The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, April 7, 1919, Page 4

B—— T B T T e Churches Speak on Reconstruction Advanced Programs for Solving New Problems Preparec‘l by Methodists in Canada, Roman Catholic War Council and English Quakers OW to prepare men and women for a future life has been the chief problem to which the Christian church has always de- voted itself. Now, nearly 1,900 years after the death of the Carpenter of Nazareth, leaders of the church, of all branches, are coming to see that the best way to prepare people for a better future life is to give them an opportunity to live a bet- ter life on this earth. 7 Members of the Non- partisan league, who have been called every- thing from Socialists to atheists for insisting upon economic justice, will be interested in reading the program of the Methodist church of Canada, adopted at its general conference for 1918. The program in part says: Special Privilege Con- demned. — We declare all special privilege, not based on useful service to the community, to be a violation of the prin- ciple of justice, which is . the foundation of de- mocracy. Democratic Commer- cial Organization.—We declare that forms of industrial organization should be developed which call labor to a voice in the manage- ment and a share in the profits &and risks of business. - All forms of autocratic organization of business should be discouraged. We call at- - tention to the remark- able and unchallenged success of the co-operative stores, factories and steamship lines of England and Scotland, as great examples of democracy in industry. Profits of Capital and Labor.—We declare it to be un-Christian to accept profits when laborers do not receive a living wage or when capital receives disproportionate returns as compared with labor. Old Age Insurance.—We recommend old age in- surance on a national scale, in which the annuity paid shall be based upon the average earnings of the country, each year of a man’s effective life. This would protect all citizens from the fear of penury in old age, and at the same time would make every citizen directly interested in both the pros- perity of every business in the country and the good health and industry of every fellow citizen. SPECULATION IS CONDEMNED Unearned Wealth—We condemn speculation in . land, grain, foodstuffs and natural resources, as well as the frequent capture of unearned wealth through overcapitalization of commercial enter- prises. We place the principle of the Golden Rule before the man who seeks wealth by investment, and then endeavors to escape impending loss by un- loading upon others. These are dangerous forms of economic injustice in which we can not engage without sin. Is there not in our church a wide- spread call for repentance and confession of sin in this regard? Profiteering.—As the people are virtual partners in every business enterprise, we condemn that prof- iteering which takes out of them profits not justi- fied by the value or cost of the service rendered. We recommend the enactment of legislation which shall secure to labor a fair wage adequate to a proper standard of living, to the business a fair profit adequate for its continuance, and to the pub- lic all returns in excess of these. Nationalization of Natural Resources.—We are in favor of the nationalization of our natural re- sources, such as mines, waterpowers, fisheries, for- .struggle accepted com- - national equality have ~human conditions of life, ests, the means of communication and transpor- tation, and public utilities on which all the people depend. The Company-Owned Town.—We call attention to the closed or company town as a menace to de- mocracy, in that the citizens are in danger of being robbed of freedom of political action, and of power to demand proper sanitary, educational and social conditions for themselves and their children. Sympathy With Labor.—As followers of the Car- penter of Nazareth, we sympathetically seek to un- | : A DULUTH GRAIN ELEVATOR | The elevator is one of the big gates between the grain raiser and the consumer. At present this gate is privately owned. It is a tollgate and its owners take far more than the service to the public costs. A very, large part of our suc- cessful reconstruction depends on removing the tollgates and consequently providing an open road between producer and consumer. producing the necessary public sentiment for such reforms. this page brings out, three of our important churches have recently brought out advanced programs, the object of which is to secure a greater share of the products of industry for the toilers. The great need is As the story on derstand the problems of life as they confront the classes of labor in Canada, and thus rightly esti- mate the pleas they make for justice, and find in them allies in the struggle to realize the ends of fair play, humanity and brotherhood. The Canadian Methodists explain frankly that the new tests brought by the world war have shown old methods to be out of date. The conference said: “Under -the shock and strain of this tremendous mercial and industrial methods based on indi- vidualism and .competi- tion have gone down like mud walls in a-flood. Na- tional . organization, na- tional control, extraordi- nary approximations of been found essential to efficiency. i “It is not conceivable that when Germany ceases to be a menace these dearly bought dis- coveries will be forgot- ten. ; 3 “The triumph of de- mocracy, the demand of the educated workers for the deep condemnation this war has passed on the competitive struggle, the revelation of the su- perior efficiency of ra- g tional organization and co-operation, combine with the unfulfilled, the often forgotten, but the undying ethics of Jesus to demand nothing less than a trans- ference of the whole economic life from a basis of competition and profits to one of co-operation and service.” The Methodist church of Canada is not the only one, however, to take advanced ground on economic ‘' s PAGE FOUR The churches are ordinarily thought of as conservative. They have stuck pretty closely to the idea that their mission is spiritual welfare and the life to come. - It is, therefore, a strong in- dication of the stirring times in which we are living to find several important churches advancing radical programs to meet present-day problems. Methodists of Canada, the National Catholic War council, the English- Quakers, and several other church bodies have so expressed themselves. _ If these programs lend a new signifi- cance to the church, they as certainly give a spiritual significance to the great present-day .movements outside the church such as the Nonpartisan league, whos_xe'programs very largely agree with what these churches are now advocating. conditions. The committee on special war actiyi— ties of the National Catholic War council, compris- ing some of the best-known Catholic bishops of America, has issued a pamphlet called “Social Re- construction” which embodies many of the same ideas. The Catholic bishops say: “The full possibilities of increased production will not be realized so long as the majority of work- ers remain mere wage-earners. The majority must somehow become owners, or at least in part, of the instruments of production. They can be enabled to reach this stage gradually through co-operative pro- ductive societies and copartnership arrangements. “For excessive gains by a small minority of priv- ileged capitalists the main remedies are prevention of monopolistic control of commodities, adequate government regulation of such public service mo- nopolies as will remain under private operation and heavy taxation of incomes, excess profits and in- heritances. * * * The principle is clear that hu- man beings can not be trusted with the immense opportunities for oppression and extortion that go with the possession of monopoly power. HEAVY TAXES ON SPECIAL PRIVILEGE “Our immense war debt constitutes a par- ticular reason why incomes and excess profits should continue to be heavily taxed. In this way two important ends will be obtained—the poor will be relieved of injurious tax burdens and the small class of specially privileged cap- * italists will be compelled to return a part -of their unearned gains to society.” Other principles urged by the Catholic bishops include the following: Opposition to the lowering of wages. Pay for women equal to that received by men for the same work. : Approval of Secretary Lane’s plan, urged by the Nonpartisan league, for soldiers on reclaimed land. Correction of bad housing conditions in cities. Approval of co-operative stores, operated by the working classes. Continuance of government insurance. A minimum wage that will enable workers to maintain decent conditions of living and to make savings. The Society of Friends, or Quakers, as they are more commonly called in this country, also realizes that new conditions have arisen and that the church must pay more attention to the welfare of the people. . A group of 20 Quaker employers in Great Britain has adopted the following program: A family living wage for all male employes and a secondary wage in\ex- cess of this for workers having special skill and training. Recognition of the right of labor to organ- ize, to bargain collec- tively with the employ- er and to participate in the industrial part of business management. Provisions for such working conditions as will safeguard health, physical integrity and morals. The reduction as far as practicable of profits and interest until both the basic and secondary wage has been paid and the transfer to the com- munity..of the greater part of the surplus profits. The statement pro- ceeds: “We would ask all ; employers to con- glder very carefully whether their style of liy- ing and personal expenditure are restricted to what is needed in order to insure the efficient performance of their function in society. More than this is waste and is, moreover, a great cause of class division.” : American Quakers appear to be backing the po- sition taken in England. The LE