The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1883-11-24
To the Editors of the Adeoeate:

safes Vi SOOQS anu CltdblClo; oolS
of real estate.
To the Editors Of the Adcocate:
GENTLEMEN-In my former communication
to you concerning the appeal" the mani
festo the eneyclical letter, the ukase, the bull,
or whatever else it may be appropriately
termed, put forth by the political parsons with
the view of affecting the election in this coun-
ty, was careful to make the distinction and
to refer more particularly to those of them
who Conducted the movement. For, be
it known, there are bosses and managers
among them, as there are among those ''evil
men, who have assumed control of the cleo
tons. They are not all equally responsible
for that extraordinary document. Some of
them concocted the scheme, wrote the appeal,
procured signatures, and published it, while
some signed it without fully understanding
the whole scope of the instrument. | make
this statement advisedly. Others of the clergy
were solicited to sign it but refused They
preferred to be about their Master's business
to smirching their fingers with politics
Mr. gladden. thinks it a sufficient answer to
Vindex to state that eleven of the signers of
the appeal are democrats. | think that he is
mistaken in the political classification of his
clerical conferees. Certain | am that some
of them did not engineer or control the move
ment, nor do | believe that they were fully
eognizant of the real purpose of those who did.
The article of Vindex, he says, Invites
severe animadversion, but the Christian min
stry needs no instruction in propriety or
righteousness from an anonymous writer, and
that they can attend to their own business in
their own way without any assistance from
the apostles of the whiskey succession" Was
this outflow of spleen an inadvertent one, or
= al 81 rs co fhn
tleman missed his mark again. Vindex has
been a temperance man all his life, and it is
because he thought he saw harm to the tenn
perance cause in the late politico
movement, and gross injustice towards the
party of his utilization, that he uttered his pro-
test against it. He is not at all surprised at
the declaration that 'no instruction is needed
in propriety or righteousness from an anony
NOUS writer" The world has been afflicted
with self-suficient people in all ages, and it
is too much, perhaps, to expect the present
age to be free from such aff1lctlon. Ii these
gentlemen had attended to their own business
exclusively, no one could have found fault
with them, but they undertook to NEEDLE with
the business of others. Hence the protest.
Let him forego his ''severe animadversion,
for the oracles say that whatsoever measure
you mete it shall be melted to you again"
There was no attempt by Vindex to make the
appeal personal assault upon the gen
tlemen whose names, as managers, were pub
lished in his article. The attempt was simply
to disprove the assertion of the "appeal,
that the control of elections had been assumed
by ''evil men, by showing that the managers
of the party in this county were honorable
men. This he certainly accomplished. 1T
seems to be impossible for Vindex to conceive
of any higher motive actuating the ministry
Il H. IL. ol, no 1NOlifI.
cian.' says Mr. gladden.. He is mistaken
here. Vindex is capable of conceiving far
higher motives in the ministry than such as
animate the average politician. But facts and
circumstances, in this case, are so strongly
against such a conception, that tits altogether
improbable, if not impossible.
Since writing my first communication |
have been at some pains to ascertain more
fully the course pursued by the managers of
the campaign on the part of the signers of the
"appeal, and | learn from credible authority
that they engaged in most active efforts to de-
feat the Democratic legislative ticket, by con-
versation, correspondence and public speeches.
| am informed that letter of inquiry was
sent to one of these clergymen as to who the
writer of it should vote for, and that the an
swer as-' Vote the whole Republican
ticket If this be true, it is confirmation of
the suspicion that the movement was not ex-
clusiveiy intended to promote the cause of
temperance, at least as far as some who were
engaged in it were concerned.
In conclusion Mr.. gladden. says-"lf Vim
dex will give his proper signature, and the
editors of the ADVOCATE will print what we
write in reply, we promise to make the further
examination of the appeal which he threatens
as entertaining and lively as he could desire,
and possibly convert him to temperance views
through the instruction he may gain" 1t is
evident, from this modest piece of vaporing,
that the gentleman has very little distrust OF
his own powers, but | must be excused from
compliance with his request. | am not at all
ambitious to parade my name before the pub
lie. The people are more interested in the
truth of what is said than they are in the
name of him who has said it. Not that have
ANYTHING to fear from such an encounter with
this Cola of Gath, while a pebble of truth
remains in the brooks. AS to the matter
of nv conversion by him, that is scarcely
among the probabilities, because it would be
a conversion to error and fanaticism-on the
subject of temperance, subject which long
ago endeaynred to study in all its phases.
Whatever obstruction he might be able to
impart might gladly receive, for am not OF
those who ''need no instruction IN propnety
or righteousness" That happy condition is
reserved for perfect mortals ike himself If
| want instruction on the subject of temper
ance, can sit down in my room, after the
labors of the day are ended and by reference
to the volume entitled PERMANENT TEMPER
AYcE DOCUMENTS get more Instruction in
one hour than ] fancy he could impart in
week, because the subject is discussed there
in all its bearings, from the standpoint Of the
sacred writings, and in all its moral, physical
and political aspects But nowhere does that
exhaustive volume inculcate upon the friends
and advocates of temperance an attempt to
overthrow any political party by holding up
before them the shield of temperance as a
blind to their Glterior purposes and designs.