FOR RELIGION'S SAKE by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jul 21, 1898

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 24, No. 29.

FOR RELIGION'S SAKE.

By Editor

A LOCAL Fourth of July celebration was held at Ouray, Colorado, as was very proper, to celebrate, we suppose, the liberty vouchsafed us in securing to every equal man his unalienable rights. Of course this must be prepared for. An incident occurred in this preparation, however, which seems to show that one class of men did not believe in the equal rights of the other fellow unless he would join their particular clique. We will let the Ouray Evening Herald of July 1 tell the story:—

“There is one non-union carpenter, in the city in the person of George Burch, who is a Seventh-day Adventist, and a man above reproach so far as his character as a man and a citizen is concerned. The committee having the matter in charge put him to work yesterday morning on the carpenter work around the flag pole. Then some one put up a sign calling attention to the fact that the work being done was ‘scab’ labor. The next move was the appearance of Jas. T. Pierson, president of the Carpenters’ Union, who requested Mr. Burch to sign an application for membership, which was promptly refused. The action of the president was such, then, that Mr. Burch was fired bodily off the job. He holds views in connection with his religious belief that will not permit him to join the union. The Carpenters’ Union refused to take part in the celebration if he was permitted to continue work. Our readers can make their own comments on this matter.”

That is, Mr. Burch could have work if he joined a “union;” he would not then be a “scab;” but as a man apart from the union he had no rights on public work even, worthy of respect. The flag, then, exists for the Carpenters’ Union, and not for the individual. There was a time when liberty in this country existed for the sake of the man. But we still believe that there are Christian men, yes, and men who are not Christian, who prefer to be a free “scab” rather than a union slave. If things go on in this way, how long will it be ere man will be refused the right to “buy or sell” unless he belongs to some great confederation? See the prophecy in Rev. 13:16, 17.