Strike, he gave up an assured career
side of the people.
Experience took him, step by step,
along the unexplored path from the
Methodist pulpit to the Marxist plat-
form. The following excerpts are from
his autobiography, “All My Life,”
published in 1949:

_“From the outset | was in the thick
of battle. | preached on the strike. |
declared the cause of the strikers to
be right and-just. This gave offense
to the opponents of the workers in my
church. This was the parting of the
ways. | felt a loyalty to the workers

that-was stronger than any’ other. | .

had come from the working class.

“Twas a member of the Trades and
Labor Council, representing the
Ministerial Association. That seems
strange today. | was very close to
the strike committee and was con-
sulted by them at every turn. | offer-
ed to assist them in every way. They
soon found much for me to do. |
helped prepare the strike bulletins.
| spoke at the great open-air meet-
ings called by the strike committee
in the city parks. | marched at the
front of the street parades. My church
was open to the strikers who, on one
occasion, marched in as a body.
This procedure on my part was sen-
sational, second only to the strike it-
self. But it was valid sensation.

“| remember one large mass meet-
ing one fine evening in May. | saw
in my audience the- mayor, several
aldermen, the local member of par-

_ liament and a number leading pro-

fessional men of the city; lawyers,
doctors and teachers. | sharply: dir-
ected my words to these. | called on
them to come up to the platform and
make known their views on the issues
now before us in the strike. | believe
this strike for better wages and better
living is right. | am helping all | can
for that reason. If you think we are
wrong, come up here and point out
where we are wrong. There was no
response.

“On June \14 | spoke at a strike
meeting of 8,000 people in Winnipeg.

! said it was next to impossible for

a preacher to preach the genuine
gospel of Christ in the church. |

described the resolution calling for

a radical reconstruction of society
that had been adopted by the Metho-
dist church conference. Rich men had
threatened to leave the church.

"Let them go,’ | said. The church
that thought more of real estate than
the principles had no place in the
life of society. | said the bankers’
association was a One Big Union.

Lying back of all unrest was the pro-'

fit system. It had been tried and
found wanting. This great mass of
humanity was aware of this, | de-
clared.

“On June 17 in the early morning
hours 500 special constables and
fifty Royal North West Mounted
Police were mobilized for city-wide
raids. Ten men were arrested on spe-
cial warrents. Their homes were ran-
sacked and they were pulled out of
bed. Eight of the leaders were
charged with conspiracy.

“| was attending the Methodist
conference in Winnipeg at the time
of the arrests. Next morning before
going to the conference | went to the
office of the Western Labor News at
the Chamber of Commerce Building.
| found the office wide open, littered
with torn papers and the’ furniture

thrown about. The police had made _

a raid.

“On entering the conference |
asked for the privilege of speaking
for a few minutes. | displayed the
dally paper with headlines of the
arrests, and spoke on the strike strug-
gle and described the arrests. | pro-
posed a resolution of protest calling
for the release of the men.

“On Friday evening, June 20, the
returned soldiers’ committee decided
to call a ‘silent parade’ for the next
day to march to the Royal Alexandra
Hotel and demand of Senator Rob-
ertson an account of his activities.
The following morning Mayor Gray
read the ‘Riot Act’. About two-thirty
in the afternoon the parade began to
form. Some fifty mounted men, arm-
ed with baseball bats and revolvers,
rode down Main Street. The crowd
opened and let them through and
closed in behind them. They turned
and charged out of the crowd. Two
horses were riderless. Then, with re-
volvers drawn, the mounted men gal-
loped down Main Street. Suddenly
they turned and charged right into
the crowd on William Avenue, firing
as they rode. More than thirty citizens
fell wounded on the street. One man
was killed, a bullet through his head.
It was ‘Bloody Saturday’. The shoot-
ing was the signal for lines of special
constables to move across Main
Street. Squads of men, armed with
rifles and under command of army

‘PACIFIC-FRIBUNE—APRIL 25;:.1969—PageJ0

7

officers, took up positions at all main
street corners. The city was under
military control.

