The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1912-02-02
HEAR THE OTHER SIDE AS WELL
To the Editor Ocala Banner:
The following appeared in the Week
ly Banner of January IL, 1912:
mo IL

ly Banner of January IL, 1917:
(NO -
A New York Rabbi criticizes Labor
Unions
The Temple Emanuel, Fifth ave-
nue. and Forty-third street, is Rabbi
Joseph Silverman's congregation, the
most prominent in New York City.
On last Sunday the distinguished
rabbi discoursed on labor unions, his
theme being: Are We Ready for So
cialism?"
In the course of his sermon he Sc
verely criticized all labor unions that
dictate to the men concerning the
length and the capacity of the labor
that they should perform.
Among other things he said:
THE laborer is no longer beast or
burden doomed to tread the beaten
na+h There is no longer the serf or
slave. The laborer today is potential
" capitalist-that is, II ne Is real
worker. He is one who is or the
rungs of the ladder that reaches 10
the highest success. Today everyone
has the possibility of raising hlmself
TO a higher station, not only hnanclai-
". but socially as we'll.
"There are some who believe that
the only solution between capital ana
labor is to destroy competition and to
confiscate all surplus products, ana
divide them equally between all men.
There is no law, nor can there ever
be any law governing equality among
men Nature decides that men are
horn small and tall: strong and weak,
and wise and simple.
"There is no workman's union tnat
should stop me as long as | please TO
work to my full capacity. First OF all,
7 am a man: second, only laoorer.
There should be no other man to say
how long l should work or how many
bricks | should lay because there Is
someone less capable OF doing as
much"
You see the few rich he was preach
ing to heard him sleepily and lndlf-
ferently-this Rabbi Joseph Silver
man.
The poor the ignorant, the fools,
heard him gladly. They filled the
house to overfowing, if not his purse
this DR.. r. Lee Kirkland.
The following is from the Daily
Socialist, Chicago, January 10, 1912:
ono. ID
Pastor of Rich Church in Tampa Be-
comes Socialist
Tampa, Fla.-Dr. r. Lee kirkland,
pastor of the First Congregational
church here, has taken a decided
stand for socialism, and for the re-
demption of the wage slave.
Last spring he fought the combined
money powers of the city. His life
was repeatedly threatened and he con-
fidently expected to be murdered
while fighting for the truth In this
fight he won every point at issue.
There remained a small faction of
capitalists and would-be capitalists
in the church. These continued to
fight the workingmen and socialists
On Dec. 81, DR.. Kirkland took for his
text, Luxe 1916, 1T is written my
house shall be called a house of pray
err, but We have made it a den of
thieves" The preacher again hewed
to the line, denouncing grafters,,
though they sat in the utmost seat in
the synagogue. This enraged the cap
italists knowing the text meant them
ing to suspend the pastor from the
church Their efforts, however, fail
ed.
Then they proceeded to assault the
pastor. in the presence of the con-
and many Of them struck
him
The next day an injunction was Sc
cured in the circuit court restrain
ing the Reverend Kirkland from
preaching. The allegations of the in
junction was that he was a socialist
and was filling the church with Soc
ialists, union men and working peo-
pie. The daily papers We're full of it,
and Tampa, city of $4,000, was in
a great commotion.
The strongest lawyers in Tampa
were employed to fight the preacher,
who stood alone, without a dollar.
Senator McMullen came to the
preachers rescue, took the case into
the circuit court and had the injunc-
ton dissolved.
The following Sunday the greatest
crowd came to hear the socialist
preacher that was ever packed in the
house, but they were mostly working
people. The capitalists have, of
course, withdrawn their support from
him, but he still holds the church,
worth $4,000, and lives in the mag
nificent parsonage, but his salary is
simply the free will offering of the
poor.
A call has been sent throughout the
country asking socialists to send a
contribution, great or small, to Kirk
land so that he may hold the church
and continue his work
He is an orator and could easily
command from four to five thousand
dollars a year, but is now receiving
less than $50 per month.
The above clippings, dear old Ban
ner, contain moral, precept and a
sermon!
In view of the fact that you gave