The San Francisco call., 1897-01-04
HOW TO GUST CHEAP
CONTRACT LABOR.
By Keeping Up Wages the
State Could Insure Co-opera.
tive Civic Veal.
THE BIBLE AS A SINGLF-TEX
ORGAN.
Two Remarkable DiSccurses by the
Widely Known Exponent of
Christian Socialism.

1t is not by charity but by changing
the system that we shall bring in Gods
light of love. The remedy in this case is
the same as before. ] xalt the function
of the municipality, which by operating
and controlling public enterprises will
earn sufficient money with which to
give work to the unemployed.
Municipal employment should be given
out at trades union wages and trad es
union hours. Under our present syst EN-
the contract jObber brings in the cheap
labor of the foreigner, and our native
workmen walk the public streets in
poverty.-Dr. Bliss Evening Discourse
Rev. w. d. P. Bliss, the well-know n
Christian socialist, who reached San Fran
cisco on Saturday evening, delivered two
important addresses yesterday, in The
course OF which be explained the objects
of the Church Social Union, and in the
same connection the industrial and eco,
nomic evils which serve as the justitca-
ton for its existence st. Luke's Church,
at the corner of Van Ness avenue and
Clay street, was the scene of both ad-
dresses, the meeting announced 10 take
place at Washington Hall at O'Clock
having been Cancelled. Mr.. Bliss is visit
ing San Francisco as guest OF the United
Brotherhood of st. Andrew, to whose
members his afternoon address was spe-
cially directed. He also preached at the
morning service.
He preached at st. Luke's Church in
the evening to an unusually large congre-
CATION. His sermon, which was more
properly speaking lecture of absorbing
interest to those who have directed any
attention whatever to social and econ omic
questions, dealt with the subjects of muni-
clpal ownership, the purlhcaIiOn o. muni-
cipal govern nent and the problem OF the
unem ployed. The attentive attitude of
his auditory throughout clearly signifed
that his remarks had created a deep i'm
preston.
He chosefhis text from Revelations xxi
beginning at the firSt verse, which reads:
And l saw a new heaven and a new
earth, for the first heaven and the first
earth we're passed away; and there was no
more sea"
Mr.. Bliss said: 81 spoke this morning
concerning the social teachings of The gos-
pei OF the incarnation. This evening
will take some of those principles and see
how definitely and practically we may
generation. The problem which to-day Is
pressing most heavily upon US is twofold
the problem OF those who are out of
work and the problem of our municipal
lie. We shall see in a moment that these
two problems are intimately connected.
I'VE are told by many that municipal
life is the weak point in our American
civilization. We are told by those who
have most carefully studied our constitu-
tional history that our municipal affairs
are scandalouslY corrupt. Your newer
cities by the side of the fair Pacific may
not be so old in corruption or
so bad as some of the cities on the
Atlantic seaboard, bnt San Francisco has
practically the same problem to face as
New York City.
1.-The problem of the municipality is be-
fore US. How are we 10 make these great
centers of civilization obey the law of
brotherhood and lover / think you will
realize that the problem is not so much
one of the individual as of the social
system.
"Why are American cities worse than
EuropeanP Not because we as individ
uals are worse. In many respects our life
is purer, truer and cleaner than the life of
European cities Wages are higher, and
in America the life OF the family is truer
Why are our civic functions worse?
II think the answer may be expressed
in phrase. In American cities the private
corporation is the dominant factor; in
Europe it is the municipality. In Europe
the municipality accomplishes the large
things.
st owns, or rigidly controls, the oper-
alton OF natural monopolies - Of local
transit, of heating and lighting. While
here we turn those functions over to pri-
vate corporations and the natural result
Is that our abler men, our honest men,
are in the service of those corporations.
We have minimiZed the function of the
City, with the result shat our municipal
councillors are chosen from among our
weaker citizens.
''You cannot, therefore, expect any,
thing but corrupt government. But the
problem lies even deeper. Our forefathers
came here from the old world and this
new country presented abundant scope
for the individual. The idea of govern
ment became in this way subordinate. 1t
was at one time seriously proposed in
Massachusetts to do away with the Gov
ernor altogether, Jeffersonian Democrat
and Republican alike. We have mini
miZed the functions of government and
exalted that of the private individual and
the private corporation. Our best men
have not attended to their political du-
ties. they have not voted and have very
seldom gone to the caucus. This neglect
gives the professional politician and the
party heelers their opportunity.
but still, according to our present sys-
TEN, the private corporation, while ex-
alted to do great things for the city, is
dependent upon the municipality, which
we have despised, for it's franchise or its
charter. The rich corporation goes to the
corrupt council and the inevitable result
is that the latter, composed of mem bers
with small salaries, or none at all, finds in
the corporation a chance to sell the fran
chise, and in our larger American cities
the average franchise is purchased and
the corporation which seeks to purchase it
is too often a debauched institution. This
is not particularly the fault of individuals,
since the average polation. under this
system, is compelled TO buy its franchise;
the corporation that would be honest
finds itself handicapped.
at is not enough to denounce the in
dividual: we must denounce the system
and those individ duals who have indorsed
ii. Those who are to blame are not the
creatures, but the creators, and those are
myself and yourself and every body who is
giving practical support to the present
system"