p. 5 | Excluding Their Friends by C. M. S.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Dec 19, 1907

Excluding Their Friends

By C. M. S.

UNDER the above heading the Northwestern Christian Advocate deprecates editorially the fact that the Federation of Labor of La Crosse, Wis., refuses longer to receive “fraternal delegates” from the Pastors’ Union of the same place. There are other organizations belonging to the Federation of Labor of that city, such as the Brewery Workers’ Union, the Beer Bottlers’ Union, and the Bartenders’ Union. These object to the ministerial delegates because the ministerial delegates, if true to the gospel calling, must object to the business by which the members of those unions obtain their living. As the minister has no business save to represent the cause of Christ, wherever he may be, he must oppose the business of the members of those organizations, and oppose every move the members of those organizations make to increase their profits. The liquor men know that as well as do the ministers, and their action was to be expected—it was only logical. “Fraternal delegates” means brotherly delegates; and to “exchange fraternal delegates” indicates a harmony of interests, a brotherly interest in each other’s calling. But the Christian minister is to represent Christ, and that is a calling which is opposed by every interest of brewers’, bottlers’, and bartenders’ unions. The two can not mix any more than water and oil. They are as opposite as light and darkness. No minister who truly represents Christ can accept an appointment as “fraternal delegate” to any such organization. No true soldier fraternizes with the enemies of his country in time of battle; and so long as the great battle between righteousness and sin is on in this world, no true minister of the gospel can rightly fraternize

with the organized forces of the liquor traffic, which thrives on ruin, desolation, and destruction.

It is indeed strange that it should have been necessary for such an organization to teach a pastors’ union its place. But the journal above referred to feels that the Federation of Labor has done an unwise and an unjust thing, as the following extract from the editorial will show:—

Two years ago this fall an arrangement was entered into between the trades and labor council of La Crosse and the Pastors’ Union, an organization of more than twenty years’ standing, to exchange fraternal delegates, and Rev. J. W. Irish was elected to represent the Pastors’ Union. All was well, and the ministers marched last year in the Labor day parade. Then another ministerial delegate was elected, and shortly afterward the ministers headed a movement for the enforcement of law, simply demanding the enforcement of laws in relation to stalls and wine rooms frequented by women, sale of intoxicating liquors to minors, public gambling, slot machines, assignation houses, street walking, and public solicitation by lewd persons, closing of saloons at the ordinance hour, and the sale of liquor in connection with public dances. They did not even demand the closing of the saloons on Sunday, all of them being wide open on that day.

This is pitiable. It means, “We did only a few of the things that we ought to have done; and the fact that we did so little ought to have softened the hearts of the liquor men and the union men toward us to such an extent that they would have continued to receive our ‘fraternal delegates.’ We might have taken a strong, consistent stand against the whole liquor business, as we had a right to do, and as our Master expected us to do; but we did not do it, hoping by this omission to have our ‘fraternal delegates’ received.”

This is the inference we are compelled to draw from the editorial above quoted. The fraternal delegate idea originated in the effort of church-and-state reformers to swing the labor unions over to their side of the Sunday-enforcement campaign. This led to the curious action of the Pastors’ Union in marching in a Labor day parade as a part of the union movement, and has ended in the embarrassing action of the Federation of Labor above referred to; all of which should teach all professed ministers of Christ that they are not called upon to yoke up with the powers of evil in order to do good, and when they seek recognition in the organizations of this world in order to obtain their help to enforce religious observances by law, they are outside their sphere. The gospel calling is too sacred to be put to such uses, and is large enough in its legitimate field to occupy all the time and talent and attention of its most powerful and most eloquent exponents.

C. M. S.