Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-09-08
sHoPMEN DEFENDED.
Methodist Preacher of Spencer, Speaks
In Aid of Strikers.

In Aid of Strikers.
With Rev. Tom +. Unison, pastor OF
the Spencer Methodist church and ac-
knowlcdged moral leader in state labor
circles, as the drawing card, several
thousand people including local strik-
ing shopmen and their families,
throngcd Braswell park this afternoon
10 attend the regular Sunday mass
meeting arranged by officials of the
striking shop craft organizations herc'
says Rocky Mount, \. c., dispatch.
The meeting was the most largely at
tended that has been held since the
strike went into effect, the large crowd
maintaining strict attention during
Rev. Jimisons lengthy though rapid
fire address,
AS preliminarics to the main bout
there were brief addresses by several
Raleigh representatives who accompa-
MED the Spencer minister through the
country from the capital city.
The Fighting Parson.
With these preliminaries over, Mr..
Otterbourg introduced Rev. Mr.. Jimi-
son as the fighting parson," and the
principal speaker of the afternoon.
After expressing pleasure at being able
to attend and address the meeting, the
Spencer minister declared that he had
always been on the side of tho poor
and laboring man because he himself
had been born in poverty and because
from or among the masses every great
movement and every great endcavor in
the interest OF humanity had always
sprung. With this preface, the minis
ter proceeded to peel off his coat, roll
up his sleeves and pitch into the pres
cnt controversy.
Citing statistics, the speaker dcclar-
ed that the average monthly wage of
been $l41.43 and that then the depart
ment of labor statistics showed that
this sum lacked $50 of being sufficient
to support q family Of five. The first
slash brought the average down to ap-
proXimatcly $120, he said, the next to
about 800, and then the last cut which
prccipitated the strike, Topped off 80
per cent moro. The speaker then paid
his respects TO the labor board and
more especially to Chairman Ben w.
Hooper, whom he termed "a provincial
lawyer from somewhere out in East
Tennessee, who knew less about more
things than anybody else IN the United
States" He pointed out that the labor
board under the Esch-C Cummings act,
was to serve merely in an advisory or
mcdiating capacity and that in its de-
cisdons, which he had no power TO en-
force, the standard of living, the haz-
ards and responsibilities upon the
workers and their comparison with
workers in other fields were to be con-
sidered. He denied vigorously that the
board had taken these matters into
consideration and cited present living
costs and the wages of other workers
to substantiate his denial
Lizards, Poodes and Monkeys.
zone railroad president" added the
speaker after reiterating that the wage
awarded by the labor board would not
permit living wage, even went so
far as to say that working men
should stop having children. When
they do, the race is doomed, for the
rich have already quit raising chill
dren and gone to raising lizards, poo
dies or pet monkeys. And they charge
that labor is eXtravagant. Why have
mt the laboring people right to spend
their money as they please? I'd rather
be paupcr and spend my money like
q prince, than be q king and hoard 1t
like n miser. It's the rich woman who
tries to jew the washcrwoman down a
quarter. The working people spend
their money freely. When they make
money business is good, yet some little
One-horse doctor, pee-wee lawyers,
tom-tit editors and wo-by-four mcr-
chants are not with labor and blame
these boys out on strike. They don't
stop to realize that when labor wins
they win and that if labor loses they'll
! get it in the neck"