The Dominion. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1913. THE CLERGY AND THE STRIKE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1897, 4 November 1913, Page 6

The Dominion. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1913. THE CLERGY AND THE STRIKE.

It is of course the manifest duty of the clergy to do their utmost to promote a spirit of goodwill and brotherhood among all classes of the community, and to do their utmost to secure a peaceful settlement of industrial or other disputes. They cannot bo oxpected to pass a detailed judgment as regards the technical aspects of- a labour trouble or to give a judicial decision after the mannor of the Arbitration. Court, That could only be done after hearing the evitlonce of both sides. But they can insist upon the great moral principles which should regulate the relations between employer arid employee, and do their nest to prevent tho issues from being clouded by passion and prejudice. Every rightthinking man and woman will agree with the resolution passed by the Wellington clergy on Sunday night in so far as, it appeals for mutual forbearance and for the holding of another conference between representatives of the two parties concerned in the dispute; but there is an unfortunate ambiguity in its reference to the "deplorable preparations for an armed conflict. It is, of course, most deplorable that such preparations should have been necessary,, but no unbiased person who is acquainted with tho facts can possibly deny that the precautions taken have been amply justified from every point of view. No one can tell what might have happened if the authorities had not taken prompt measures for the maintenance oforder; but things which have actually taken place along the waterfront and in other parts of tho city must have convinced every man who prefers civilised methods of government to mob rule that the authorities would have been guilty of grave neglect of duty had they not taken the necessary steps for the protection of _ the lives and property of lawabiding citizens desirous of pursuing their legitimate avocations. The special constables have not been enrolled for the purpose of attacking any man. Their business is to maintain order; it is defensive and not offensive, and it is the plain duty of the Government to make "preparation for an armed conflict" when the law of the land is openly defied and incitement to violence is proachcd in public places. Moreover, the people of Wellington have every reason to be grateful to those of their fellowcitizens who at the sacrifice of their own business and farming interests have shown their readiness to come forward and assist in upholding the law. The responsible authorities, in taking proper precautions to maintain, peace, have simply acted on the principle laid down by Be. Gibb on Sunday night when he said: "Whatever view the vast majority of the City had in. regard to the present trouble, they must all be of the same mind that the City must not be given over to mob rule." Dr. Ginn was very sympathetic to the just claims of labour, but he knows, as every thinking man must know, that betterment can only be securccf by appeals to reason and mutual goodwill, and certainly not by setting class against class, .or by such stupidly misleading and mischievous utterances as those of the llev. Mr. Bhainsuy at the mass meeting on Sunday. It is above all thimrß tho duty of a clorgyman

in a time like the present to weigh carefully the words he uses, and to think_ before he speaks. It is so easy to gain a little cheap popularity by pandering to the prejudice of the crowd; but it is a dangerous game to play. If a Christian minister decides to make a public utterance regarding a labour dispute he should first ascertain the facts and then state them with absolute fairness. Could any man who knows what has been happening in our midst speak as the Rev. Mr. Brainsby did in Newtown Park on Sunday? '"Until every peaceful means was exhausted," ho said, "neither tho Government nor anyone else should invoke the aid of the military." Surely he must know that no one has invoked the aid of the military. It has been expressly stated in the plainest terms that the military will only be called upon as the very last resort after all other measures for the protection of the community have failed. A still more deplorable ignorance of the facts of tho caso is disclosed in Mr. Brainsby's amazing declaration: "Let it be recorded before high ■Heaven that the men did not strike the first blow and were peaceably inclined to the very end, and were willing to employ all peaceful methods in this dispute." Such an assertion can only be characterised as a gross and glaring mis-statement of fact, tho ' only excuse for which must be that Mr. Brainsby could not have known what ho was talking about. Can the commandeering of the wharves, tho rushing of steamers, and destruction of Harbour Board and City Council property be called "peaceful methods" 1 Do "peacefully-inclined people" defy and attack the police, threaten and assault private citizens, hurl road metal at special constables, and preach anarchy and sedition 1 ! All these- things have happened before our very eyes, and Me. Brainsuy's words are directly contradicted by the plainest facts. One of the speakers who preceded Mr. Brainsby at Newtown Park did not -hesitate to say "we are g;oing to win, and by we are- going to do it no matter what means we are' going to use," and Mr. Brainsby, a Christian minister, raised no word of protest against such language. No doubtit is far safer and easier to swim with the stream like a dead dog than to breast the current like a man; but the real friend of the workers is the man who has tho moral strength to tell them when they are doing wrong and warn them when they are marching to disaster, and take-the consequences. It wants no great courage in these days of tri-' umphant democracy to abuse capitalists and those in high places; but it requires real bravery to rebuke an angry crowd to its face. The man who has moral courage is, however, always respected in the long run, though he may give offence for the moment. When excited and violent men come to their senses, they begin to realise that their best friends are the men who frankly tell them the truth and save them from the dangers which their inflamed passions are leading them into.