The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-12-01
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
Rev. Oscar c. McCullooh's Views.


To the Editor of the INDIANAPOLIS Journak
About Oscar c. McCulloch's views, as a pri-
vate citizen. no one cares much, but the views
of Rev. Oscar c. McCuloch. the leader of public
thought from the pulpit of a central church. pat
ronized by many leading and wealthy families.
on matters purely social and economic, do con-
Germ the public. Mr.. McCulloch may preach
new theology or old theology, or no theology at
all. and no one outside of his congregation wilt
utter word of protest If his hearers stand
1T others have no right to complain. Or, when
Oscar G. McCuloch, president. and the CONTROL
ing spirit of the Charity ORGANIZATION of Indian
apolis utters, in the papers in his pulpit.
views which calculated and probably intend
Cd to foster a spirit of unrest and widen the gulf
between the poor and the rich, every benevolent
man who contributes to that organization has
right to protest
The journal says, read his card before further
criticism. | have read it and reread it, only TO
conclude that il is worse by half than the pulpit
utterance, even in its most offensive form. This
might be pardoned as bit of impertinent inter-
meddling with the affairs of a court in another
State, under q oft of that insane egoism which
imagines that the atmosphere can be so impreg-
mated with public sentiment that the court
will grant a new trial whether cold law would
require it not. Courts not unim pressi ble
by public opinion. But that-tnat card! 1t is
not merely censurable, but it is alarming. Mr..
McCulloch is not Communist-he is not an An
archst He says he is not; but he assiduously
cultivates the soil In which they grow But for
such sympathy and encouragement as such as he
furnish. the hreling vagabonds who lise by agi-
tating the ignorant could not live month on
the free soil of America. Mark how Familiarity
he recounts their alleged grievances. and then
indorses them all by saving: "They see sys-
tenn which, like the car Juggernaut, rolls over the
bodies of men and women And who rolls it,
pray? Why the rich, the factories, machinery
the system, the civilization. All anarchlsm and
all communism grow in this garden, and in this
garden only. Ard vet Mr.. McCulloch. to whom
more than to any other man in this city, those
who are not starving have intrusted their con-
trlbutlons to those who are. takes these gifts
and saws to the receiver ''Tkis is from those who
have robbed you" What have the suffering poor
to do with the gamblers hall called the Board of
Trade2 Its wealth has been gathered from the
guild of gamblers. The deals in wheat and pork
have never affected the price in bread one dime
on the barrel, il all. only for very limited
period. Whose fault is it that tens of thousands
gather into cities where only thousand
needed to do the work Of the ctyR Very few
American born people co this. MAY Mr.. McCul-
och be permitted to say that because there
are hundreds of men out of work. somebody is
to blame because this somebody does not provide
work for them2 Who is to provide work for
these somebodies2
Out OF Work, torSootn Ana yet the military
at Chicago were on duty for weeks, last month,
to make IL possible for thousands of men who
were seeking work to get into the yards where
the work was to be DONE And it was the men
who. like Mr. McCuloch. clamoring for
new trial of the condemned Anarchists, that
stood, bludgeon IN hand, to keep the hungry men
from working. Out Of bread, forsooth Yet. last
summer, when these starving thousands parad-
ed the streets of Chicago. bearing banners in
scribed Bread Blood" beautiful Sun
Aawv zASk Il
the picnic grounds. They had beer, it seems.
but no bread but they intended to have bread
or blood.
The Plymouth congregation may relish this
the Congregational churches of this country be-
ing responsible for it or anything like it. 1t NAV
be best for the benevoence of the city to flow
To the needy through such hands, but the eivers
of those benevolences are not the oppressors of
the poor that this doctrine implies.
TT. L. SEE