Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-11
ADDRESSES PRINTERS
REV. E. B. BAGBY AT STRIKE
HEADQUARTERS LAST NIGHT.

There was large gathering of printers
at the headquarters of the eight-hour strike
committee of Columbia Typographical
Union, corner of 9th and d streets north
west last night to hear an address by Rev.
E. B. Bagby. pastor of the 9th street north
east Christian congregation, which Is known
as the printers church." The typos were
in good humor. just having received from
Chairman t. C. Parsons their weekly pay,
and the striking passages of the address
were heartily applauded
DR.. Bagby said. in part:
Upon receiving the kind invitation to ad-
dress you my first impulse was to write
that 1 had already work in hand to keep
me busy for ten or twelve hours day, and
In taking additional work L might be vio-
lating a law of the union,-but i suppose
ministers who are public servants can never
hope to have their hours of labor limited
to eight hours, though such boon would
certainly be desirable.
Interested in you and your cause as L
am, pastor of the church sometimes called
the prir ters' church, ana seven of my Off
cial board being employees of the govern
ment printing office, what is of interest to
them is not matter of Indifference to me
These men never sought to trammel my
pulpit utterance, and my invitation here
leaves me at liberty as to my theme and
it's treatment
Il preach union all the time. The curse
of modern church Is the sin of sectarlar-
ism. The body of Christ should not be di-
vided. The followers of the Prince of Peace
should not be engaged in warfare with
each other. We should be of one mind, and
speak the same things.
What is good for the church is good IN
the industrial world. Men must stand to-
gether TO better their conditions. l am
especially happy that the condition of the
gp-pa is imnroyyfnR a m 20
with his hands to create wealth / see no
reason why he should not enjoy the rewards
of his toll.
II recently visited Scranton. Pa, where
the labor problem is paramount issue The
Sunday before $1,000 miners paraded in cele
bration of John Mitchell Day ! had the
unique experience of going down into a
coal mine. Our guide was a Scotchman
who had served twelve years as miner
and eight years as a boss. His face and
hands were black and clothes soiled and
while l wanted something more than ordi
nary information I hesitated to question
him for fear l might embarrass him.
ventured
Can you tell me the process of the for
nation of these coal BEDS?
Then he opened up such talk of strata
and ages and geological terms that my head
was fairly dizzy. Finding he was an in
telligent man, l asked him number OF
other questions, and among them this: What
should be the attitude of the church upon
the labor problem?
He thought for several minutes and then
said: The church should do right You
mean, / said, that as long as the union Is
just and right in its contention the church
should support the union; but when the
union violates the laws of justice and
righteousness then the church should be
against Them? That is what 1 mean he
answered.
Who will say this coal miner was not
wise in his advice? The man who says My
union, right or wrong; my union above my
conscience; my union above my country;
my union above law is the worst enemy
of the cause, and If his spirit prevails he
is simply sounding the death knell OF
Unionism
In spite of the sins and follies of the
age the sense of righteousness continues,
and in SO far as you conform your plea and
methods to this sense of right will YOU, have
hope of success. You may suffer temporary
defeats, but in the end you Will be vic
torious.