Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1886-11-01

QUESTION.
From Daily Argus Sept IS
Should candidate for office drink an
occasional glass of beer or whisky or
should he be a total abstainer from all al
coholic beverages. is question that
ought not affect our county politics Us
general thing. The principal object is to
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 to his personal habits. but in view
of his lamentable failure to make people
believe that his position on the hquor
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 avowed pro-
hi0itinnist. As minister OF the gospel,
and presiding cider of the Methodist
Episcopal church in this district, his in.
tluence 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
nation for sheriff on the republican
ticket. he experienced "a change OF
heart in regard to the liquor question
Why 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 denouncc the
cause and desert the friends and advo,
Gates of temperance. Aud he didn't
hesitate to do it. Therefore it is not the
question of prohibition that brings Nor
gan so prominently before the people
l. is his hypocrisy and vacilating course
TO secure votes.
When Mr.. Morgan Was presiding elder
of the Rock Island district of the Meth
Odst Episcopal church in 1882, confer |
cnce was held at Moline. when The fol |
lowing resolutions were unanimously |
adopted:
ResolUed, That, inasmuch as municipal |
law is defined by all reputable authors to |
he 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 cx>
hausted in the duty of prohibition, with
uch legal penalties as may be deemed |
necessary for its enforcement.
Res0Iced, That, in view of the great in
iquity of the liquor traffic, the wrongs |
and evils it perpetrates upon society, we
are uncompromisiugl in favor of placing
prohibition on the importation, manu-
facturG and sale of alcoholic beverages in |
HE organic laws of the land. and will net
cease our efforts until constitutional pros
h.bltion, state and national, shall be Sc
cured.
Mr.. Morgan was present at that con-
ference in his capacityof presiding elder,
and was very enthusiastic champion of
the above resolutions. His republican
friends now say, however, oh, he has
had plenty of time TO charge his mind in
four years; he is not a prohibtiOnist
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
prohibltiOnist as he ever was in his life,
notwithstanding his declarations to the
contrary. But the ARGUS has later and
equally ssstrong proof as the resolutions
passed in 1882 that MIR. Morgan is still a
prohibitionist-evid violence that should con-
vince the most skeptical that he is prac~
ticing game of deluson and deceit.
A good and devout Methodist, and
member Of the republican party, who is
opposed to Mr.. Morgan only because he
has not the courage and manhood to
stand by his convictions, has handed us a
copy of the northeastern Christian -Adoo-
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 laxity of modern thought in re
gard to Christ and Christianity" 1t was
resolved that we rejoice 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 Northeastern, and bidding its ed
itor, DR.. Edwards, godspeed, indorsing I
bis 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
ist. a-
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
dalrs grove, where Mr.. Morgan and
other brethren were making arrangements
for the camp meeting which was to open
next day, and there asked Mr.. Morgan
f he was not prohibitlonis., and wheth'
b. Of rot ha ~eald sssse. tbs sotnsns'iop |