The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-11-14
A GREAT SPEECH.
BY THE FAMOUS DIR, EDWARD
MCGLYNN;

BY THE FAMOUS DIR. EDWARD
MCGLYNN;
-
At Populist Meeting in Chicago,
Oct. 10Th, 1894.
Relations of Religion to the Peos
pie's Party.
Mr.. Chairman, Ladies and Gentle.
men:-I am nothing if not a priest-a
man called to speak not of myself, but
OF Gods truths. 1t was the ideal of
earliest childhood, and the earnest de-
sire of my youth to dedicate myself to
the service of the Most High and to
be used by him for the service of man,
(Applause), and l have never had the
slightest temptation to tear myself
away from the aspirations of my
youth. Some Of you may have come
here out Of mere curiosity to see a
preacher on a political platform, and
it may seem odd to you to see priest
standing on political platform. II
the principles for which this party is
contending were the same as those
ordinarily contended for by the old
political parties 1 would agree with
anyone who should criticise that was
entirely out of place. (Applause). I
am here as l have been time and
| 1Oaip-nnf for To
work in the cause of my Master. It is
not in spite of my priesthood that I
am here, but because of my priest
hood. (Applause.) 1t is because the
religion that is within me would not
| permit me to sit still and witness the
horrid and constantly increasing evils
that are apparent to all, and worse
still are justified or are attempted to
be justified in the name of sweet reli-
gion of God, and as being the will Of
the Most High, in the name of the
law, which the great philosopher tells
is in conformity with the mind of
God. So it is that any so-called law
that is in conflict with the enlighten-
ed consciences Of men, is no true law
Men can be and are compelled to fol-
low it, but it is against the wisdom
and intelligence of God.
! L was for many years miniStering
for the masses-for Christ'S poor-and
preaching of the blessings of the king
dom beyond and of the blessedness Of
the country under which we live, and
at the same time learning Of the diff
cultieS my congregation had.
IN ORDER TO KEEP BODY AND SOUL
TOGETHER.
While I preached to them of
Christ's mercy / was constantly
aware Of the poverty and degradation
by which the surrounded on all sides.
| My life has, for many year, been
made burden to me by the never
ending procession Of men and women
and little children to my door and,
not asking for food, but asking for in
| tluence and letters of recommended
tions, and pc personally appealing to me
to obtain for them an opportunity for
working for their daily bread. (Ap-
plause). 1t was my fortune to minis
ter in the heart of the greatest city
one the continent and to observe how
they were gradually being ground
down into worse and despairing
poverty. l was compelled to try to
| justify to myself and others the ways
of God-tO ask myself, can this be
| Gods law? TO ask myself with the
| increase of wealth is it right that
there should be an increase of pow.
erty? (applausc) to ask myself, is it
| the law of the land and the law Of
civilization that the immense lux
uries, the great theatres, the great
| public buildings, the enormous ac-
cumulations of wealth, the high cul-
| ture and the great discoveries of
science should, like the car Of Jugger-
| naut grinding the dcvotees under it's
wheels, be for the grinding down of
| the masses? (Applause.)
| IF SUCH BE THE LAW CIVILIZATION.
| 1t is bad, not good thing. (Ap-
plause) Can this be the law Of God?
| The religion that is within me would
| not permit me to answer that in any
thing but the negative. There can
| only be one answer TO that by the
man who believes in God, who be-
lieves in the brotherhood of man and
the fatherhood of God. There can be
no answer but the negative. ZAP
plause). The misery of poverty and
the necessary consequent shame, deg
| radiation, and crime, the crushing out
of so many young livcs--are not the
result of Gods law. (App.ause.) Pow
| crty and misery arc the symptoms Of
a disease-they show that the natural
| law has been violated. O., men, for
Gods sake, do inquire what is the
cause, where is the violation of the
| law, and afteryou find that out, apply
the remedy. (Applausc.)
was thus impclled in spite of my
self to overcome the great reluctance
for going outside of the sanctuary to
speak to my fellow men: but the null
titudc would not come to hear me be-
fore the altar and | WIS impelled to
accept the invitation such as has
brought me here tonight, in order to
say to the multitude, for the multi
tudc are hungry for the truth of God.
whatever else you do, have no quarrel
with the natural and revealed reli-
| gion. (Applause.) We arc told in
Gods word, by ST. Paul, that the powers
that be are ordained Of God. But this
does not keep us from seeing the de-
fects Of our present system Of govern
mcnt. and that these defects are not
a part Of Gods plan, but come. from
the ignorance and cupidity OF the men
who sit in our councils OF state.
! Everything shows that God designed
that men should be happy; both the
works and the Divine Word declare
it, and | urge you not to have any
| quarrel with natural and revealed
religion, but seek rather by pure pur-
poses and deeds to right the defect Of
our existing system OF government.
| (Appiausc.)
am glad to be here tonight to