The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-18
The Lecturers Critic, Rev. DR..
G. O. Brown, Explains
His Position.
FULL TEXT OF HIS ADDRESS
Hostile to DR.. Herron'S
Visit.


should be full discussion. "Let us hear
him, then discuss him." were the words Of
his friends. Yet when DR.. Brown at
tempted to discuss his views DR.. Mclean
of Oakland Immediately moved to shut
him off. To attempt to confine the debate
70 the text of what DR.. Heron said in his
single address would be entirely unfair,
DR.. Brown claims, as denying him the
privilege of quoting DR.. Herron's most
Objectionable and, as DR.. Brown thinks,
most anarchistic views.
"There may be good reasons why DR..
Mclean desired to keep these views out of
sight," said DR.. Brown yesterday, "for he
is largely responsible for Professor Her.
ron's presence on this coast. The rule of
the club for years has been to allow large
liberty in debate, the debaters often going
not only outside of the paper read, but
often beyond the theme itself" Herewith
is presented DR.. Browns full address, as
he would have spoken to the club. He
says that he has no fear but that the lovers
of social order and of American institu-
tons will agree with him in the end.
The address prepared by DR.. Brown and
supplied by him to the CALL is as follows:
mean no discourtesy to the brother who has
addressed us, but to avoid any miSapprehen-
that the Bay Association refused his presence
by an overwhelming vote last August and
that the vote which invited him to this club
showed large proportion of its members hos
tile to his coming. The discussion three weeks
ago revealed that more than half of this club
were opposed TO DR.. Herron's sociological
views. At this point DR.. Brown was inter
rupted.l The discussion which preceded his
coming traversed his published works, and, as
was foreseen, helped to advertise him. No
public error can be corrected without adyer-
Using II. Abraham Lincoln advertised Stephen
A. Douglass and the iniquity OF compromise.
But the broken manacles of slavery had to
pay for the advertisement We cannot be con-
fined to DR.. Herron's address of this hour.
The discussion has already taken wider
range. In his printed addresses we find many
OF the statements which are chiefly objection
sions. He says: "The apprehension of the
fatherhood OF God can have no other consum-
nation than the end OF institutional do
minion" christian Socialism, p. co. "The
institution that would dominate the world
with its opinions and customs is wicked
despotism." He afirms that we are living
has ever seen; "that the wage system is
slavery" (P. GA, New Redemption.) He de-
claims against property and interest while
living on salary derived from the interest of
$50 900 endowment In the synopsis of one
OF his lectures he afirms that "the people
could Immediately assume control OF the
sources OF production"
We are inclined TO the opinion that Dr. Her
ron has not measured the meaning or the
sweep OF such words. The New York Inde-
pendent said of his wild statement a few DAYS
ago: "He seems to think that absolute ig-
norance of the subject gives him license to saw
what he viii about it." At all events his
words belong to that style of utterance which
has always been used to stir the passions and
frenzy men for mob violence. We would not
lmpugn the motives of any man, but we be-
lieve that Governor Crounse of Nebraska was
right in the scorching rebuke which he admin
istered to DR.. Heron for such utterances last
summer before the Nebraska University. We
believe, with the editor of the Boston Congre-
gatlonallst, that 'such wild talk coming from
educated men is almost objectionable" Such
talk is untrue and incendiary. He who char
acterizes the institutions CT America, or even
its economic system, as "the most grinding
despotism the world has ever seen" is not
the man to be exalted by the church
OF Jesus Christ to any position OF leader
ship. He who characteriZes the institutions
which were bought with the blood of the
Revolution and sealed by the blood OF the Civil
War as 'despotism" is either Ignorant of the
facts" as the Independent says he is, or utterly
wild in the use OF words, as the Congrega-
tionalist says he is. 1.-THE end of institutions"
which he breaches would be the utter extinc-
tion of liberty, the prevalence of anarchy and
the permanence of despotism. Through ages
of struggle mankind has reached in America q
government emancipated from the grasp of
despots. We have lett the Pharaohs and the
Caesars behind. Here the people govern
through institutions of their own choice
There is no other conceivable way in which the
people can govern. Here the overthrow of in
W
ANARCHY" says Webster, sis the absence of
government: the state of society where there
is no law or supreme power" Here, therefore,
TO put an END to 1nstltu tons would put an end
to both law and supreme power. The man
who seeks their overthrow therefore is, at least
in theory, an anarchist. He may be unconscious
OF the fact or even deny 1t. 1t is still true
Such utterances as l have quoted will not
cure the distress of poverty. They rather
create and foster that industrial unrest which
broods the uncertainties of commerce. They
oaDital its fear
and driving 1t away from the healthy activities
to the hiding and safety of vaults. Capital
builds few factories when wage-earners are
being prominently taught that the time is at
hand when they may assume control of the
means of production" As Chief Justice said
in my hearing not long ago, "these are the
utterances which are responsible for the pres
ent paralysis of trade. 'rhe man who wants
to help the unemployed will stop such talk that
capital may come forth and set the wheels once
more in motion. To tell the wage-earner that
"the wage system is slavery is not wise or
true word. Does this teacher know the mean
ing of the word slavery? Let him interrogate
Louisiana or the old whipping posts of Georgia.
Then let him never again apply that cursed
word to the wage system. The wage system
slavery? That is the doctrine of the saloons to-
day as it was the doctrine of the sand lots
twenty years ago. That doctrine may make
Professor Heron temporary hero in San
Francisco to-day, but 1t made Dennis Kearney
hero two decades ago. The end of such hero
ism may be seen in the present insignifcance
OF the former hero. The sand lots never advo-
Gated wilder thing than the overthrow of
institutions. The sober and truly Industrious
lovers of order in this city long ago made up
their minds that they had had enough of the
sand lots. We do not need revival of their
doctrine in the sacred name and phrases of
Christianity.
Last July when the whole country was on
the verge of riot Senator Davis telegraphed the
men who asked him to support the wld'Kyle
resolution: ''You are rapidly approaching an
overt act of leyying war on the United States, |
and you will find definition of that act in the
constitution l trust that wiser thoughts will
control. You might as well ask me to vote to
dissolve this Government"
So now say to those who are inflaming pas
sion by declaring that our Government is ga
grinding despotism"; who advocate "the end
of institutional dominion";. who encourage
wage-earners to ''assume control of the sources
of produetion"-you are dangerously near the
line of open enmity to this Government You
are allying yourselves with those who spilled
the innocent blood of Haymarket. ~ trust
that wiser thoughts will control" Let our
brothers and their CONDUCTORS shift their full
crums Instead of decTying capital and the
churches let them expend their thunder
against the poverty-making saloons. Let them
advise thousands OF laboring men TO save the
money that they squander in saloons and so
become capitalists themselves. Over $50, 900 |
a day goes into the saloons. of this city. The
large proportion of this money, spent by wage |
earners would help thousands of them in q
few years to become owners of homes.