The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1899-10-31


a Church and Railroad Act.
At Eureka, ILL.,, the recent state con-
vention of the Christian church, rep
Tesenting 10000 members, with 774
churches and about 500 ministers,
adopted the following resolution: RE
solved, That 1t is the sense of this con-
vention that 1t would be advisable for
our ministers and church officers
throughout the state to invite the ac-
credited and credited representatives
of organized labor to occupy our pull
pits at proper times, that we may hear
or their needs and aims and that we
may assure them of our Christian in
terest In them. Moreover. that next
year prominent place on our pro-
Eramme be given to prominent repre-
sentative of the labor interest so that
we may have full and free discussion
oI the great questions of labor and
Eapitai that are now agitating society,""
pThis resolution is extraordinary. and
ahows that church that adopted It,
and proposes to carry 1t into effect, is
wide awake to the Importance of one of
the most difficult problems OF modern
economies. With all the benefits that
have accrued to mankind from the sub
stitutton Of new and vastly improved
methods of production for the less t,ffi-
ctenI ones of the past, there have run
khe deplorable facts that the situatl ion
OF the individual worker has grown
more precarious. and the element of
hoc
more out of business calculations. Not
Nhat the average wage rate has not
steadily advanced. for 1t has; in addi-
uon, dollar for dollar, the wage buys
more and better; and hours of toll
nave been decreased. But there is less
room than ever for the worker who Is
MOI OF the highest efficiency: there is
the danger of finding no new Job of
equivalent value when the machine
makes another step onward and dis
places another regiment, brigade or
army OF men. Further, industry
blooms" and "slumps." National and
international connections are already
60 intimate that boom" may exist
In two continents, to be followed by
slump" extending over an equally
large area. We ourselves have experi-
enced this. These conditions exist
The benefits that ensue from them are
not to any great extent due to the
philanthroplc motives of any one; The
evils that follow not due to any ones
desire to Cypress. They follow. inst
az grass grows where rain falls and
the sun shines, without intention
on the part of sun and rain to eraw
grass, rather than diamonds and shoe
black. They simply follow conditions
II is very evident that there must he
injected into our economic systems a
heaven OF regard for man as men
new factor that will tend to give
greaser stability to the present, aud
insure tolerable future, for decent
industrious people. Just how this is
TO be done, do not know. Long-head-
ed men, and not all of the "theorist,,
class, either. are trying to work n out
The latest great move In that direction
Ia the act OF the Pennsylvania Rail-
road company, one OF the richest COR
porations of the world. which has es-
faolished an old-age pension fund de-
signed TO hold out to every one Of its
many thousand employees the prosnect
that II they do their part as men whila
able to do the work of the comnanv
they shall draw pensions when old
This is one of numerous instances
where 1t may be said that formal decla-
cation is implicitly made that man is
not mere living machine. to he used
until worn out and then cast aside
And the resolution of the Christian
church above quoted, is further evil
uence of progress in the same diree-
ton. While no church has ever hald
men to be mere machines MANY
churches have failed to recognize tie
aehumanizing trend that Accommodate
much Industrial advance. hence hava
neglected to take steps even to conn
teract the evil let alone to bringin.
shout the substitution therefor of No.
bier principles than have at anv time
prevailed. The comparative ease 81
production, the conditions that mako
IT possible for Z few men to create the
things that win satisfy the. wants ~ !
many, should, and ] doubt not ulti-
mately will place the present and
future well-being Of workers unon
more stable basis than ever, and at the
tame time make IL possible for man
hood and womanhood az such to st