A SAVAGE SALVARMIST

NZ Truth, 4 January 1908, Page 5

A SAVAGE SALVARMIST

— • t— •-— ' . ■ SNORTS AT THE SOCIALISTS. The Street Howlers Want a , Monopoly. A Challenge toy the " Brigand." As a niatter\ of common, everyday knowledge, .this religious paper hasn't any time for the Salvation Army. They are cadgers and sweaters. They, have reduced religion to a business, and live by <■. the Gospel with a vengeance. Now, as street-comer pests . the Salvation Army . ate far and ahead the worst of any. Not only do they disturb the rest of householders, not only do they impede street traffic and create themselves obstructionists, but we find that the Army with' its blasted brass band and- its ranco us- voiced howlers, /do not/even hesitate to rudely disturb the devotions of others religiously inclined. The Army has constituted itself a nuisance to many clergymen m and around Wellinjffton, and it is said that only recently ' ' A SERIOUS STREET ROW ' occurred at Newtown through the Army cadgers and howlers disturbing the services of a\ Roman Catholic Churchi /Moreover, the Army is a dog m . the manger. It imagines that it holds a monopoly of peace-disturbing, and /street cadging, and, consequently, woe betide any body who sets up m opposition: No body, no single individual, must interfere with the Army, and it is public property that the other day the head of the commercial Christians m Wellington sought to smash up the Socialist party, or a member of that* body that holds forth on Saturday and other nights m Dixon and other streets. The Army wanted the Socialist prosecuted, and failing to make the police .move m the ma.tter. recourse was had to the City Council, and the Council very wisely refrained from taking sides. Brigadier Albiston is not the only pebble on the beach, and m bucking up against the Socialist Party 'lie is goiniPt too far, and the chief cadger oupht to be taught a much-needed lesson. Naturally, the daily press allowed the. Brigadier or Brigand, or whatever the chief of the commercial Christians is, to blackguard the Socialists. When the Socialist m außStinn endeavored to give his version through the columns of the rlnilv nress, or, at least/ the "N.Z. Times, v ' he, was nromntlv told that snacft could not be found for it m that.' pn per. . r AN APPEAL TO "TPJ-TH" fo nuhlish the rejected 'etter to the editor of the "Times" is accordingly nublished. Writing to the editor of the "N.Z. Times," under date December 20, 1307, Mr J. Dowdall, the offending Socialist, who is late Seiierintendent of the Senmen's Mission, Port Elizabeth, South Africa, says : ■ Sir.rrl sec m your issue of to-day a letter of complaint by Brigadier Albiston of the Salvation Army,

• against the Socialists haranging among themselves at the corner of Dixon'-street on Saturday and Sunday nights. I speak there regularly on those days, and cannot see what they have to complain of, unless it. is that their exploiting tactics are being exposed, and that their collections diminish m consequence. If they make insulting statements m public against people they must expect to be criticised, hut as members of the public of the British Empire who boast of the liberty. of the subject it ill becomes them to invoke. the aid of the law, which they say was "'hatched m hell." Let this be a warning to the workers of New Zealand, and let them note that when the Slavation Army comes out you must not speak to one another, even m Cuba-street, lest these sinless ones should be disturbed. It doesn't . matter how much you are disturbed, by the nonsense of these people, you are only the public, and are ' to. be exploited. Do not complain or dare to speak the truth ; it hurts our friend who has learned to live without work. I fully admit they have been disturbed by interjections, but why blame the Socialists ; they are only a small portion of the crowd, and our object is to exercise the right allowed us by law to propagate ; our cause by public speaking, distribution of literature, etc. The greatest interjectors at public meetings are the Army themselves ; both their officers and fsol-d-iers have interrupted our meetings, as the' 'public can testify to, but we do rot complain. We know our cause is just, and will eventually triumph, m spite of all opposition. If the Salvation Army ' is as 'clean as they would like the public to believe they are, I challenge Brig-' adier AlMston, or any other officer, to debate their cause on any public platform m • the city oi Wellington, arid I will meet him either on economic or scriptural grounds, . and will prove to the satisfaction of the public that they are using religion to exploit ' the people. In conclusion, let me say the Socialist party, as a party, are not against or for religion.- Every member has a right to : 'believe what he likes, and worship where he likes. There are m the Socialist party, as well ' as the churches, persons who hold agnostic ideas,, but that does not bind the party or churches to the idea of these individuals. Hoping I have not trespassed too much on your space; etc., etc. ! < This letter- is very. sensible and certainly to the point, and the refusal of the "Times" to. give the other side should certainly convince . tie worker that with the capitalistic press he has no chance whatever. The Salvation Army apparently wants to enjoy a monopoly of street howling, and probably through, the Socialist opposition the crowd and the collection have diminished. Anyhow, "Truth" does not for one moment believe that the police or the City, Council will interfere. The So-' cialists are as much entitled to air their views and doctrines as are the Army hollers, who, half the time, do not believe m what they ire preaching, or do not know what they' are preaching, and who at any time do not live up to the precepts that they preach. The Army cannot enlighten the sinner as to the mysteries of the after life. Their mission is THE ACCUMULATION OF WEALTH, to enable a sennetic-niouthed boodler like Bill Booth to pile up a huge fortune for the use of himself and his family. More earnest are the Socialists. Theirs are the affairs of this mundane sphere. Their doctrines j are useful and conducive to serious thought. It is to the interest of the worker that these doctrines should be promulgated. As to the challenge issued' by Dowdall to Albiston, "Truth 1 * does not concern itself. We simply wish to give the Socialists fair play, which the daily press' refuse, i