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Some Protestant Attitudes on the Labor Question in 1886

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2009

Carl Warren Griffiths
Carl Warren Griffiths
Affiliation:
Chicago, Illinois
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Extract

An important development in 1886 was the interest which the religious forces of the country showed in the problem of capital and labor. It was an interest that was not confined to a few socially minded religious leaders. The religious press, the pulpit and church gatherings showed a deep concern in the relations of workingmen with their employers. It was a natural concern because it was a year of labor unrest that was symbolized in the public mind by the phenomenal growth of the Knights of Labor and by numerous strikes and boycotts.

Type
Research Article
Information
Church History , Volume 11 , Issue 2 , June 1942 , pp. 138 - 148
Copyright
Copyright © American Society of Church History 1942

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References

1 For a survey of the nature and extent of labor troubles see “Report of the Secretary of the Interior: Being Part of the Message and Documents Communicated to the Two Houses of Congress at the Beginning of the First Session of the Fiftieth Congress,” House Executive Document, No. 1, Part 5, Vol. v, 50 Congress, 1 Session (Washington, 1887)Google Scholar; and “Investigation of Labor Troubles in Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Texas, and Illinois,” House Report, No. 4174, 49 Congress, 2 Session (Washington, 1887).Google Scholar

2 Northwestern Christian Advocate (Chicago), 12 1, 1886Google Scholar; Central Christian Advocate (St. Louis), 02 24, 1886.Google Scholar

3 Zion's Herald (Boston), 03 17, 1886.Google Scholar

4 Churchman (New York), 06 26, 1886.Google Scholar

5 Christian Advocate (New York), 02 18, 1886.Google Scholar

6 Annual Meeting, Second Day, April 13, 1886, in the Sixth Presbyterian Church, Record of Chicago Presbytery (MS), IV, 111–112.Google Scholar

7 Dismissions of the Inter-Denominational Congress in the Interest of City Evangelization, Held in, Cincinnati, December 7–11, 1885 (Cincinnati, 1886), 124–137.Google Scholar

8 Fifth Annual Session of the Baptist Congress for the Discussion of Current Questions, Held at the Eutaw Place Baptist Church, Baltimore, Md., November 16th, 17th and 18th, 1886 (New York, 1887), 43–48.Google Scholar

9 Ibid., 55.

10 Ibid., 59; Inter-Denominational Congress 1885, 8–15Google Scholar. See also the paper of Weeden, William B. on “Arbitration aud Its Relation to Strikes,” Official Report of the Twelfth Meeting of the National Conference of Unitarian and Other Christian Churches, Held at Saratoga, N. Y., September 20–24, 1886 (New York, 1886), 134–135.Google Scholar

11 New York Daily Tribune, 05 12, 1886Google Scholar: Standard (Chicago), 05 20, 1886.Google Scholar

12 Farnam, H. F., “The Clergy and the Labor Question,” in New Princeton Review, II, 48 (07, 1886)Google Scholar. Mr. Farnam feared that an interest in the workers, particularly when “reinforced by strong sympathies,” had its pitfalls. He thought that too many clergymen and too many religious papers denounced the industrial system, advocated profit-sharing as the laborer's due, and said that monarchy in industry and democracy in politics were incompatible.

13 Congregationalist (Boston), 04 15, 1886.Google Scholar

14 Interior (Chicago), 03 18, 1886.Google Scholar

15 Our Country (New York), 04 17, 1886.Google Scholar

16 Christian Union (New York), 06 3, 1886Google Scholar; New York Tribune, 05 25, 1886.Google Scholar

17 The Journal of United Labor (Philadelphia), 05 25, 1886Google Scholar. This paper reflected the views of the Knights of Labor.

18 John Swinton's Paper (New York), 06 13, 1886.Google Scholar

19 Ibid., May 23, 1886.

20 ibid., November 14, 1886.

21 The Laborer (Haverhill, Marlboro and Brockton, Mass.), 05 15, 1886Google Scholar; Knights of Labor (Chicago), 05 22, 11 20, 1886Google Scholar; Weekly Labor Bulletin (Decatur, Ill.), April 22, 09 30, 1886Google Scholar; Workman (Cleveland), 05 1, 8, 22, 1886.Google Scholar

22 Laborer, 04 24, 1886.Google Scholar

23 Knights of Labor, 07 17, 1886.Google Scholar

24 Christian Advocate (New York), 04 29, 1886Google Scholar. This was a Methodist publication.

25 Ibid., June 17, 1886.

26 Northwestern Christian Advocate, 03 31, 1886Google Scholar. This was a Methodist paper.

27 Advance (Chicago), 06 3, 1886Google Scholar. This was a Congregationalist paper.

28 Northwestern Christian Advocate, 03 24, 1886.Google Scholar

29 Advance, 06 3, 1886.Google Scholar

30 Christian Register (Boston), 05 20, 1886Google Scholar. See also, March 11, 1886. This paper was Unitarian.

31 Christian Oracle (Des Moines, Iowa), 04 15, 1886Google Scholar. This was a Disciples of Christ paper.

32 Christian Evangelist (St. Louis), 02 25, 1886Google Scholar. This was a Disciples of Christ paper.

33 Churchman (New York), 05 1, 1886Google Scholar. For support of this idea, see the Living Church (Chicago), 05 8, 1886Google Scholar. Both of these papers were Protestant Episcopal.

34 Zion's Herald, 05 5, 1886.Google Scholar

35 Herald and Presbyter (Cincinnati), 04 7, May 12, 1886Google Scholar; Standard (Chicago), 03 18, 1886Google Scholar; Pittsburgh Christian Advocate (Pittsburgh), April 1, 05 6, 1886Google Scholar; Western Christian Advocate (Cincinnati), March 24, 06 16, 1886Google Scholar; Christian Advocate (New York), 05 20, 1886Google Scholar; United Presbyterian (Pittsburgh), March 25, 04 22, 1886Google Scholar; Presbyterian Banner (Pittsburgh), March 17, 05 19, 1886Google Scholar; Congregationalist, 04 1, 1886Google Scholar; Interior, 04 15, 1886Google Scholar; Christian Leader (Boston), 04 15, 1886Google Scholar; Christian Register, 03 11, 1886.Google Scholar

36 Journal of United Labor, 02 25, 1886.Google Scholar

37 Western Christian Advocate, 05 26, 1886.Google Scholar

38 Christian Leader, 04 1, 1886.Google Scholar

39 Independent, 03 25, 1886.Google Scholar

40 Interior, 04 8, 1886Google Scholar; Christian Evangelist, 04 22, 1886Google Scholar; Central Christian Advocate, 04 14, 1886Google Scholar; Pittsburgh Christian Advocate, 04 1, 1886Google Scholar; Advance, 05 13, 1886.Google Scholar

41 Journal of United Labor, 12 25, 1886.Google Scholar

42 Journal of United Labor, 02 10, 1886.Google Scholar

43 Advance, 05 13, 1886.Google Scholar

44 Independent, 12 23, 1886.Google Scholar

45 Standard, 05 20, 1886.Google Scholar

46 Northwestern Christian Advocate, 04 14, 1886.Google Scholar

47 Zion's Herald, 01 13, 1886.Google Scholar

48 The Path I Trod: the Autobiography of Terence V. Powderly, ed. by Carman, Harry J., David, Henry and Guthrie, Paul N. (New York, 1940), 190.Google Scholar

49 Ibid., 388–389; 364.

50 Journal of United Labor, 09 25, 1886.Google Scholar

51 Ibid., July 10, 1885.