The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1875-01-02

The Christian Labor Union, Of Boston
Mass.

York City sendeth grestidg:
BRETHREN IN JESUS CHRIST.
We write to you concerning what we are
informed you have done in the matter Of
the Iongshoremen strike. The case, ~
We understand it, is this: The 1ongshore-
men have been accustomed to receive forty
cents ali hour, rate Of wages rendered
necessary by the precariOss nature Of their
employment. Recently, the shipmAstera,
and Others who have charge of the car
goes, determined to exercise that despotic
and irresponsible power which the present
business system gives to al capitalists -
related to all laborers, and cut down their
trary and tyranical a proceeding as it was
for the English government, in the old
times, to tax our fathers without repre-
sentation- The form Of the tax was in
the two cases different, but the essence
WAS the same. In both cases alike, the
rulers taxed the toilers without the toll
ers' consent, and in both cases alike the
toilers resisted.
Rightly did our fathe say, Resist
ance to tyrants is ubedie.AwpO God !" and
the principle is just ~s true now, in the
sphere ct labor. as it was > hundred years
ago in the sphere Of government. The
'longshore@en ~~oved BY the same
spirit Of righteJQy resistance to unrighte-
Gus treatment az were our fathers in the
revolution and they rightly refused t.
submit to the exactions laid upon them.
Thus was the conflict joined.
Those who were poor were joined to.
gether to maintain the righteousness Of
their cause, and the integrity Of theiI
manhood, against the injustice and oppres
sion Of the rich and strong And in which
side were you found The very name o.
your society is made from the name o.
Him Of whom it VAS long ago prophe
sled
He shall right up the st,icted Of tn people.
He shall save the children Of the needy
And break in pieces the Oppressed"
In the case under notice, those employ
ers we're the "oppressors, whom you, a
the disciples Of Jesus, should have beer
eager to help him break in pieces, anc
the longshoremen wera the afflicted
whom it Was your work to help "righ
up But you, as We are told, used tn
forces at your disposal to furnish Othe
~Orkmen to take the place of the strikers
By doing this. you, 80 far from following
the Master, and helping to fulfill this d
vine prophecy concerning Him, hsstene'
to place yourselves on the side Of the 'op
pressor, and gave all your strength t
enable him to trampls do! U the "affiict
ed, " and overwhelm 1.-THE children OF tn
needy"
But you are ready TO say that it was no
your place to decide on the merits Of tn
controversy between these employers an,
those who had been working for them; tina
multitudes Of other needy persons wer
only too glad to get this work at the price
offered that in helping some Of them t.
this chance, you rere helping a part o
" the children Of the needy" and that il
what you did you were prompted by tina
genuine spirit of Christian BROTHERHOOD
which everywhere SEEKS to relieve want
Whatever claim to he true Christian
spirit you may make, we will not deny
for We remember that there were a. ear
nest Christians in the Southern arm
praying for lbs success. as in the North
ern but the rest Of your reply, plausible
as it seems, is but the sophistry Of nam
monized Christian sentimentxlity. Mer
are under the deepest obligation TO know
accurately the merits Of every struggle il
which they take a part and to say tina
they are not, is to-say, Am | my bro
theirs keeper }" And you well remem
Der when those words were spoken, anC
by whom.
The wrong WHICH you have done il pc
culiarly aggravated. All wage laborerl
are the natural allies of each other against
all capitalists, who, by their very func
|
whom they control. Yet, you not only
became, yourselves the alliesof the strong
rich ones in their unjust tyranny, but YOU
divided the laborers, and made q part the
allies Of their natural foes-the rich and
thus led them to act in hostility to theiI
own class. So conducting, ydsl have done
that which tends to cast all wage laborerl
together down into lower depth Of serf
dom to the money kings" which places
both those who struck for their manhood,
and those whom you supplied to take theiI
places, i'll a still more subject condition to
those who lord 1t over the poor for their
own gains. Thus, while you slleviate the
present misery Of some, you insure q
greater future misery to all and make
the relief of that misery more difficult,
aud its cure more hopeless. That you dc
not see your conduct in any snch light, we
have no doubt. That You have deemed
yourselves doing . work Of real Christian
charity, we willingly concede. But what
you hare been doing, is, you haze been help
ing the poor to eat up the poor, and then
come to a greater starvation at last. How
ever because we doubt not that you have
meant well while doingso i'll, we address
to you this word of remonstrance.
AS the disciples Of Jesus Christ, and
speaking according To the light which hath
been given to US from above, we do most
earnestly, yet in the spirit Of true Chris
tian fraternity, declare unto you, that
what youlhave done in this matter il not
only unchristian, hut anti-christian that
thereby you haYe brought reproach upon
the cause Of Christ that you have cast q
stumbling blotk in the way Of many; yea,
that the attitude of the Protestant church,
with reference to property and the rich. Of
which Your SETON is but a twig, is doing
more to alieTiate the poor from the gospel
Of Jesus than all the ih6del publications
nf IL, rorld enid do a.ithant Il AID