The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-08-14
DENOUNCED The
REILLY SERMON
concluded from Page 81

concluded from Page 81
the Reading Baer." Songs were also
rendered by Professor Thomas Rogers.
WORDS WE'RE APPROVED.
President Nichols references to an
tagonistic papers, ministers and
priests" were received with unmstak-
able appreciation. When he referred to
Father Reilly as one who had defiled
the temple of God and who would be
cursed for It, a voice from the crowd
declared "He ought to be-" and a man
in front was heard to say He ought to
be kicked along with it,
In connection with his references to
the antagonstic press and pulpit, Mr..
Nichols said:
ut Is not novelty to see ministers
and priests opposed to the people. The
clergy in England's old days lined up
with the royalists when the people re-
volted against unjust taxation.
II am not opposed he went on to
say, ito any church of any denomina-
tion. 1 do not want my remarks to be
construed as an attack on the clergy.
The majority of the ministers and
priests are with us, thank God. 1 be-
lieve in u God above us and that he
is looking down on this struggle, and
l trust and pray he will give victory to
the side to which it belongs. Be law
abiding and win His compassion"
SACRIFICES NECESSARY.
The necessity to make sacrifices to
achieve victory was dwelt upon at
length by President Nichols. Compar-
ing the miners struggle to that of the
patriots of '76, Mr.. Nichols declared
that the present conflict had as much
at stake as had the revolution and that
If the miners made only small part
of the sacrifices made by the soldiers
of Washington, victory was assured.
Quoting from an interview in yester-
days Tribune with Vice President
Loomis, of the Delaware, Lackawanna
& Western company, in which he said
that the termination of the strike de-
pended on how much more sacrifices
the miners We're willing to make for
the agitators. Mr.. Nichols said:
"There are no sacrifices being made
for the agitators as, l suppose Mr..
Loomis was pleased to term me and
your other officers. If the strike was
not ordered President Mitchell and the
rest of the mine workers officials would
bel having a much easier time than we
are having now. If the miners win it
is the miners who will reap the most
benefits. The officials will not be i'm
mediately affected. If the miners win
they will get eight hours as work
day. where they work by the day, or
in the case of contract miners, twenty
per. cent. advance in wages which will
permit them to earn in eight hours what
they had to work ten hours for. 1t is
we'll worth sacrificing your wages for
the balance of this year to get your
hours of labor reduced one-fifth, and !
don't think the operators can stand out
against you that long.
MEANS VICTORY.
"a little sacrifice and victory is yours.
No great reform was ever accomplished
without sacrifices. 1t is Sacrifices that
has brought freedom to this country.
Be patriotic, be willing to sacrifice. Be
imbued with the same spirit with which
you would oppose "a foreign foe. Make
the other fellow feel, as Kruger said,
that he will pay price that will stag
ger mankind.
."rhis fight must not be lost. Too
much depends on it, Nothing less than
a satisfactory adjustment of our griev-
ances should suffice to end the struggle.
The operators may have great power
and millions of money, we have
power that is more than a match for
theirs. We have the power to refrain
from working for them and we can
so exercise that power that their mil
lions will be made to crumble into
nothing.
I'VE do not need lawlessness to win
this fight. There are some laws we do
not agree with, but we must obey them.
The best way to repeal an obnoxious
law is to enforce it. The time should
come when the laboring people would
have separate political organization
with which to sweep the board of laws
enacted for their oppressors. Leave
that, however. for the future. At pres
ent we should concern ourselves Wholly
with the winning of this strike.
OTHER STRIKES.
"Mners here fought for six months
once without financial assistance from
the outside With a couple of hundred
thousand btumnous brethren con-
tributing "A dollar Il week each to our
support and other labor unions of all
kinds making liberal donations TO our
cause, we should at least do as we'll as
did the miners who engaged in that
memorable struggle. With little sac
rif!ce you will win. Sacrifice for your
own benefit"
Ex-Organzer Fred Dlcher also DIV elt
at some length on the necessity of
making sacrifices to achieve success,
and also particularly cautioned the
strikers against emissaries of the oper-
ators who tried to stir up dissension
among them.
After characterizing, without direct
designation. the Father Reilly sermon
as unwarranted and a tissue of false
hoods Mr.. Dilcher told that Il priest in
Spring Valley. President Mitchells
home, had written a letter to Father
Reilly, declaring Nj. Mitchell to be one
of the best citizens of that place, and
wholly undeserving of the criticisms
applied to him in the sermon in ques-
ton.
Mr.. Dilcher advised the strikers to
refrain from violence out of respect for
the laws and also out of regard for
their own immediate welfare. The op-
orators, he said, want disorder so that
they may bring on the militia and save
themselves the present big expenses for
coal and iron police.