The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-03-30
BEECHER TALKS ON LABOR
He Looks Upon the Protests of Working gmen
a Healthy Sign.

New York Special.
Henry Ward Beecher preached on the labor
troubles this morning to vast congregation
made up in about equal numbers of representa-
tives of capital and labor. He summed up in
the following words:
We hear talk of protecting the workinemen
by protecting capital There never was princi-
pie brought out of protection moro abominable.
We are seeing some of the results of 1t now, and
we shall see more. And now comes out the fact
that through increase of intelligence, wages.
which were never so large before, are deemed in.
sufficient for men, and the workingmen are of
the opinion that they are not paid enough,
though they are paid twice as much as they
were when | was boy. Is it that they are
growing greedya suppose that except just be-
fore election, when they are gods, the working
men are about the same as the rest of Us. But
it is because men are more developed. There is
no man that can be supported SO cheaply the
man that has no brain and nothing but belly.
All things. however, are changing, and in the
future the top of society is not gong to have all
the cream and the bottom skim milk. It is not
my purpose TO enter into any criticism of the
true purpose of the workingmen's ombinations,
but simply to maintain that it is the effect of
growing intelligence upon the condition of in
dustry and social life in the civilized nations of
the world. We have come to this point by the
steady growth OF hundred years, increasing
every year in knowledge. This knowledge has
organized itself into all the products of industry,
and the workingmen, seeing that capital has or
ganized, have determined to organize them
selves. When capital organizes there is no out
cry; when men organize for legislation or cor
ruption there is no outcry. But when working
men organize men wonder what it is all coming
to. know what it is coming to. 1t will bring
down a great many things that are high, and
exalt men that are low. 1t will not bring equal
ity, but it will bring into harmonious relations
the two extremes Of society-the producer and
the capitalist-and am glad of this.
| 1t was when the stone was rolled away that
| the Savior could get out Of the tomb, and these
things will result in something that will be bet
| ter for both ends of society. am not disturbed
about this grand evolution-I will not call 1t
| revolution, for it is not God governs all The
| attempt of government to say what is or is not
| property is as absurd as it would be If it re-
| solved that the Ten Commandments did not ex-
| ist; they don't in some parts of Washington.
| Don't think | am making an apology or de-
| fense of workingmen; l am not know their
faults and will tell of them at the proper time,
| but have spoken as have because on one side
| there is alarm among good people at the present
| condition of affairs, and | have attempted to
show that the spread Of knowledge by logical
| necessity will involve just such results are
| now taking place. These upheavals are healthy.
| Settle things in tranquility and you will have
| torpidity. 1t is the running stream that is the
healthy stream; it Ia the stagnans pool and the
swamp that breed malaria and death.