The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1876-08-26
Working People and their Employers

This is the title of a new book, published
by Lockwood, Brooks 4 Co., of Boston,
written by Rev. Washington GLADDEN., Of
Springfield, Massachusetts. Mr. GLADDEN. is
a very pious classic reformer, who breaches
the gospal Of bullionism with great JUNCTION !;
but notwithstanding his great christianity
he is dishonest, when he pretends to solve
the labor question by simply pleading the
cause Of the robbers who have lobbied bills
through Congress, giving them unlimited
power to plumber the industrial class, under
the spurious plea of honest money" Mr..
Gladdens chapter on "Hard Times and how
to remedy them Is only q rehash of Prof
Summers lecture ON the currency, which has
been completely riddled and effectualy an
swered in the ADVOCATE. Rev Mr.. GLADDEN.
is firmly convinced that "a promise to pay is
not payment" He also knows that this form
of statement is a mere trick of words, that
may mean something or nothing, according to
circumstances. As matter of fact, he knows
that every private debt which is paid with
greenbacks, is as effectually and completely
cancelled as it would be by the payment of
gold. He also ought to know, that, anything
which will pay debt legally, is real money,
in the fullest sense Of the wOrd-mOney, and
that all quibbling and pettifogging over a
definition which shall mean gold and nothing
else, is deception and fraud upon the public,
which was invented for the sole purpose Of
enabling money lenders to rob the community
at large under the forms Of law. Preacher
though he be, he has read and been blinded
by the sophisms Of Mill. Ricardo, McCulloch,
Sumner, and other eminent political econo
mists" who wrote wholly in the interests of
money lenders and evidently believes much
that they have written. There is not an
original idea in his book, and although he
claims to have risen from labor's ranks. and
appears to have q good sympathetic heart,
and real feeling of good viii for working
men, he really sees no means of advancing
their cause except BY cooperation and the
cultivation Of Christian graces His solution
Of the labor problem is, that when all men
treat all other men as they would be treated.
then, and not till then will the warfare he.
tween capital and labor cease Christ has the
advantage of having taught this doctrine
more than 1900 years ago, and Confucius
the Chinese Christ, taught the same doctrine
more than 1900 years ago. An idea as old
as this can hardly be claimed as q solution Of
the labor problem, as it it now presented,
for the very good reason that employers do
not treat working men a. they would have
working men treat them. Employers have
rebelled against Christ's teachings too often
and too pe,sistently to hope for solution Of
the trouble in this way. In fact Mr. Glad
den virtually admits that this 10 impossible.
and he further proves himself as heartless as
the other sO-caIled economists when he saws
that many of our working people must
change their employment and 20 to farming
or starve." pretty solution Of the present
trouble this, for . minister to offer. The
auther ought TO have put the Englishmen's