The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-03-19
Prom .he oathe 10 world. for March ls7o.
Views Of the Labor Movement.
(CONTINUED.l
NJ :. wHAaros coLLsss.

. (COETINUED.) s.E| r
Very certainly society, the State, and the
Church will very soon deeply feel the eff
fects Of the agitation of mind and feeling
going on among the working people. The
allocntion Of His Holiness shows that this
consequence has not escaped his peuetrst-
ing intellect He sees clearly that, the
agitation will be injurious or produce beue-
fetal results according to the principles,
Christian or snti-C Christian, that shall pre-
vail within it To avoid or prevent the
fermentation and its products ia impossible
1t must take place and the question is,
bow to make it yield clear and palat-
able wine. To think that the church can
ignore it. and go on as if nothing we're
shaking the body polite, and disturbing the
sculs of the people, would be to stuItify
ourselves. The issue raised il too i'm
portsnt, and the tendency to revolution too
powerfully pressed to he disregarded and
treated with contempt. See the great num-
Der of societies the workmen have formed
in every Northern State. These societies
have already drawn majority Of the skilled
operatives, and there is q prospect of their
finally absorbing all the working people.
The agricultural aborers already give
signs Of sympathy with the movement 3
Of conrse, we understand that it mat
tiers not to the church what economic or po-
litical party governs the State. The con-
troversies between Democrat and .Republi-
can. free trade and protection, labor and
capital, are mere worldly matters, and do
not concern the, church but the coming is
sue has q deeper cause than a mere ques-
ton Of temporal expediency. In the midst
of the unanimous demand for change the
men Of labor are making, we can also per
ceive, not only that the wished for changes
are fundamental and revolutionary, but
also that the leaders are actuated by very
different principles, and aim at different ul-
Inmates, and that these relate to the very
origin. basis, and end Of private and public
morality and religion. Some move by the
light Of Christianity, some by that of natu-
raj reason as exhibited by the modern in
6del schools of philosophy -naturalism,
rationalism, individualism, positivism, and
evolutionism. Very different motives and
very different hopes move the principal
agitators, though they now act with great
unanimity. The working multitude, who
complain of wrong, .and seek practical
remedy, have not yet looked beyond the
surface Of the speeches, or into the details
Of the plans Of their principal men. 1t suf
fees that these say they have found the
proper remedy. They have gained the
confidence Of followers merely from evinc-
ing knowledge of the grounds of com
plant, and giving eloquent expression to
their sympathy. The workingmen hardly
discuss the merits Of the particular methods
Of reform proposed and they will follow
one or the other class of leaders as it hap
pens that either succeeds in captivating
them by the arts of ambition. The differ
ence in the possible consequences is i'm
mense but first the leaders, each with bis
followers. will act together to break up the
customs, laws, and institutions by which the
interests Of the laboring men are injuriously
affected ; snd not till they accomplish this
against the common enemy shall we know
(unless we prepare the way) whether the
counsels Of in6delity or Christianity will be
followed in the reconstruction
The work Of determiaing the tendency
one way or The other is going on even now.
If We scrutinize societies, institutions, and
parties formed for the purpose Of relieving
the evils that poverty causes among the
people we shall find it easy to class them
under discordant heads Q.) Those
founded By Christian charity, wholly inno-
cent Of any political purpose-works Of
disiaterested mercy and brotherly love.
(2.) Those invented BY political econo-
nists and lawyers, merely as means Of
hvoring capitalists aud the personal accu-
mutation Of property, or to suppress pauper-
ism and vagrsncy, such as monopolies,
Peor-houses, and the like, (3) Those
contrived from motives Of private prudence
and economy only, such as mutual aid 30
icsetiss, cooperative stores, &c. ~