The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-07-10
JESUS ON COURT
DR.. Chas. Sheldon Pictures Set
Element Labor Troubles.
Topeka Editor in Article in His
"Christian Herald"
He WOULD ABOLISH HATE
Substitute BrOtherIy Love for
Strife in This Country.
Story Takes Up Problems of
Kansas Coal Fields.

Jesus, as He would act as arbitrator
IN southeastern Kansas coal fields, is
depicted in an article written by DR..
Charles NJ Sheldon of Topeka, this
month in THE Christian Rerald." A
personal visit in which the miner and
operator and members of the general
public were interviewed was made
TO the coal fields by Doctor Sheldon
before he wrote the article entitled
What Would Jesus Do in the Coal
Eields?"
A picture of the members of the
industrial court in the court room
and court officers appears with the
article. The background for the story
is a conference table at which the
operator the general public the
miner and Jesus are seated. The OPP
orator opens the discussion. He says;
"A good many years ago Nature
went to work and after an uncounted
number of centuries made deposit OF
bituminous coal in southeastern kan
sas. So we come into District No. "A
and invested capital in these fields
buying or leasing the land where the
coal was, putting in machinery, en-
gines, steam shovels, some OF which
have cost over 100000 apiece, and
organizing the industry Of coal mining
which could never have been started
without money to equip it. These
coal mines are therefore ours"
pute that last statement Technically
and legally, as laws are made, you may
be the owner. But We claim owner
ship because the coal is absolutely OF
no value to you unless We dig it out
The human hand of labor is essential.
No machinery has been or can be
made that can dispense with the toll
of the miner. And the miners. work
is dirty, dangerous, unpleasant, diff
cult work. It takes him down into the
darkness, away from the sunlight,
trees, birds, and the pleasures of COM
mon life as they are known to the
workers on the surface. We claim,
therefore that the coal is just as much
ours as yours, and some way ought to
be found to divide more equally the
profits of coal mining
Jesus: You are both wrong. The
coal does not belong to either of you
It belongs to the heavenly Father. The
Psolmist said truly many years ago,
stating a great and eternal economic
fact of ownership. The earth is the
Lords. and the fullness thereof. The
world and they that dwell therein
He is the Creator of the coal. 1t is
not man made. All that either OF you
has n right to say is, This coal IS a
wonderful creation for mans use
And it should be brought out Of the
ground with a mutual and satisfying
sense of Thanksgiving, both capital and
labor joining to do what neither can
do apart in supplying the needs of the
general public"
General Public: THAT sounds good
to us We are the users of the coal
and we are very tired of the continual
warfare between capital and labor in
this district. We are the ones who
suffer nest"
Arguments follow, growing more
heated and ending as follows:
The Miner: What redress from
wrongs have we. if we don't striker"
General Public: perhaps this il
your question. Why not give it a
triaI?"
The Miner Some of us are willing
to but the union leaders are opposed
to it,
General Public: "win you do as
they say?"
The Miner I'VE generally have. We
are loo per cent union men"
The Operator; DO you have to pay
anything to join the union ?"
The Miner Fifty dollars"
The Operator: rs not the union as
tyrannical as you think We are? In
many cases when the men have
wanted to live honestly up to their
contract with US and work haven't
they been afraid to because they were
inundated by the union and their
leaders,"
nc ~AAAATAs nat has DEGn true
several instances"
Jesus: The entire industrial world
is in a state of warfare down here.
Dealing with miracle of creation, the
very handling of which should cause a
man to offer a hymn of praise to Him
who made it in His marvellous labora-
tory. those who have called themselves
capital and labor have alike grown
hard and suspicious. instead of kind
and brOtherly. Capital has denied its
duty to care for the human welfare
OF these human toilers, regarding them
as so much physical strength to make
money Labor has organized to fight
for its rights, and in doing it has
become careless of the rights of the
public, developing a leadership that
has created and fostered in MANY
cases iil-win instead of goodwill oh
We children Of men, When will YOU
learn better ways of settling disputes
than the way of hate and unkindness!
Why not try the way of love to one
another You have never tried this
way, yet I call on you about this
table to begin to try it now. I am not
here to decide for you the wisdom or
unWlsdom Of your man-made laws. If
were here to live in your places. I
would not fight against any plan that
promises to settle human disputes
along some other track than the old