The herald., 1898-02-03
COOPERATION
Urged by Rev. w. D. P.
Bliss Yesterday
FOR MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP
RATIONAL, PRACTICAL REMEDY
FOR EXISTING EVILS
FOR MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP
Union Reform League Plans Given in
Detail at Y. M. G. A. Hall-A
Large Audience Present

Yesterday afternoon the body of the
Y. NJ. c. A. hall was we'll filled with men
and women for the business meeting
called for the purpose of taking steps
toward organizing a Union Reform
league. Reverend John Gray called the
meeting to order shortly after three
o'clock and after briefly referring to the
mass meeting which will be held Sun
day afternoon at three o'clock at the
Los Angeles theater with the same end
in view, introduced the Rev. w. d. p.
Bliss, who presented a general explana-
tion of the purpose of the league, with
plans for organization.
Mr. Bliss opened his remarks by stat
ing that the movement is not technical
| ly ecclesiastical nor technically Chris
tian that ii is non-partsan, non-sec-
tartan. yet is not in any way an anti
church movement; that there is great
need for such a movement in the east,
and he thought that it was also needed
| in the west
We find ourselves in a serious situa-
ton. In the general existing conditions
we are realizing that both rich and poor
are getting poorer. Land owners are
money poor everywhere. Investments
| in mills, real estate and railroads are not
| paying as they ought to pay. We need
an industrial change, political change.
| Gold men, silver men, industrial lead
ers and socialists all agree that things
are serious and that the last election
was significant of many things. There
is some change before us; what is it to
be. for the worse or for the better?
Present conditions are not capable of
| enduring.
| Conditions are evil today for all
classes. Glasses do not understand one
another The rich don't know how the
poor live nor what they are thinking,
and vice versa. The two great camps
of the well-to-do and the poorly do
don't quite understand each other.
Now this is a great educational move
ment that means cooperation. 1t is not
charitable. 1t neither critcises nor
copies anything. 1t does mean brother
hood. cooperation instead of relief by
charity. 1t is not to establish a colony
nor any cooperative experiment in the
way of a paper. a store, a restaurant,
for such have to compete with great
corporations and interests 1t stands
for a cooperative idea that must get at
all branches in the municipality, the
state and the nation.
Now how. practically. is this to be
done? We can't make the nation own
and control the railroads, etc. at once.
First then. is to get at the municipality.
We must stand upon the fundamental
idea of cooperation, and center, per-
haps, upon the employment of the un-
employed.
The cry of men out of work appeals to
us as humanitarians, but their relief
must come by educational means not by
means of a fund. The latter gives only
temporary relief, but so long as ma
chinery and capital are accommodating
in the hands of the few funds cannot
do permanent good. This system of
the unemployed is getting to be perma-
nent, and we must reach ii by some per-
manent means of relief.
How can this be done? Partly by tax
alton of the rich since the landlord, the
manufacturer, the business man are
all aided indirectly by the pay of the
workingman. Then by municipal own
ership But first politics must be i'm
proved since the municipality must not
be corrupt. This cannot be accom-
plished by the business man alone, he
must have the help of the workingman.
The interest of every portion of the
community must be aroused, the work.
ingman as we'll as the business man.
Therefore we need an educational
movement that shall create a healthy
honest political force or power, that is
neither partisan, churchly nor sectar-
ian. Every one in every walk, and all
citizens, men and women, must be
reached and educated. which no one
small factor, like the present League for
Better City Government here, can do
alone.
The speaker then suggested, in out
line, the plans for the Union Reform
League to adopt and follow. Get CEN
trail starting point for headquarters. Get
out a weekly paper to educate every
body and show them that the munich
pality can give work to everybody. Let
the central office be a focal point also
for giving intelligence on this line; a
place where everybody can go, where
the so-called rich and the so-called poor
can meet and have conference and social
intercourse.
Let the women and everybody make
personal matter of this quest in search
of where everybody stands on this ques-
ton. Create in these ways an educa-