The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-07-09
WHAT SHALL WE DO ABourIT.
Rev. E. r. Woodward De livers Sesmon
ON Timely Topics.

ond sermon on public subjects yester
day. Before treating on existing strikes
lie spoke earnestly on "What Shall We
Do About ItYn Meaning the liquor
traffic. He said that great many rea
sons have been assigned for the failure
to enforce the law here, and more people
have been blamed. He desired to dis
claim all idea of settling the question
of where the blame is to rest, or of de-
Tending any one who may be guilty, if
such there be, but he did want to enter
his protest against this who lesale de-
nouncing of men who are in authority
for the moment and who will soon give
way to Others Neither the sheriff or
the Mayor are expected to personally en-
force the law. The one must work
through deputies, and the other through
the police force, and the RESPONSE bility
rests with the people. When the people
say the saloons must be closed" they
will be closed, and not before. 1t is for
the interest of every citizen to see to
it that the law is enforced because it is.
law, but the interest of one citizen
is not greater than that of another. The
Prohibitionist is interested, for it is a
part of his political creed, the Republic
can because his party is pledged by it's
past record to the enforcement of the
law, and the Democrat because the will
of the people has gone forth into the
law and the minority must respect Ethe
will of the majority. If the law is to
be changed, then there must be no re-
sort to South American revolutionary
methods. The issue is simple, if the
law is right it should be enforced, if
wrong repealed. If an unpopular law,
the way to XII IL it would be to enforce it
every day in the year, and i'll every town
in the state. A law that IS not enforced
is dangerous law. 1t is a standing
object lesson to destroy in the popular
mind respect for all laws; because when
you make laws less than sacred you are
on the road to the end of all civilization.
1t is an awful peril to the state to leave
it with law that is deliberately made
void. He would suggest that other laws
that are not enforced, should be changed
and the best possible su bstitute enacted.
For example, the Sunday law is not en-
forced. He appealed eloquently for
more charity, and for better work in
the temperance cause.
Passing to his sermon, which was
founded on the third chapter of second
Timothy, the four verses, he said that in
many respects this is a unique year in
the history of the world The great and
resultless sminers' strike affected $50, 600
men directly, and indirectly was felt in
the Gripping of industries from Maine
to California The strike like the one
now in progress began with professions
of peaceful Intentions and ended in
bloodshed. These strikes are to be de-
plored. In the long run there is defeat
for the strikers, and no gain to anybody
The present trouble began not as strike
but as a boycott, but it has caused
many strikes. On the other hand Pull
man says that the reduction he made in
wages was absolutely necessary. on the
other hand it is claimed that it was only
done to make more money. 1t had
seemed that if there was place in the
world where there would be no strikes,
then Pullman would be that place, but
the best paid mechanics in the country
struck at Homestead and the men
who labored under the best conditions
of laborers anywhere, inaugg urated
boycott at Pullman. He said that hav
ing for twelve years been railroad EN-
ployee, he could be admitted to the
union, but what has it done for labor;
it proclaimed 1--WE will kill Pullman's
company" and to do it has thrown hum
dreds of thousands ofmen out of work
They have done more They have threat
ened the business men of the country
with the calling out of all union men,
aud all this because Mr.. Pullman and
his men could not agree about the wag-
es he was to pay, and the wages they
receive. No one denies the right of lab
oring men to strike, that is to refuse
TO work for given wage, but they have
no right to say to their men you shall
not work because we will not"
1t is always assumed that business
men can pay more if they will. Hard
II.
They strike and fail, and failing become
savages, and the best of us are not far
from that state if we did not cultivate
the spiritual, and then they destroy
property in their Madness Then the
lower strata of society comes to the sur
face They do not remember that all
responsible government must be on the
side of property. The whole thing is
wrong. Not the act of striking, but the
saying to Others, W. will not work and
you shall not" When you say to an
other that he shall not work, you strike
death blow at the personal liberty of
men. The time was when nation could
pass away, and other nations knew lit
tie about it, but that time has past We
have become one world, interlinked
and interviewer together, the telegraph
and the railroad has united us, and this
strikes at the industries of the CONT
nent. A few days more and the fruit
crop of the Pacific coast will be lost.
Il IL 4