The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-20

MIR. MiIburm Believes In Courts of Ar
bitratiOn.


Rev. Joseph A. Milburn, pastor of the
Second Presbyterian Church. took the Ha-
zleton tragedy as the theme of his sermon
last evening" and preached upon the problem
of industrial friction. His text was Bear
we one another's BURDENS" He declared
that he desired to make special application
of this text to the industrial problem in the
light of Hazleton. This might seem inn
pertinent to the pulpit, but it was not So
The injunction Of the text extended not to
individual burdens alone but to the burdens
of the masses of ones fellow men, and the
greater the number involved the greater the
burden. 1t was not his purpose, he said,
to dwell upon.,the terrible affair at Halle
ton; it was deplorable: all agreed upon that
and it was the more deplorable because this
is a free country where such things seem so
unnecessary. But he desired to discuss the
industrial problem in the light of the TRACE
dy. This is a world of evolution, and the
change in the industrial weird and its ques-
tions is no less marked and constant than
in science and the other phases of complex
modern civilization.
The strike as a method of settling labor
disputes was dangerous. It's ethics was the
ethics of war. but as industrial society is
now organized it seems necessary as the
and it serves occasionally to illuminate the
labor question and bring it to the attention
of the world. 1t is dangerous because it
Injuries always the innocent noncombatants
Its effects always going far beyond the par
ties in interest. because it begetS an i'll will
that perpetuates itself and accumulates for
years and because it is always more or less
likely to cause loss of life or destruction OF
property.
cfn Of tJa
what is called plutocracy, an old word con-
noting new and modern idea of the rulers
by wealth. This antagonism was caused in
some degree by envy, IN a somewhat great
er degree by that small percentage OF rich
men who have acquired wealth by unfair
means or use the power of their wealth
to Cypress their fellow men, and in great
measure by the feeling of men born TO pow
erty or held down by adverse circumstances
that there is injustice in the distribution
of wealth. The antagonistic feeling is an
unhappy one, for it begetS the notion that
capital and labor are natural antagonists
whereas their natural relation is that OF
friends and necessary compiements of each
other.
DIR. Milburn discussed the position of the
courts in their relation to the strike situa-
ton aud declared the criticisms of their
action TO be a mistake Instead of waiting
until the injury is done and then seeking
redress, men threatened had learned to an
ticipate the danger and invoke the protec-
ton of the injunction, one of the Oldest
weapons of the law, but one that had not
been put to in the industrial disturb
anceS until the Pullman strike. The courts
themselves were not to blame; they must
perforce enforce the laws made by prece-
dent, custom and statute. But this
phase only added to the general danger or
the strike by bringing the courts under
sharp criticism as favoring the rich, criu-
cSm strengthened by the fact that the in
Junction method took away the constitu-
ttonal right of trial by jury Another dam
gercus possibility of the strike as a method
of industrial warfare was the rise of mill
tarism, and the speaker recalled the
prophecy of Herbert Spencer that the re-
public would repeat the history of Rome by
giving way to a military despotsm The
settlement of strike by military force set
tied nothing, leaving the equities of the
case just where they were. and il left the
impression that the military arm of society
was used for the rich as against the poor,
while as a matter OF fact, when called upon
it strikes merely for the defense of the
law. regardless of whether its violators are
rich or poor.
Discussing the question of remedies the
speaker said that the great, the permanent
remedy was the EhriStianiZing of the indus
trial world, educating il up to the standard
OF ethics taught by Christ. But this was
q work of years. In the meantime there
were three other things that could be done
the repression OF anarchy, the development
of the arbitration idea and the creation OF
a public sentiment against industrial war
fare that would insist upon Justice TO the
laborer and justice TO the employer He be-
lieved in free speech, but when Inder its
guise license was taken TO SOW he seeds
OF anarchy the man who does so should DC
put where he cannot infiame his fellows
X.
He believed in the largest reasonable liber-
" of the individual 10 do as he will with
his property but when the man of wealth
used his power TO Cypress others ana thus
beget anarchy he was no less an Anarchist
than the man who begets IL by infiamma.
tory speeches He had s.eat hope of arbi-
tration. While il is not a Gerfect method
Il can do much toward the solution of the
problem and is the best at our disposal. II
will make intervention unnecessary either
by the courts or by the military and j.
conducive OF a better feeling between en-
ployer and employed In the creation OF
proper public sentiment all could help, anc
II was the duty of all loyal anC good citt-
gems to contribute their share toward cuIti-