St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-01-03
The Rev. DR.. Danas Views on the So
cialistic PrOblem-Pavorable In
dications in Sight.
Cooperative Distribution as IT Has
Been Found to Work in Sew
eral Countries.
Numerous Notes Picked Up in the
Shops and Mills of the
Twin Cities.
THE PULPIT,s DUTY.
The Relation of the Church TO the
Labor Movement.


earnest 1t indicates substantial growth
IN the right direction. While it is true that
the plain teachings of Christ. if followed,
would solve the capital and labor question
by making all men good and true and just,
yet experience shows that men as a rule
will not follow the teachings Of Christ
am not speaking of dogmas, only of His
moral precept. 1t has been found that mere
eXhortation to virtue is not sufficiently
powerful to make men do right. 1t is neces-
sary TO have a government where the whole
power of organized society can be brought
TO have an individual or combination of
individuals to compel them to do right or
desst from doing wrong. Government is
chiefly an Outgrowth of this necessity. Be-
fore a government can be formed there
must be something to govern. This i'm
plies population, and wherever we find
population, there we find conflicting in
terests, and governments are usually COM
promise of these interests, when they are
not mere despotisms. it follows then that
powers, privileges, laws regulations and
systems which are essentially wrong and
unjust, are almost certain to be
incorporated into the structure OF
every government. If ever government
was framed under conditions which would
be likely to render it free from wrong laws
and systems, the government Of the United
States was. A body of intelligent and pa
triOtic men, who were united by having
fought for common cause against COM
mon enemy, with continent yet unpeo-
pied before them, inspiring them with
visions of its mighty possibilities under the
benign rule Of justice; here was the time
here the men, here the conditions TO bring
forth perfect government.
af H.
up the Declaration of Independence
clearly understood that land could
not of right belong in fee simple to
any individual. When he wrote: "All
men
ARE CREATED EQUAL"
endowed by their Creator with the right TO
life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,
he knew that the right to life and liberty
included, of necessity, the right to land,
without which both life and liberty may be
taken away without infringing any statute
law; for it is not a defined crime to hold
millions of acres, to refuse to use or cult
vate it yourself. and deny the use of it to
others, though they should starve for lack
of the food which it would produce.
The point which l want to bring out is
this: That the teachings and influences of
the church, however perfect in ideal, are
bring about justice and love among men,
while the country is under the dominion of
systems absolutely unjust in themselves.
and whose essential tendency is to degrade
one class by making them too rich and an
other class by making them too poor.
Let us suppose that man without a dol
lar in his pocket should come to this city on
Sunday and attend service at some of the
churches. He hears a sermon eXhortlng
him to right and cOndemning the wrong,
and he leaves the church resolved to do
better than ever before. He goes out on the
street. wanderer, an Outcast, The others
go to comfortable homes. He sees a ten
acre tract of land which he tried TO obtain
for cultivation last spring. The rent was
too high and the land remained uncuti-
waited. What" says the outcast, HAS
this land for which 1 would gladly have
paid reasonable rent remained idle the
past season? How much good has it done
the owner? none, except the increase in its
value. Then why should he deny me the
use of it when it will not injure the land to
cultivate it. l offered to put on fertilizer
enough to leave it in better condition than
before it was cropped. But, let me see:
whence comes this increase in value? From
the presence and pressure of popu-
lation, undoubtedly. Take away the popu-
lation and the value disappears. Then the
value of this land, which the individual APP
propriates, is created by the general effort
and growth of the community, and the law
sustains and sanctions all this wrong.
Why had not thought of this before?" and
the outcast curses law and society, and be-
comes standing menace to social order.
But the land system is only one of the
wrongs which organized society inflcts on
laa 6i1viH IN
the monetary and transportation systems
of the country. The wealth created by the
general labor and growth of the whole
country is by means of false systems of ex-
change, production, transportation and
finance, turned over to private individuals.
THE GREAT PUBLIC
functions of transportation and finance
must be conducted by the government for
the general benefit of the people. The in
crease in land values, exclusive of improve
ments, must be given to the community
who create them. AS society advances
ard labor becomes more and more differen-
tated, the individual becomes more and
more dependent upon the community, and
the community therefore under greater OBJ
legations to see that no injustice is
done to the individual. From this
comes the great principle that the
most perfect government is that in which
an injury to one is the concern of all.
When individuals take the wealth that is
created by the community it is not a mere
injury 70 one. it is an injury to millions,
and whether the millions analyZe carefully
the causes which degrade them or not. they
are fully conscious there is cause. The
individuals who profit by the wrongs which
law and custom sustains are no better. no
worse, perhaps, than those who suffer from
them, but society cannot afford to ignore
the one or the other. 1t must deal with
the hammer, just as it deals with the anvil:
for let it be understood that if society in
sists on ignoring the individual the time
will come when the individual will not ig-
more society
When the government assumes control of
its land, the common property of the peo-
Pc and takes from the hands of private
individuals and corporations duties and func-
Mons which are strictly public in their
nature, when men can no longer get some
thing for nothing and the wealth produced
by the people at large can not be monop-
olized by private individuals directly or in
directly, long step will have been taken
toward the cooperative organization of So
eiety, which is the only true one and under
which moral growth is alone possible: for
it seems to be the decree of nature that men
must follow the moral teachings of Christ
and help one another or they will inevitably
destroy one another. JOHN LAME.
SOCIALISTIO QUESTIONS.
Points Made by Rev. DIR. Dana i'm a
Recent Talk.
The following was one of the points
made last Sabbath evening by DR.. Dana of
Plymouth church, in speaking upon the out