“Meanwhile | faced a special

_ Meeting of the offical board of the

First Methodist Church, Brandon. |
think it was held on May 26. | re-
member there was a good attend-
ance, Rev. C. W. Morrow was to act
as chairman. A resolution was sub-
mitted by one of the leading men
asking ‘that the minister be restrain-
ed from any further preaching in the
First Church.’

“In the discussion some accused
me of starting the Winnipeg Strike.
Others said that | was opposed to
the war and had called the soldiers
‘murderers’. It was stated that | was
not a Christian and had never been
converted.

“When all had spoken, | asked the
mover if he was a member of the
‘citizens committee’ and if his motion
had been planned in that body. He
admitted the point of my questions.
I then showed them the Discipline of
the Methodist Church which pres-
cribes the correct course to follow if
a minister is open to a charge of bad
conduct or any misdemeanor. | asked
this man if he would write out a
charge against me and sign his name
to.it and others might sign it, and
let this charge go to the proper
church court for an investigation.

“He would not make a charge
against me. No one in the room ac-

THERE WERE GREATER
THINGS AT STAKE

The cause of
the working class

the teachings of Jesus, the Brothe,
hood of Man. An uprising of. the con
mon people, struggling for their jy
rights, calling for justice, for a bette
world in which to live and let live-
was not this a real revival? | be
lieved it was. But the church stoo
aside. The church was afraid it migh
give offense to the rich and th
powerful.

“My main words were about th
strike. The war had been long. Thou
sands of Canadians had made greg
sacrifices. The soldiers were retum
ing. Big promises had been made t
them, but there had been small ang
paltry efforts, so far, to keep thes
glowing promises. The workers ant
veterans were now unitedly demand:
ing action by the government to give
effect to the promises made by Si
Robert Borden when he was overseas,
The organized workers should be
recognized and living wages should
be established.

“At the conclusion of my sermon,
| made a statement as to what | in-
tended to do. | agreed that the peo-
ple who built this fine church hod
the right to say how it should be
used. But the church was not an end
in itself. The. end was the building o
the Brotherhood of Man. That was the
new social order, which was now be:
ginning to take shape among men.
It meant the abolition of poverty.

“| preached in the church at seven
p.m. and at eight p.m. | went out to

AIIM TT

In:1919 the average work period in the
building trades industry was 32 weeks a year
which, with a 44 hour week and a 65 cents
per hour rate amounted to an annual income |
of $915 a year. A family budget providing
only the bare essentials required a minimum |

of $1,500 per year.

Rue

cepted the challenge to do so. | ex-
pressed surprise at this refusal. |
asked how they could possibly put
forward a resolution of this sort with-
out a charge, without an investiga-
tion, without evidence recorded and
findings being given. The motion was
withdrawn. | was then plainly asked
what | would do in the face of the
attitude of the board.

“The climax came on Sunday
evening, June 8 On that day |
preached my last sermon. | took as
my, text the words of Jesus when He
came to His Disciples in the Garden
the night of His betrayal, and found
them asleep in the dark. He said:
‘Sleep on now and take your rest.
Behold the hour has come.’

“I set forth the claims made by
the strikers, basing my address on

one of the city parks to speak to?
mass meeting of some 2,000 peopl
to tell them, also, what | was going
to do. | told them | had left the
church and that | would carry on out
side. | proposed to organize 9
People’s Church in Brandon.
“To see all the woven elements |
one’s life and chosen ministry tol!
apart and flung away was not a ple”
sant experience. | was ostracize
my former friends who were the leae
ing citizens of Brandon and membelt
of the First Methodist Church. The
excluded me from their homes whet
| and my wife and family had oft
been entertained as the best °.
friends. But there were greater ti
at stake—the Cause of the Workind
Class. | began to sense the historit
meaning of the struggle.”