Omaha daily bee., 1910-04-05
STELnE ASKS SQUARE DEAL
Insists Trades Unions and Church
Alike Must Have 1t.
JESUS COURT OF LAST APPEAL
Ethical Value of UniOnisu is Set Out
stronRIy, and Also Claim OF the
Church TO Allegiance of
workers.

Pleading for greater cooperation between
workingmen and the church, with re-
proaches for both. Rev. Charles stelzle, New
York, superintendent Of the Presbyterian
church department OF church and labor
Auditorium Sunday afternoon.
Auditorium yesterday afternoon.
The speaker told his story in bold.
sweeping terms without mlncing words. He
spoke last night in Lincoln and will return
to omaha this morning for the purpose Of
addressing a meeting at the Young Mems
Christian association tonight.
At the conclusion Of the address made
here yesterday Rev. Mr.. stetzle was taken
TO Lincoln in an automobile by a delegation
composed Of Dr. Samuel T. Batten. Senator
]. f. Miller, Senator Mockett and E. E.
Mockett, jr., of Lincoln.
At the meeting yesterday afternoon, Of
ficers OF the Young Mems Christian as
ISOLATION Central Labor union and the
Omaha Church federation occupied seats
on the platform. The meeting was at
tended by many Of the laboring men OF
the city and people Of prominence in other
activities. George F. Gilmore. president Of
the Young Mems Christian association
presided. Rev. Thomas F. Rouse delivered
the prayer.
In his prayer Rev Mr.. Rouse asked
for help for rotten old Pittsburg'' and
prayed that the indignation and regret
that should follow would spell the end
Of graft in the land.
stelsIe for square Deal.
Rev. Mr.. Sickle said in part;
The most important thing about the
labor question is TO give the other fellow
square deal. The American working
n an is the best workingman in the world.
He produces more than do the working
men in any other part OF the world. He
is the most highly paid wOrklngman to be
found anywhere; but compared to what he
produces, he is the poorest paid. With
us It Is not so much a question Of produc-
tion as of distribution,
while the labor union does not consti-
tuts the labor question. it is. neverthe-
less, a very important part Of 1t. Indeed,
there is no factor in the labor movement
which is more important just now. The
trades union has frequently been accused of
indiscretion and lawlessness, but the trades
union has not a monopoly OF this sort Of
thing. Indeed, one need not go very far
back in the history of the church to find
duplicated practically everything that we
down to the boycotting and the slugging.
However. else the church and labor may
disagree they at least have this much in
common-their mutual mistakes.
value of Trade UnionIsm.
/ THE trades union has certain moral and
| ethical values which are rarely appre-
ciated. 1t believes, for instance. in the
/ abolition of child labor. 1t stands for
| equal pay to men and women for equal
work. II Is helping to wipe out unsani-
| tary conditions In the sweat shop and the
tenement II is a force for more tenn
perate living among the rank and file OF
workngmen. According TO Carroll D.
| Wright, the trades union is doing more
! to Amercanlze the immigrant. than. any
! other institution. 1t cares for its sick
members and the widow and the orphan
/ and il is fighting for universal peace. Let
us give the trades union a square deal
1t has made a good many mistakes but II
! has done some other things also. Most OF
us insist that we should be judged. moi
by our worst characteristics, but by oul
best The trades union has a perfect right
to demand that this principle shall be ap
piled to organized labor.
There are some men who say that Jesu.
came into the world to establish an idea
republic. Others declare that He cam,
to promote a utopan democracy. They
are wrong in both cases, for Jesus cam,
to establish an absolute monarchy, a king
dom which shall be comprised of all thos,
who will acknowledge His kingship Prac
ticaly every social reformer claims Jesu!
as the champion of his particular socla
theory, even though these theories be a,
extreme as the poles. Whatever else thi.
may INDICATE, it proves that the Christi
anity of Jesus Christ was a much broade
thing than any ISM
Christ Had No Pet System.
Nobody can prove from scripture tina
Christ was the advocate OF any social sys
tenn. He lived in an age when social con
ditions were very much worse than they
are today. He denounced these condition.
as no man of His time dared denounc,
them, but instead Of introducing anothe
social system, He began to change in
dividual men. Jesus taught that the labo
question is a religious problem. In tn
end there will be not simply one answe
to the social question, but many; but the,
will all of them be religious.
Some time ago, as a sociological confer
ence, a speaker declared that during tn,
last twenty-five years the church hat
I increased three-fold. Therefore. he con
cluded the church ms a means Of keepin,
down social unrest had been absolutely
non-effective. Just as though It were tn
business OF the church TO keep down socia
unrest. Rather is the opposite true.
IL the business of the church 10 creat
social unrest. There are no labor trouble
in darkest Africa, but il the missionarle
that we are sending there are on to thei
Jobs, we will soon begin 10 hear Of strike
and lockouts from the heart Of the darl
continent This has been the history O
the church in every generation. How
ever dark the age may have been, III
church has always been the 1yhitest Ugh
in history. And so, while ! ask for
square deal for the workingman, / ais
insist upon a square deal for the church
THE power OF Christ is growing toda,
as It has never grown before. Jean Pau
Richter once said, The life of Christ con