The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-05-05
||ME T||HOD|sT BISHOP IS
STRONG AGAINST LABOR n.
Bishop McCabe States What
He Thinks Should Be Greed
of Church
Roundly Scores Unions, and
Holds That They Represent
But Small Portion.

If Bishop Charles McCabe of the
Methodist church, Is an authority on
the subject and is responsible for his
public utterance. then the aforemen-
toned ecclesiastical organization has
thrown down the gauntlet to trade
unions.
In sermon in New York last Sun
day, delivered to a large gathering of
clergymen and other delegates and Wis
itors to the East New York confer
ence, Bishop McCabe Is quoted in dis
patches as speaking as follows:
Il have received letters from friends
and labor men asking me to state the
position of the Methodist church on the
labor problem, and I take this oppor-
tunity to outline our position. I want
to state the attitude of the church, and
this is official. We are. opposed to
having a small percentage of labor
men run the entire laboring class in
high-handed and unauthoriative
manner. We are the friends of labor
but we are as much the friends Of the
80 per cent of the laborers who resent
to the bossism Of the unions are we are
of the 10 per cent who are doing the
bossing. 1t is an imposition for few
men to be able to say, Join our union
or you cannot work. 1t is an impos-
ition to refuse to allow men to work
as they will If they work honestly and
earn their livlihood by honest sweat.
LAS now constituted labor unions
cannot long stand. Either they must
reform themselves or they will cease
to exist as they are now unfair and
unjust, and the honest workingman
cannot long be subjected to oppression
without rising in revolt. I want every
one of three hundred ministers here
to accept this as his creed and preach
it.
II am stating the position of the
Methodist church today at this con-
ference as the members Of the church
do not seem to be disposed to state 1t
themselves. I want the statement to
be published broadcast, so that there
can be no doubt to the attitude of
Methodists towards honest labor.
believe this should become part. Of the
creed Of every Protestant church,
We quote literally and literally in
| order that no adherent Of the Metho-
dist church may charge that Bishop
McCabe utterances were garbled
There is no mistaking the position that
! is assumed by the bishop or the hos
tile sentiments contained in this SER
| mon. It is to be regretted, however,
| that this influential church dignitary
| in. his unreasoning attempt to strike a
blow at organized labor, stoops to de-
| liberate Misrepresentation himself OF
| at least cites exceptional cases as a
general rule of conduct of trade un-
| ionists.
Bishop McC*abe starts out by declar-
ing that if I'VE are opposed to having
| small percentage of labor men run
! the entire laboring class in g. higu-
handed, and authoritative manner. II
this criticism is just it applies with
equal force to the Methodist church
For our part we are charitable enough
to believe that the religious body is
aiming to make the world better, or
at any rate minister to the souls of the
people and make them fit to inhabit
kingdom come.
| Now if the unions, by preaching
certain acknowledged fundamental
principles, thereby try to- run things
industrial, is it not also true that the
Methodis6 who are likewise g mighty
small percentage Of the population, arc
trying to rum everybody into their
church, and paradise?
"We'' are the friends of labor says
the bishop Why shouldn't the preacher
folks be friendly to those who support
them for thousands Of years! But what
is the Methodist church doing just al
this juncturs to improve the faterial con-
ditions Of the laborers and thus enable
them to become good Christians? Ii
that church reducing the hours Of toll
No; that institution is bitterly opposing
even that small advancement. Is the
| church raising wages Of it's hirelings OF
advocating that the latter be better. re-
warded for the doing the worlds work:
Not so that you can notice it. Why
doesn't Bishop McCabe or his followers
come out before the public and ex-
plain why they, our friends, are doing
for labor more than unions are accom-
! plishing?
| Again, the good bishop declares that
| the small percentage of labor men who
| run things with a high hand-the ter
| per cent who overawe the 80 per cent
promulgate the edict: "Join our union
| or you cannot work." That may be the
| way that Bishop McCabe interprets the
, actions of union men in exceptional
cases. But since we are more directly
and vitality interested than the bishop
| who never sees the inside of shop OF
! mill as a worker, we may be pardoned
! If we place our own construction upon