden of the masses a little
better that than of slavery.
4. A remedy undertaken to oppose the socialists did not help at all. This remedy
consists in striving to do away with private property, thus the intention to give the
masses a chance to their fair share. But this is powerless, since the working man
would still be the first to suffer, eventually leading to stealing, and create confusion
in the community.
5. It is undeniable that when a man works for wages, he does so intentionally to own
property, holding it as his very own. But the socialists, in endeavoring to transfer
property to the community, they strike at the wage-earner, and deprive him of the
liberty of choosing to dispose of his wages, losing all possibility of increasing
resources for the betterment of his life.
6. This remedy that they are trying to propose is against justice. As a human who
possesses the full perfection of the animal being, with the human mind being the
distinguishing factor of superiority among animal species, he is one only endowed
with reason. It is only with this reason that man is within his right to possess.
7. Deeper in man’s nature we can see in himself the desire not only to take care of
his present welfare, but also in the time to come. It is in this stability that the
motivation comes from. Man precedes the State, and possesses the right of providing
for the substance of his body.
8. Because God granted the earth to mankind in general, there must not be a bar to
the owning of private property. No part of it was assigned only to anyone in
particular. Even if limited by private property, duty to minister to the needs of all
must be considered. Human subsistence must come from this land, whether from
one’s own or from one’s toil of another.
9.