The Indianapolis journal., 1888-12-22
ARMY OF THE BLUE RIBBON
Mr.. Murphy Wants No Politics to Sup
port His Efforts to Reform Drunkards.
People Should Not Allow Their Party Faith TO
Interfere with Temperance Iews-An-
other Meeting at Tom, ,inson Hall.

A large number OF Christian workers were in
the Y. NJ C. A auditorium We sterdsy afternoon
70 hear Francis Nurphy's advi CO for the future
care Of the great temperance ork which he has
initiated here. in the hope that the thousands
who have alres iy signed may steadily increase
70 tens Of thous snds, as they have in so many
other large citi IS where he has labored. Mr..
Murpbys subje;t was "The Opposition of Par
tisauism to the Spirit of Christianity in Temper
ance." He said= Individual work is what is be-
fore us. Like II great causes. that Of temper
ance must invari ably proceed on the lines of in
dividuai conviction. and individual conviction
is born of the personal counsels Of
men with their brethern; and when
any clique attempts to make wholesale thing
of it, and leave out tho element or the recogni
tion Of The supreme necessity of personal con-
viction, this whole n,ovemsnt becomes mis-
managed, forced, unnatural. and loses the grace
of God. We ere attempting enough nonsense
in the work o; temperance, in the name OF
religion and of science. outside of partsanship.
from which, the Lord deliver Us. We are try
ing to argue drunkards or the pit scientific
ally, with reasons based from the very proto-
plasm ND. and on through all the other 'asms'
We are making an effort to freeze them out OF
the church llauehtsrl. and we arrestine,
confining and vilifying them IN civil life, but
now, in Gods name. let us have little sense
and may we be- delivered from the fate Of be.
coming the duoes and tools of crafty partisan
chip. Applause.
.'we are making everything too hard too
hard for men |, o reform. and too hard for them
TO fud Christ. God never hurts man when
he makes ND his mind to come to Him and for
sake MS dissipa alton and degradation. de only
cleanses him. an makes a new creature Of him.
This is Gods W by. and our way has got to live
CD TO it am Ding away and want you dis
tinctly to unders tand that don't want you to
brirg any politi sal claptrap into this business.
IApplause. Il b as no place here. This is God 8
work, and man Is going 10 be permitted to
glory in IL or make capital of II. IL the temper
people had been of ouaaccord, we would
have achieved q general victory all along the
line long ago. / am not here to offend any body.
But what wanfi Is the practical effect. We
want men to sign and keep the pledge, and they
cannot do it by any political hot-housing
process. They wi ii not do it from any nudeine
and kicking. Tt ey can and will only do it
through the grace of God / don't care whether
you vote the Demo cratic or Republican ticket
or any other ticket, or no ticket at ali; keep
your tickets and your politics away from
the work. Of God, and use them in
their legitimate place. There are two
things very sacred with men-their religion
and their politics. and one has about the same
root in their natures Ss the other. Applause. ]
But the boundaries of these are generally sacred,
and sver to be kept so. Never mix them. be-
seect You. When You ask anybody TO address
from political standpoint these people who
have reformed, these men will begin TO drink
again and fall. This is the judgment God will
give for associating worldly corruption with a
work that He has raiaed up-" IApplause.
At the close of Mr.. Murphy's address Captain
Rister spoke briefly and cordially of the good
accomplished here, even tho ugh he felt his sym
pathy with the other side. believing in the third
party. After several interesting testimonies
ware given tha audience sep arated.