The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1917-01-19

they are not opposed to the laborinp
man and his struggle for his riphts
against injustice. They are heart
and soul with the laborar for better
conditions and better wages. better
housing, better provision for old age.
for a fuller and iuster distribution of
the profits Of their own toll. Wbv
should the pritst not take this atti-
tude? 1t is the attitude of the Holv
See, as expressed by Leo Kill Most
OF the priests have sprung from the
poor. The vast bulk Of our Catholic
people are poor. Christ, our Master
and our Model, was poor loved the
poor, lived with and worked for the
poor Surely the priest can do no
less. We priests believe that the solu-
tlon of the economic troubles is con-
tanned in the gospel of Christ. Put
this teaching into mems hearts and
you will have a united people which
will be invincible."
After pause the thoughtful priest
continued
You can't solve this question al
together by legislation. Money in
the past has bought up and will in
the future buy up legislation. You
can't solve this question by shooting
strikers down in the streets or burn
ing them to death at Ludlow. If YOU
do so, you will have silence, but it is
the silence of despotism and death
and not the peace which should reign
over free people. There is only one
adequate solution and that is the prac-
tice Of the gospel teaching, but when
vast sums of money have been used
to build up and encourage foundations
which put up premium upon the re-
lection of religion and the gospel of
Christ, as has been done, the capital
lists are cutting away the ground from
under their own feet, they are tear
ing down the very bulwark of their
safety"
Abiding to the recent railroad leg
lslation Father O'Rourke smiled and
said: There was a universal outcrv
by the subsidized press Cyou don't
doubt it is subsidized against what
they called a "holdup" of the Presi-
dent and Congress for the speedy
legislation. Think of the hypocrisy Of
it. What is the difference between
a "holdup' Of Congress by intiDi-
dation or bribery? What is the diff
ference between Congress yielding to
the fear of q strike or to the glitter
Of gold? How many measurers fay
orable to capitalists. how many fran
chises, how much control Of the public
. resources that belong to the people
have been obtained from Washington
by gold and the papers were not
scandalized. OF the two ! would pre-
Ter the workingmau making his de-
mands in the open than to have the
invisible government skuIzing about
in the lobbies at Washington to pros
titute the representatives of the nat
ion"
"Ah. the poor said Father o.
Rourke with a look Of pity in his eyes.
."Who are the poor? Surely not the
paupers on the Island or the inmates
Of our charity houses. These men are
not poor. They are provided for.
their future is assured They will
have bed and board from the State
until they sink into their graves. The
poor are the nderpaid street-car
workers, the hundreds of thousands
of half deaf mill operatives. deafened
by the clack Of the iron, the men who
work twelve hours a day seven days
a week for corporations on scarcely q
living wage; these and millions of
others are the poor These who are
trying desperately to live respectfully
and provide a sustenance and a roof
for their wives and children. These
are the poor, and God only knows at
times how they suffer.
THE greatest enemies to the coun-
try today are the corporations who
are working their men for small
wages twelve hours a day, seven days
a week. No nation can long survive
if you stamp out and kill in the
hearts of its people the religious
instinct, and in the hearts
of men who work seven days
week, twelve hours day, there
is no time and still less inclination
for the practice of any religious prin-
ciple 1t is stamped out of their own
lives and they are too tired and weary
and broken by the toll to see that il
Continued on Page Three)