Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-06-07

| VI law anu OAoci icoSUCe "hO'OfSi
practicable
Judge A. w. Tourgee, in the
Inter Ocean, comments thereon as
follows:
While protesting not to dictate
the political action of the members
of the church, this is unquestionably
tantamount to an official declaration
that all claws licensing, taxing, or
otherwise regulating the drink traf-
fic" are unchris tian, and by express
ly advising the members of the
church to aid in the enforcement of
prohibitory legislation, implicitly
advises that they should not aid in
the enforcement of laws licensing,
taxing, and regulating the "drink
traffic" BY unavoidable implication
it condemns all parties except the
Prohibitionists by declaring unalter-
able opposition to all restrictive
Legislation which they may propose,
and then expressly advises its mem
not to allow themselves to be con-
trolled by such parties.
This is something more than
passing on the moral aspect of a
political question: is prescribing
the political means which the church
shall adopt to cure an evil. 1t is
couched, it is true, in the form of
advice and coupled with an express
denial of intent to limit his freedom
of action; but the inference is I'M
ayoidable that the conference means
to advise that the "proper attitude
of Christians" is the support of pro-
hibitory legislation and the defeat
of restrictive legislation under all
circumstances.
The attitude of the Methodist
church in regard to the moral as
pect of the liquor traffic was already
clearly defined. The manufacture
or sale of intoxicants was prescribed
as an unquestionable moral wrong.
1t stood committed as a body to
active opposition to the accused
evil, and the church had placed it
solemnly upon the conscience of its
members that they should spare no
pains to alleviate the curse of in
toxication. Thus far it had the
right, and thus far it was It's duty to
go. Had it the right to go further
and say that its members, as citizens,
shall do their utmost to secure this
result by one means and not by
another? That the only "Christian
attitude" toward a political evil is
that of a particular political party?
What more does the church of
Rome, to whose political interfer
ence we object?
Unfortunately, good men in the
Methodist communion as well as
outside of it, differ conscientiously
as TO what constitutes the best rem
edy for this great evil. Some think
it is better to remove even a part of
the evil than to vainly seek to cure
the whole. Some believe that the
true way to cure is vigorously to re-
strict. There are even those who
think it better to have one heavily
bonded, easily-watched, and thor
oughly regulated saloon than ten
unlicensed, unregulated rum-holes.
There are others who sincerely be
lieve it is better to save even
1.-THE of the souls that 90 down to
death through the gates of the gin
mill than to prop wide open those
gates and cry "all or none" The
writer happens to be one of these;
he is a Methodist, too, but he does
not believe the General Conference
has any more right to prescribe how
he shall seek to benefit his fellows
or what method he shall adopt in
the cure of political evil than it has
to dictate where he shall buy his
shoes or whether they shall be
stitched or pegged. The problem
of the liquor traffic is to HIN as ter
rible as to any one. He has no pet
theory in regard to its cure, and he
is jealous of the honor Of the grand
old church of whose efficiency as an
agent of human betterment he isl
intensely proud He does not care
to direct her activities or control
her polity. He is quite willing to
do his share Of the work which the
elevation of humanity requires, and
leave TO others the credit and parade;
but he insists that the church has
no right to say TO him with these
convictions: "It is an unchris.t,n
thing to seek to cure the ills Of in
toxication in any other manner than
by absolute prohibition of manu-
facture and sale!" The writer
would prohibit the whole liquor
traffic why use the feeble, mean
iugless term "drink-trafhc"?) if he
could; but if he can not dc that he
will be glad to help to "prohibit' a
tenth, huudredth, a thousandth, or
3 milliouth part even of the soul