The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-09-28
HYPOCRISY EXPOSED.
The Unedifying Spectacle OF Parson
Morgan straddIing the Liquor
Question.

1 Question
Should candidate for office drink an
occasional glass of beer or whisky or
should be be total abstainer from all al
coholic beverages. is question that
ought not affect our county politics as
general thing. The principal object is 10
elect good, able and honest officials, men
who will discharge the duties of their
Office in a satisfactory manner. In the
present campaign, however, the matter
has been pretty thoroughly discussed in
the case of Rev. A. r. Morgan, not in
regard 10 his personal habits. but in view
of his lamentable failure to make people
believe that his position on the liquor
Question is not what his professions
and associations would lead them to
suppose. Previous to his nomination for
sheriff on the republican ticket he was
not only supposed, but an ayowed pro-
hibitionist. As minister of the gospel,
and presiding elder of the Methodist
| Episcopal church in this district, his in
| fiuence and voice were directed towards
the suppression of the liquor traffic. One
| OF the strongest opponents to that traffic
| is the Methodist church, and as the head
| of that religious denomination in this
| vicinity, Rev. Morgan was looked to
| above all others to prosecute the work Of
temperance. But shortly after his nom
ination for sheriff on the republican
ticket, be experienced "a change of
| heart in regard to the liquor question,
Why7 Simply because lie thought the
position he had always taken on that
question would lose him votes, and if he
| had any hopes of being elected, he must
sacrifice his principle, and denounce the
cause and desert the friends and advo,
Gates of temperance. And he didn't
hesitate to do it. Therefore it is not the
question of prohibition that brings Nor
gan so prominently before the people.
Il is his hypocrisy and vacillating course
to secure votes
When Mr.. Morgan was presiding elder
of the Rock Island district of the Meth
odist Episcopal church in 1882. a confer
euce was held at Moline. when the fol
lowing resolutions were unanimously
| adopted:
ReSO5ped, That, inasmuch as municipal
law is defined by all reputable authors to
be rule of conduct prescribed by the
supreme power of the state, commanding
what is right and prohibiting what is
wrong, therefore the state has no right
to license the liquor traffic. Its entire
proper function toward crime being ex>
hausted in the duty of prohibition, with
such legal penalties as may be deemed
necessary for its enforcement.
ResoIoed, That, in view of the great in
iquity Of the liquor traffic, the wrongs
and evils it perpetrates upon society, We
are uncompromisingly in favor of placing
a prohibition on the importation, manu-
facture and sale of alcoholic beverages in
the organic laws of the land. and will net
cease our efforts until constitutional pros
hibition. state and national, shall be Sc
cured.
Mr.. Morgan was present at that con-
ference in his capacity of presiding elder,
and was very enthusiastic champion of
the above resolutions. His republican
friends now say, however, ooh, he has
had plenty of time to change his mind in
four years; he is not a prohibitionist
now" There are many sincere persons,
though, those not influenced by party
ties, who are free to admit that in their
opinion Mr.. Morgan is today as strong a
prohibitionist as he ever was in his life,
notwithstanding his declarations to the
contrary. But the ARGUS has later and
equally as strong proof as the resolutions
passed in 1882, that Mr. Morgan is still
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. that should con.
vince the most skeptlcal that he is prac>
ticing game of delusion and deceit.
A good and devout Methodist, and a
member of the republican party, who is
opposed to Mr. Morgan DULY because he
has not the courage aud manhood to
stand by his convictions. has handed US
copy of the Northeastern Christian 1dro-
cate, of Chicago, dated May 26, 1886.
The paper contains an official report of
the conference of the Rock Island district
association of the Methodist church held
at Milan, May 18th. In the proceedings
Of that meeting we find the following:
Rev A r Morgan read an able paper
on The latfty of modern thought in re
gard to Christ and Christianity" 1t was
resolved that we re joice over the recent
victories gained in the temperance cause
in Iowa and Rhode Island, and we do
pledge ourselves to continue to work for
prohibition" A resolution was passed
calling upon the church to sustain our
own church literature, pledging support
to the Northwestern, and bidding its ed,
itor, DR.. Edwards, godspeed, indorsing
his course in support of prohibition and
suppression of the crime of drunkenness
In the face of this will Mr.. Morgan still
persist in saying he is not prohibition
list.
And still further. We are informed
that on August 18th, 1886. the day be-
fore the holding of the prohibition county
convention, prominent member of that
party, went to the camp grounds at Tin
daIPs grove, where Mr.. Morgan and
other brethren were making arrangements
for the camp meeting which was to open
next day. aud there asked Mr.. Morgan
if he was not prohibitionist. and wheth-
er or not he would accept the nomination
-.