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4 April 1886: Pastor condemns strikes in New Haven
About this Episode
On 4 April 1886 Rev Newman Smith, pastor of the Centre Congregational Church in New Haven, Connecticut, delivered a lecture at the Labor Lyceum in the city where he condemned strikes.
According to the New York Times, New Haven at the time had "picked up the reputation lately of having more strikes than any other city of its size in the country". Business owners, and the media, were uniting to fight against the Knights of Labor and other organisations of workers trying to achieve better pay and safer working conditions.
Rev Smith, while he said he supported the right to strike, claimed that strikes "killed the goose that lays the golden eggs." He also argued that strikers should not try to prevent scab replacement workers from working, arguing that "if 70 men in any community say they won't work in a certain way and the seventy-first man shan't work at all if not with them, the public will stand by the seventy-first man every time."
More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/7950/pastor-condemns-strikes
Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.
According to the New York Times, New Haven at the time had "picked up the reputation lately of having more strikes than any other city of its size in the country". Business owners, and the media, were uniting to fight against the Knights of Labor and other organisations of workers trying to achieve better pay and safer working conditions.
Rev Smith, while he said he supported the right to strike, claimed that strikes "killed the goose that lays the golden eggs." He also argued that strikers should not try to prevent scab replacement workers from working, arguing that "if 70 men in any community say they won't work in a certain way and the seventy-first man shan't work at all if not with them, the public will stand by the seventy-first man every time."
More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/7950/pastor-condemns-strikes
Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.
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Hosts & Guests
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