Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1913-11-13
BISHOP ATTACKS CAPITALISM.

. ecuL W VI lOA
A sensation was caused by Bishop
Franklin Spencer Spalding OF Utah al
the recent convention of Episcopal
clergymsn and laymen IN New horS
City. Tue following is part OF an
address delivered by Bishop Spaidlng,
at the Cathedral of st. John the III
vine which startled many of his fash
ionable audience and the New YORK
press:
ssThis convention po5 on is capt.
talistic convention. Tns men who at
tenG il made their money from proht,
interest and rent They care not how
they get it as long as they do. Not
particle of feeling have they for the
workmen beneath them
1.-The wealth in this country is
created by the laboring classes Alone
the workers are responsible for every
great development that is made Yet
they are suffering untold fortunes from
poverty They 10 not get the wealth
Where does it goY
"rll tell yen where it goes. 1t goes
/ to the owners of the machinery. In
this country "A per cent, of the popu-
lation own but 4 per cent. OF the
wealth. That tells You where it goes
"In this country there are 1000, 900
children working at various INDUS
tries. These little ones are Shaving
because of the poor wages of their pa
rents. What do You know of that
1.-THE poor ought to be thrifty
How often have | heard that And
yet every lay delegate at this conven-
ton receives ten times the wages of
Que workman How does that sound
to you' 49,,
II a1u not pleading for little more
than tenth for the worker. The la
they sSS want justice,
"Capital owns the tools and the
profits are the first consideration. The
workers come a poor second. They
are mere side issue.
"If the church is supported by
profits the worker knows that it is
supported by that which is taken from
him
"He is forming his own religion
away from tho capitalistic religion,
even as he is forming his own politi-
cal party away from the capitalistic
party.
"We ought to accept the truth
which the industrial democracy move
ment is trying to teach the world.
We've got to put out of existence the
competitive system. The worker must
be rewarded on the basis of what he
renders. Every chilli must have a
chance for life.
81 hate this system, my friends. !
hate this ~ tenn which gives to the
greedy and takes from the meek. 1t
is unchristian and ungodlike.
81 hate this system and it must be
ended. The church must awake, and
the caurch must ally herself with the
movement for industrial democracy "
We question very much the church
mans accusation. Everyone is born
into the world poor. The swaddling
clothes of the infaut are given to it.
1t has not done anything to earn them.
On this principle of earning>what you
get, rests the whole matter, and that
seems to be summed up in the ancient
curse, ''By the sweat Of thy brow
shalt thou eat bread" We are not
defending capitalism, nor are we in
voking curse upon it. The capital
ist came by his wealth in many ways.
Perhaps a generation or two back a
father or grandfather was very thrift
ty. We know Of shoe making cno
Germ toat makes 500 pairs of shoes
day Ut profit of one cent each that
wa; founded by father who carried
the raw hides on bis back to his tan
ming vat and after making the leather
made the shoes He YVES poor man,
started poor, but his thrift and the
thrift of the two sons who succeeded
aim has built up what is probably de-
nominated great capitalistic plant.
When a man in this free country is
thrifty works with a certain idea to
1uiid up business. and is favored by
ortune or God, it is impossible to stop
Tim. We know of miner at Whit
we'll who has big family dependant
IN him. He is always wishing for
and so that be might go to farming
Ind make better living for them.
lie chews 10c worth of tobacco every
day. He boasts Of this, aud
We guess he does. This is $31. 20 a
to buy two acres of the
,lace he lives on. In ten years saving
lie would have 5000 dollar farm, and
# course, be obviously reckoned as a
capitalist by some of his neighbors
What il capitalism owns the mach
neryt Some one please tell us how
t can be- otherwise unless the govern
nent owns the machinery.
What is capitalism, any way? 1t is
body of meu associated together who
mt money into project that anyone
f them couldn't start by himself.
are being formed daily all
yer the country, sometimes by men
Who haven't an asset of importance
kept their brain power to execute
nd direct. but who have the full con-
dence of those who can assist with
money Suppose one man of ordinary
wealth had determined to harness
'enn assee river at Hale's Bar. How
III ould he have got? 1t is 9-mil-
on dollar affair and what the capital
SITS didn't put in the government did
lence the government is particips
riminis in this work of capital. At
resent there is many benefit accrued
n this country to poor people from
MS work of capital that would never