The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-28
OUR GOD-sENT COAL OPERATORS.
Are They Individually Infnllible, or
Only i'm the Aggregate:
New York Tribune.

New York Tribune.
Strict construction theologians have be
fore now insisted upon the close relations
between Calvinism and coal. 1t is some
thing new, however. to find a hardheaded
fnancier setting up as doctrine Of the bust
ness world the predestnation of the Penn
sylvania coal mines to the all wise control
of President Baer and his fellOw-presi-
dents of coal companies. Doubtless good
Calvinists have accepted the management
of the coal operators like everything else
that is, as being somehow or other in some
mysterious way in harmony with the ulti-
mate designs of a God who endures evil
and makes even the wrath of men TO praise
Him. But few of them have reached the
point of considering the so-called coal
barons' as shining examples of Gods per-
feet work, in which His loving designs for
the welfare of the whole human race were
made manifest. 1t seems, however, that
is the true doctrine which all religious men
should hold. To a religious inquirer who
was concerned about the moral issues of the
present strike Mr.. Baer has written letter
in which he says:
81 beg of you not to be discouraged. The
rights and interests of the laboring men
will be protected and cared for. not by the
labor asitators but by the Christian men
TO whom God in His infinite wisdom has
given the control of the property interests
or the country and upon the successful
management of which so much depends.
DO not be discourage Pray earnestly
that right may triumph, always remembe r-
ing that the Lord God OmnipOtent still
reigns and that His reign is one of law and
order, and not OF violence and crime.
Now, that is certainly handsome of Mr..
Baer 1t Will take a load from the CON
science of many earnest people to have
TINS authoritative declaration that COD,
through the kindness of the coal operators.
Will be able to manage this strike in &C
cordance with the dictates of infinite wis
dom. There have been some persons who
believe in law and order, and have no
sympathy with riotous strikers or dema-
able TO detect Infinite Wisdom sitting at
any OF the coal presidents desks, but
doubtless they were mistaken. In their
blindness they have said it was the duty OF
the operators to operate; that they should
either meet their men half way and
settle the difficulty, or under the protection
of the State, put other men TO work and
mine coal They have had notion that
God put the coal in the earth to furnish
heat for mems needs, and thought there
was some slip in the cogs of the universe
President Baer, Gods vice regent at the
mines, would not work them. But if ii is
a part of the divine order that we should
all pay so ton till the surplus stock is
worked off, so let il be. Only we should
like to ask a question or two. Are the
coal operators infallible individually, or
only when they are gathered together, like
a church council, about an office table to
fix rates and say what each retailer must
sell his coal for on pain of having his God
/ given supply cut off? Was the agreement
of two years ago, which the operators say
was unwise and has made so much trou-
BILE also dictated by infinite wisdom?
There has been impression abroad that
a great many mistakes had been made by
mine owners They have seemed in the past
/ dren, both those who worked in the mines
/ and those who bought the COAL and what
/ ever may have been their right to con-
! troll their own property, the conduct of COM
/ pany stores and the condition of the work
/ ing classes at the mines have not suggested
/ the highest type of Christianity. But we
! are glad to know that this is a mistaken i'm
! preston. We believe in law, and we do
not see how a reign Of terror which pre-
vents free men from working in the mines
I because some other free men do not want to
\ work can be tolerated. We shah support the
/ managers in operating if it takes every SOL
der in Pennsylvania to OVerawe, and, If
need be- shoot down the mob. 1t Is there
! fore a great satisfaction to know that the
! operators whose property il would be a
| duty to protect have not abused their pow
er but that infinite wisdom lights their
! path. 1t is, say, a great satisfaction.
/ The only thing that makes US skeptical
is the fact that one of these God-sent
| stewards should have written this epistle.
/ We feel a little we do in the face of
the claims of spirituaism. Ii may be true
that spirits appear. But if the mediums ac-
quaintances really are spirits acquainted
with the heavenly mysteries. why. oh. why,
| do they on earth talk such egregious non
! sense?