The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1919-07-18
COUNCIL
OF THE CHURCHES OF
CHRIST IN AMERICA
Demands That Labor be Civ
en- Fair Deal in Admin
iStration of Law

| NEW YORK, July 13.-The Prot
estant church of this country rep
resented in the Federal Council of
the Churches of Christ in America,
| today issued a declaration that the
State should attempt to secure to
the worker an income sufficient to
maintain his family at a standard of
living which the community can APP
prove"
This was part of a announcement
on the attitude of the Church toward
social reconstruction which was
1drawn up by the Commission on the
Church and Social Service of the
| Federal Council. The Federal
Council is a congress of 30 leading
Christian bodies for united action.
The statement asserts that at is a
false idea that the churches are only
concerned with religious, education
al and charitable enterprises. They
are or should be vitality concerned
with civic, economic and other So
cial interests
Rights of working men to share in
the control of industries are set
forth in this statement at length:
I'VE have come upon times when
people are not submissive to injus-
tice or to unnecessary privaton and
suffering" declares the Church
| COHl Ill ISSlOn. IDeN are ueGplS anu
Justly earnest. If those who are the
actual industrial, political and social
leaders of the nation will not act
upon the principle that the greatest
shall be the servant of all then the
| people themselves, with Indignation
| and bitterness, are sure to take their
destiny and that of the world into
| their own hands.
"Class consciousness and the use
of violence are not confined to the
| revolutionary groups. The possess
sion of wealth and education tend to
! the formation of classes, and indus
| trial ownership and management to
a class conscious ruling group. We
observe the dangerous tendency of
many states and municipal officials
| to deny fair hearings to radical Of
| tenders and to use unnecessary and
| provocative brutality during strikes.
Legislatures, judges and officials
should act firmly, but justly, with
out buster and without unnecessary |
violence. Working men believe that
they do not get an equal chance be- |
| fore the law and it is highly import !
| ant that whatever real basis there |
is for this conviction should be re-
moved
"A deep cause of unrest in indus
| try is the denial to labor of a share
in industrial management Labor
ers must be recognized as being en-
| titled to as much consideration as
employers and their rights must be
| equally safeguarded. This may be
accomplished by assuring the work
ers as rapidly as it can be done with
due consideration to conditions a
fair share in control; by opportunity
for ownership with corresponding
| 1pnr0GnntQt or lNr III, -, |
of ownership and control in CO.
operative production.
The living wage should be the
llrst charge upon industry before
| dividends are considered. The re-
sistance of labor to general wage re-
auctions even when ACCOMPANIED bv
reduced hours of work should re-
ceiVe moral support from the com
munltY, except where the demand is
clearly unreasonable. Wage levels
must be high enough to maintain n
standard of living worthy of respon-
SiDle Tree citizenship in democracy.
Actual wages, that is. wages
reckoned in power to purchase COM
modlues, have been decreasing for
several years in spite of wage in
| creases. There is urgent need of nro- /
vision by industry under the guild
ance of the government for some
regular method of adjustment of
wages and salaries to the purchas
ing power of money. High wages are
desirable as general principle.
EN- pIoEers who justify low wages or
wage reductions should open their
DOCKS and submit their figures to
sion.
70 provide employment the Com
mission advocates that a nation wide
employment service be maintained
ana suggests adoption of a politely of
publc works and land settlement. a
guarded attention of opportunities
LOT social insurance to cover unem-
pIoEIhent due to industrial conditions
or III health; and the rehabilitation
oi industrial crippleS under the di-
rection of the State and at the ex-
pehse of industry. A general policy
OF vocational training is approved.
concerning the payment of the
war debt, it is pointed out that
powerful influences are organized
TO shift the burdens of this debt on
the public while the public itself is
unorganized and practically unable
10 protect itself" A revolt. the
Commission says, already has taken
place against the policy of levying
direct taxes upon minor Injuries of
the people. Resolute use, it adds,
should be made of the graduated in
come and inheritance taxes as "a
Just method for placing the heavier
burdens upon those most able to
bear them"
The Church asserts that it stands
for living wage for industrial wom-
en- and equal pay for equal work
1t urges persons having free capital |
to invest it in homes for workers 1t
points to the need of community cen
ters to replace the saloon and de-