Southwest Washington labor press. [volume] (Hoquiam, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1922-12-29

for the man whose first thought Is Of
human values. However. Il would
seem that the attitude Of the informed
leadership Of the church IN the case
Of men actually radical TO the point
Of advocating overthrow Of govern
ment is not known In some sections
not a thousand miles removed from
the place Of publication of this paer.
In the first place. church leaders
know that the number and influence
Of men who hold such opinions has
been grossly exaggerated BY the press
for a purpose. Judge Anderson of the
federal court OF Massachusetts gave it
as his opinion that 80 per cent of the
red menace" was manufactured out
Of whole cloth. Frank L. Cobb OF the
New York World declared, at a time
when we were supposed to be much
''menaced," that 'in spite of the poses
of professional politicians and plat
form orators The might have added
newspapers) there Is no bolshevist
menace in the United States and these
is no l. W. w. menace that an ordi-
nary capable police force is not COM
petent to deal with" Some Of us re-
call the words Of the federal immi-
grafton inspector who visited the l. w.
w. in our county jail-kept there while
a prosecuting attorney is compelled by
court decision TO present evidence
that the 'sWobblie" Of today breaches
violent overthrow of government he
dismisses cases with none too gra-
cious an estimate of the judge who
spoiled some fine political advertising
and then advises police departments
to release newly arrested t'menaces"
because Of recent court decisions"
Free Speech and Assembly.
In the second place, the informed
churchman for the most part believes
in the Constitution of our country to
the extent of believing its doctrine Of
free speech and free assembly. There
fore. both newspaper made radicals"
and real radicals are welcomed to
church platforms and permitted to say
things for which they would be arrest
ed on the street by men who have a
strange way of advertising their pa
triotism while ignoring even others
than the eighteenth amendment. 1t
may be questioned whether any one
thing has done more toward dispelling
the boogy menace Of ''radicalism"
than such open church forums as that
conducted by DR.. Stickney Grant
(Episcopal) in New York or Morgan
Memorial, Boston (Methodist), or
Woodland Avenue Presbyterian, Cleve-
land, and Grace church (Methodist),
Denver It has been found that the
Christian doctrine of tolerance does
far more to correct misguided men
than the Prussian doctrine of forceful
Moreover, there never is
an agitator until there is something
to agitate about, hence good people do
well to listen even where they cannot
agree. A wise man can learn even
from a fool.
This much can be confidently as
serted-the Christian church of today
will not sit idly by while interests be-
cloud the issues in the Industrial and
economic fields by calling names in-
stead of eandidly facing facts. Give
the working man a hearing and ad-
Just property interests to human
needs is the increasingly insistent
mandate of Christian opinion. We
hold with Justice Holmes of the U. S. |
supreme court that the best test Of
truth is the power Of thought to get It.
self accepted in the competition OF tde
market" The radical who hasn't |
real to talk about doesn't
talk long If not prosecuted.
People Not Fools.
Finally. the church has a real faith
in Americans and in American insti-
buttons. She believes with the edi-
tor of the New York World that "the
American people have not gone crazy
nor are they fools. They do not need
nurse to take them to work in the
morning and bring them home at
night lest they be corrupted by sedi-
tious doctrines of soap box orators.
They have a great deal more sense