The Portland daily press., 1890-12-29

the dominant party, In national politles.
sometimes demands that the moral wei!aIe
of the city should be sacrificed. Wnen tnls
is the case, when the preservation Of the
party In power demand that the city should
be governed 50 as not to diminish, but rather
to Increase its supporters, whatever sacrifice
IL costs, then woe betide the city-then sor-
row and difficulty to Its magistrates. They
may ardeDtly desire to rule the city In right
eousness, but to do that they must govern it
in opposition to the cherished plans and
hopes OF the political leaders OF their party .
| They stand then between two raging fires,
on the one hand the sighs and cries OF the
people, the righteous, law-loving people; on
the other hand, the power-loving and party
worshiplng politicians, whose first and great
est principle is; preserve your party, by fair
means IL you can, II not, by any means, for
nothing can be greater calamity than the
defeat OF our party.
This we have reason to fear has been the
first cause Of another abomination.
| Thirdly: The sacrifice Of the moral igeLL-
fare Of our city upon this altar Of political eE-
pedency.-Our lear Is that political power
has been prOstituted to criminal patron
age. And II we mistake, not this Is far more
drunkenness and the lawlessness Of liquor
dealers, and the p0werlessness Of municipal
government, than the alleged popular indif-
ference, and so more responsible for the
evils we deplore.
For this reason, mainly, we must believe
our Christian magistrates have found 1t so
difficult and so well nigh impossible Of late
years to govern our city in righteousness,
because OF what Is done In the dark on the
part of those whose one aim 1t Is TO preserve
| their party In power and who, as politicians
with eyes wide open to the success OF party
| schemes, but with eyes seemingly closed To
the triumph Of party principles are making
the preservation Of the party their first con-
| cern. The cities, therefore, the great GEN.
tres Of population and Of political power,
must be governed In the interests of the rul-
Ing party. and so as to secure Its prolonged
| existence.
If. when. moral interests and criminal in.
terests come into conflict. and 1t Is found
| that the cause Of criminals can supply the
| largest numerical support to the party, then
the moral interests must be set aside or neg
| lected.
In loyalty to this principle the sacred
cause Of temperance-of law and order-has,
| we believe, been sacrificed, and the friends
| OF virtue-the citizens who long to have the
| city governed In righteousness-nave been
left TO mourn and sigh, even to hang their
| heads In shame for the honor Of the city,
while criminals and their supporters aud
we'll wishers, have been jubllant over the
inglorious victory OF this fusion Of political
and criminal power.
This, in the abominatIon, has caused
groaning and trouble to the people Of Port
land and their Christian rulers as well
Now 1t Is a practically pertinent question,
whsther the Christian pulpit has anything
10 DO Will this matterP
Whether 1t should prudently be silent, or
speak its convictions? Whether Christian
ministers are justified In maintaining siencr
while sacred law of the state, one frame1
In the interests Of humanity By the moral
wisdom of It's people Is trodden deep In the
mire of political expedieney?
The ministers OF this city, without respect
OF denomination, or party, have voiced their
sentiment In these resolutions, unanimously
passed at the association meeting:
The Ministerial Association OF Portland, having
had under consideration the prevalent disregard
clare:
First, Our conviction that an utterly criminal,
shameful and damaging traffic In strong drink Is
disgraclDg our city.
Second, Our chagr n that law-abiding citizens,
who have enacted benefcent law, should be per-
petually insulted by defiant law-breakiDg on the
part Of men whose highest motive is greed, and
homes and cur city.
Third. Our de efmnatIon to do all In our power
citizens IT, place above party politics the para
mount necessity OF securing In our okces men
who have the conscience and ability TO enforce
aga nSt law-Qefving majority the law which the
patriotism, piety and true business sagacity Of
the majority OF the citizen. OF Maine has placed
aud obeyed.
Some Of you my hearers believe that poll
tics should be kept out Of religion and out OF
the pulpit. So think l., but does any one
think that religion should be excluded from
pOhtiCos anu NEVER
have anything 70 say upon righteous pollti-
cal principles? We believe that the pulplts
of Portland would he unit In the opinion
that 1t Is better for political party to perish
from off the earth than to purchase victory
by the sacrifice of It's principles and so by its
own corruptiOn.
When the party expires for standing by It's
own righteous platform, then 1t dies nobly, a
martyr to the cause Of political righteous
ness; then its death Is glorious and out of it,
ashes right will rise in greater majority and
more durable form. 1t Is not the party that
ought never to die. but the principles for
which the party exists. Men survive their
parties to turn defeat into victory. Princi-
pes live In men. 1t Is never the highest
wisdom to say, II vote for principles and not
for men, "Or"fOr measures and not for men"
1t Is higher wisdom to demand true princt-
pies in true men. God raise up for as sucn
men TO be our rulers whatever their party
But 1t Is time to close this sermon, and be- |
fore close desire to thank the representa-
tives Of the .Woman's Christian Union for |
the honor of their presence, and for the
privilege Of speaking this evening under thu |
auspices OF their society. nobler, mcrr
patriotic, and more heroic organization doe
n t, IN my opinion. exist In our land than
their 'National Union Of which this organ
ization is part.
rne Woman's Christian Temperance Un-
ion had both an heroic and pathetic origin.
We remember that marvellous movement OF
1874, ''the woman's temperance crusade"
''the whirlwind of the Lord" as Frances Z.
Willard termed 1t In her memorial to the ma
tional political conventions. We remember
how the saloons went down before IL, as IL
smitten by the hand OF God, and strong ana
vicious liquor dealers succumbed to those
patient, prayerful and powerful women;
powerful in their gentleness and faith and
holy sorrow of love. Out of that c0nseerat-
ed mOveme { was born the National w. @.
t. U and now, as the growth Of sixteen
Of ''motner love-" of woman's heart ana
brain, for the reformation of men and man.
ners. and the coming OF the Kingdom OF
righteousness.
This uprising Of Christian women the
world over. to unite In one grand, broad,
heroic endeavor to uphft humanity-to save,
beautify and glorify fallen menand women
Is the most significant and hopeful sign OF
our time for human progress. 1t Is pre-emi-
nantly q Christly movement and a mighty
ally Of the church Of God.
We firmly believe that these fearless and
tireless workers will reach their goal and
grasp the prize at last. Eventually, all they
pray for and toll for, Will come. The day OF
victory may be far in the future, but 1t slow
ly and surely approaches: The day when
prohibition will prohibit and prevail IN our
land the day OF national constitutional pro-
hibition; the day when the saloon shall be
no more a dominant force in American poll-
t cs; the cay when our cities will be ruled
in the interests of righteousness. 1t may
be, indeed it may be, that before this pIlItl-
co-temperance millennium shall dawn, the
women citizens of the United States. in the
full rights of citizenship, will WELD the bal
lot for the nations redemption from the
denominations Of the liquor traffic.
Portland Benevolent Society.
The eighty. seventh annual meeting of the
Portland Benevolent Society was held in
the First Parish church last evening, the ser
mon being delivered by Rev. B. l.. Whitman
of the Free Street church.
The exercises opened with reading of the
Scriptures by Rev. DR.. Dalton, following
which prayer was offered by Rev. DR.. Hill.
There was large audience present, and at
the close Of the sermon collection was tak-
en- in aid of the sOclety's treasury. Fol-
lowing is an abstract of Mr.. Whitman's re-
marks were upon the topic Of THE Philan-
thropy Of Jesus:
The inspiration Of philanthropic work "a
found In the example and teaching of Jesus.
The philanthropy of Jesus is marked by:
/. C0nprehensiveness This Is seen In
ll.g 49,