Waterbury Democrat., 1901-05-20
IN THE CITY pULpITs.
The Labor Question Was Discussed by
 several Yesterday.

Several Yesterday.
 Father Slocum at the church of the Immaculate Conception yesterday morning devoted few remarks to the impending labor trouble. II am con- strained" said he, ito say few words to you this morning in the capacity of a pastor, and especially to our young men most interested And I speak from experience. I know what it is to work at a bench and before 6 frame for ten hours day. I also know what it is to go through strike for it was during my pastorate of the Norwalk parish that the great hating strike took place. esI would ask you to keep cool. use good judgment and common sense and things will right themselves. Without discussing the merits of the case I would say both sides have rights. Labor has its rights, capital has its rights. Labor produces capital. and combined capital invested creates a demand for labor. Do not do any thing for which you will afterwards be sorry. Life is too short sometimes to live down the sting of an act com mitted in a hasty moment during time like this. do not anticipate any such trouble here; I have too much faith in the good judgment of the em- ployefs and employees of this city. But I say this because of events that have recently transpired in city in a neigh boring state. The wonderful growth of the city during the past ten years testifies to its remarkable prosperity. The hum of machinery was heard in your factories when. the mills up and down the valley and throughout the state were idle. Beware of the man with the longest tongue and the widest mouth He who would say hasty word during the crisis is an enemy to both sides. I would ask you in the name of your fair city. in the name of yourselves and families; would ask you in the name of God, to lead Chris tfan, God-fearing lives, to keep away from where intoxicating liquor is sold for the man who must pass through an ordeal of this kind should have no liquor in his brain to cloud his judg- ment. Do this and things will be right ed to the satisfaction of all"
 ssThe human heart has been fretting itself into desperate efforts to rid it self of the thought of strike in our midst We have been shocked at the awful tragedies which have occurred fin the capital city of a neighboring state during the past fortnight, and shudder at the thought of even the re- motest possibility of a recurrence else where. A distinguishing characteristic of the time seems to be the growing distrust between employer and employe, as manifested in strikes and locKouts. This spirit of suspicion is ubiquitous and it's influence has pervaded our own city and now threatens to sow the seed of an industrial warfare. In every age, from the dawn of Christianity un- til the present time, the same battle has been waged, but the contest is no longer as fierce as formerly, the issue being Of lesser magnitude.
 sThe present status of the laborer Is vastly improved over the condition of and this advance in the industrial world has been affected partly through the power of labor organizations and agitation, and partly through the de- sire on the part of employers to treat their employees fairly and give them a due remuneration for their labor.
 "The formation of trusts and the constant tendency towards centraliza- tion Of commercial enterprises, the mass of money in the possession of the rich and desire for accumulation have been important factors in hastening the development of labor unions and are largely responsible for the condi- ton of affairs which prevail in the in dustrial world Cooperative effort on the part of the workingman has been, therefore, considered an absolute necessity.
 Employers are sometimes wrong by not giving due compensation and employees may also be unreasonable in their demand upon their employer. In such cases a board of arbitration would seem the best means to settle I all differences. Employers have rights which must be respected and the em- ploye also has equal rights with his employer, which should be recognized. Roth must have an equal chance. The standard bearers in labor movements should be men whose motives. are un- occasionally pure, and who have jus tice and right on their side-otherwise impiety and social anarchy will be the inevitable outcome. They should be men who while jealously guarding the essentials, be ready to let go the ac cidents as circumstances of time and place require. men who are capable of bonding and adapting issues to need and changing surroundings" = Rev Father Jordan.
 
 'sNo man has the right to say to an employer: You shall employ us and you shall not employ other mem Such attitude may be in harmony with the order of things in some lands where class distinctions rule. But I hold that such a principle is subversive of the Fundamental constitutional rights of American citizenship Where all men are free and equal and endowed with certain inalienable rights of which as a loyal American have no right to deprive him. I may refuse to do cer- tain things myself. but have no right to compel others by force to do these same things and I would resent any such compulsion as an infringement of our personal liberty as American citi-