New Britain herald., 1922-10-12
COMMUNICATED.
Takes Issue With Rev. Mir. Davis.

Takes Issue With Rev. Mir. Davis.
 Dear Editor:
 trust you will afford me some
 space In your columns to discuss q
 subject brought up by the sermon
 preached by the Rev. John l.. Davis
 sunday. was not present at the sermon but am relying upon authen-
 uclty Of the report in the Herald
 was much surprised in reading Of
 Rev. Davis attack on Samuel Com
 pers, president of the American Fed. eration of Labor. I do not know
 Rev, Davis, personally; l have had the pleasure of being present at two or his Business Mems Bible Classes and found his sermons most inspiring and have learned to look upon Rev
 Davis as a man of broad views and liberal ideas. I therefore can't un- derstand his attack on MT. Gompers 1T Rev. Davis means by Christian principles those religious principles derived by affiliation with the Chris tan church, 1t is no wonder that samuel Gompers has none for he is not a member of the Christian faith. 1T, however, he means by that term those principles that make for right eousness, fearlessness, honesty and truth. then he has failed to under- stand Samuel Gompers, Did the em- ployers and owners of the Argonaut mine, who for the sake of paltry dol lars failed to provide proper exits for the unfortunate miners, have any more Christian principle than men like Gompers who gave a life of energy in behalf of those wretched unfortunates who go into the bowels a struggling existence. Gompers has, by his untiring efforts in behalf of our laboring masses. risen from the loWliest ranks to the highest honor true labor can bestow. He is not socialist and in fact is the first man to fight any movement inimical to the organized government of our country. A demagogue can never fool the people for score of years and Gom- pers has now for more than a score of years led American labor until it now holds high place in American life.
 I feel obliged to criticise also the statement made by Rev. Davis re- garding the "Untelligent Leadership among the labor unions, also the statement that unions have failed, There is no question whatsoever that labor has within it's ranks some of Americas finest brain power. Any man with an unprejudiced vision must Iotb coal strikes have been handled very skillfully Unions do not fail for lack of brains. When unions have failed in a struggle against capital it was the superior financial strength of the employers and not their brain power that won out.
 Among all classes and organizations is found bad element and this holds : good in labor circles also. Labor has a high standard of morality and if some of it's members are criminal in their tactics, labor as whole must not be condemned for it, any more than all capital should be condemned for crime committed by one of it's I numbers. Perhaps if money could not cheat justice there would be many more wealthy men than poor labor | men in prison today.
 Let me just call to the attention ot l Rev. Davis the stand Gompers took | during the war. He opposed war but when 1t was once declared he threw l himself wholeheartedly into the task l to bring victory to America. He out lawed lawlessness and sabotage and l was a powerful enemy against the L. w. w.
 For years Gompers has tried to bring labor and capital to a better If he has failed to do 90 capital is to be blamed. To such m understanding was the Plumb Railroad Bill dedicated. Why did capital refuse to approve it?
 Gompers has done a great service. o American labor. Why condemn Jim?
 A LABOR MAN.