The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1894-06-14
PURGENT, POINTED.
DR.. KENT TALKS STRAIGHT FROM
THE SHOULDER
Sermon on The Industrial Sltuation-Able
Reply to Senator Hoar's Sophlstry
Powers Of Government
Analyzed-Soclalism.


Rev. Alexander Kent preached re-
Gently On the Coxey movement at the
Peoples, Church in Washington. ID.
G. 1t was one Of the most powerful
sermons of modern times He began
10y reading the first 10 verses Of Ex-
odus. and then said:
s:The lot of the Hebrew in Egypt
has always been thought of as eXcep-
tionally hard and the conduct Of the
ruler against whom they rebelled, as
especially tyrannicaI and oppressive,
but looked at in the light of modern
history and current events, there
seems good reason for revising this
opinion. Millions Of workers in
Chr:stendom are in a worse plight
than even these Jews were, and the
powers that hold them. in bondage are
immeasurably more unreasonable and
cruel. That which was required of
the Hebrews, however unreasonable
and unjust, was at least possible. But
that which is required Of the modern
workers is impossible. The Jews
were required to make bricks without
straw. while millions of workmen in
Christendom are required to make
bricks without clay.
In Christendom today there are mil
lions Of men who have no access eth
er to the materials or the tools in the
use Of which necessities are to be sup
piled. and yet these men are held by
common consent to The duty Of self
support and the further duty of con
tributiny to the support of others.
The only pertinent question a,
present was he said: "-Are there
aEy people in this country, able and
willing to work, who cannot get worl,
to do, and to whom the opportunity
of earning support for themselves
and those dependent upon them is de
MED? If there were only one suc.
person the matter would be as uescrv.
ing Of congressional action as would
be the unjust arrest and imprison
ment by England OF a single Ameri
can citizen. What matters it to the
American citizen that his country has
poured out millions of treasure and
shed rivers of blood to rescue him
from the walls of a dungeon of an
English prison, If his country after
ward suffer its landlords, its railroad
lords, its mining lords or its money
lords to take control Of all the mate
rails and tools Of industry and shu,
him ont of every means of supper,
and cllaEce to earn decent livelihood
for himself? Is the American RICH,
Of freedom only a right to strugyI,
against the organized forces of greed
and avarice which the average man is
pO4erless to resist and which are fore
ing all bu, the winning few into cor:
diti"ns of want and poverty besides
which even the rudest fare of the
common prison would be welcome
Is the right of freedom only the RICH,
t. suffer and starve if one is weak and
honest. and the right to stuff and graf
if one is strong and cunning?
Senator Hoar admits in his letter to
Mr.. Swift that many deserving per
sons have been unable to find wOl K
during the last winter without any
fault of their own.'' and he deplores
this especially because he says this
condition of things has followed ::
period when the people of the United
States. especially the working people
we're better otf than they have been
before and better OFT than the people
of any other country either now or in
former times
Upon this statement Dr. Kent com
mented rs follows, during the delly.
cry Of which the audience could no,
restrain their applause:
This Is in amazing statement. II
the working people of this country
were no more ANXIOUS to get WORK
than Senator Hoar seems to have tried
to get accurate information, the tramp
contingent of this country would have
embraced pretty much the entire