Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-11-29
DR., EVANS AND UNION
STREET R,yv,Y. WORKERS cRrrh
C1sE MINISTER'S Attitude ro-
WARDS LABOR.
s0ME very WARM REMARKS.
The Uniop, Mt Last Nights Ms.r,ax
Discus.e. the Matter.
no OFFICIAL ACTION rAKEs
Conservative Counsel Prevailed. Bo
Those who Would Not Vote I,
Have the Body Denounce Uttes
ances OF the Minister. Were Yer,
Pronounced In Exprrssions-objec-
ted to Being Linked With Trnsta
OFFICIAL ACTION TAKEN

Members Of Division 49, Amalgamatet
Association of Street Railway Employees
in the meeting last night were practtcaif
unanimous in their condemnation of thA
Thanksgiving sermon delivered by DR.
W. E. Evans In Monumental church
Thursday night.
No official action was taken by the or
ganization.. but all OF that portion of the
meeting allotted to good and welfare
of the union was taken up with the dis
cusion of that portion OF the sermon
which referred to labor unions.
Opposed Being Named With Trusts.
The members were unanimous In con.
demning his linking the labor unions with
the trusts and characterizing them both
as 1.-The two great evils OF this country"
in his judgment. Old. conservative men.
church-goers, and members. were uuspar-
ing in their condemnation Of what they
term great Injustice
Another section Of the sermon which
was called both untrue and unfair. was
the following:
when organized labor assaIls the In.
dependent worker, assaults him. burns
his house, drives him from his mine. or
his forge at the muzzle Of musket.
does him to death, and sends his weep
ing family out into the world to beg
bread and die like dogs, then organized
labor becomes fercely, cruelty. despotic.
and as heartiessly despotic as any COM
bination of money kings that the world
has ever SEEN"
They Are Not Anarchists.
Members said that there were no
grounds on earth for the minister's MAX
ing such charge as this. That such as
he spoke of was anarchy. and all labor
unions were to-day, and always have
been. the greatest enemies to anarchy.
and the strongest In upholding law and
order.
One Of the members. in discussing this
portion of the sermon, said:
There can be but one excuse for DR..
Evans having made this unwarranted at
tack on organized labor. and that Is that
he was both ignorant cf facts and preju-
diced against trades unions.
The discussion On this subject lasted
until 1880 o'clock. when the meeting adj
iourned.
Talked 1t Outside.
The members were, however. by no
means through discussing the matter,
and gathered in a group at the corr
ner of Fifth and Broad streets and talked
together for some time. 1t was here that
one of the oldest employees of the COM
pany, and a prominent member of the
union. said:
'1 would like to ask DR.. Evans If there
is anything in the Bible from which he
is supposed and ought to preach to war
rant him In denouncing our cause as he
has done?"
What the Minister Said.
The subject was brought up in the
meeting by a member. who read the fol-
lowing extract from the Thanksgiving
sermon of DR.. Evans, which. he said. ha
had clipped from an afternoon paper:
'If there is evil In the great trusts
whose tendency Is oppression. there
is also seen a great evil In the prac-
tcal operations of the equally great
labor unions in our land. Not that
labor has not a right to unite its va
rious phases to preserve it's rights.
but when labor unions set themselves
against non-union laborers and inte-
pendent totlers. who prefer to work
outside of union. they have
right to do in this free country. then
the union becomes dangerously tyran-
uical. When organized labor assais
the independent worker, assaults him.
burns his house, drives him from his
mine or his forge at the nuzzle of a
musket. does him TO the death. and
sends his weeping family out into ths
world to beg bread and to die like
dogs, then organized labor becomes
f1ercely cruelty despotic. and al
heartiessly despotic as any combina-
ton of money kings that the world
has ever seen.
THE two greatest evils OF this coun-
try. In my Judgment. are the enors
mously rich trusts and the great Ia~
bor unions. whose members though
iaboring men, turn with the fierce
ness of uncontrolled passion upon a
feilow-worker who has not chosen to
Join their union. II the first. the
trusts, drive out OF business all small
er concerns that will not Join them,
the unions drive to the dogs the men
that will not unite with them. Both
are cruel. And In principle the labor
union Is as much trust as Is tho
combination OF wealth. The outwork.
ing OF these institutions Is hostile to
the interests of republican principles.
Let US hope that before there shalt
ceme some great upheaval in our so-
ciaI order religion and statesman
ship may be able to regulate and re-
form these evils
The meeting was well attended. and the
discussion throughout was calm an. de-
liherate. While several favored taking
official action, the majority contended
that 1t would be undignified for their orr
s,a MIA ton to take such action a az.