The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1890-02-13
w. c. T. u. COLUMN.
EDITED BY THE LADIES or THE KE-
NosHA w. C. T. u.
Mrs Clara Hoffman was introduce

ed and spoke as fOllOWS: DedI
friends, / shall not make a speech
tonight. The night is too far spent
but | want to put before you a few
questions, and | hope you will an
swer them from your inner consci-
ence
Mrs. Henry said tonight that we
were christian nation. Are we
Christian nation? Have We Christ
ian civilization? Have we d Christ
ian government? | know you will say
to me, "Why, we have 10000, 900
church COMMITMENTS. True.
You will say to me, I'VE have $4,000
Christian ministers" True. ''We
have a vast church extension so
ciety." True, land our missionary
endeavor .broadens and deepens.
All true. "And our societies are
multiplying for Christian culture,
''and I lay my tribute at the foot OF
the earliest Christian workers,
whether in pew or in pulpit, and
thank God we have thousands and
thousands, yea, believe millions OF
such workers, and | thank them and
lay my tribute before them, but
when it comes to the expression, "a
Christian government, l protest.
We never had it, never yet. You
say. "Put the name Of God in the
Constitution. Would that make it
Christian government? No, verify.
What then? When Cod is honored
and obeyed, and the high moral vel
fare of the people is cared for by the
government, then it may be claimed
to be a Christian government, and
not till then. Not till then. No, not
till then.
want to ask you just to remem-
Der a few facts in connection with
our government, for this is subject
that Christian hearts should take in;
that Christian intelligences should
brood over and mediate upon.
What has been our history from the
first? We have never kept treaties
with those whom we have under our
power. Never. What is our history
with the Indian? We have broken
treaty after treaty with him, and [
noticed in the Indian Association
that met in this city only short time
ago. that it was shown that this gov
eminent owes $17,ooo,oo to the In
dams, which it is Withholding, that it
has pledged itself to pay to the In
dams for reservation lands taken
away from them, Why? Because
we are poor? Hardly that. What
has been our history with other PEG
] pie who were inferior and subject?
For two hundred and forty years we
held the black mar in bondage, and
made ourselves rich with human
flesh and blood, and when the judg-
ment of God came and that national
sin, for it was a national sin, and not
Southern sin, let US note, when
that national sin was wiped out in
blood, and the brotherhood Of man
was established before the bar of
this land, then, what did our govern
ment do? 1t said, eve viii pension
the soldiers" everybody said "Amen!'
1t said, eve will build home for
the soldiers" and everybody said
"Amen!" And it did build homes
for the soldiers, and it pensioned the
soldiers, and there are but three Of
these soldiers homes where the pen
sion money IS not taken back over
the counters of the government into
the till of the government for beer
IF anv heather nation can do any
worse than that where is it?
We heard about Congo. want
to tell you something else. When
the other great powers of this world
were wiling to enter into an inter
national compact that no dynamite
no firearms, no liquor should be sent
to the Free State Of Congo, and the
Islands Of the Sea and to other parts
of Africa, who refused 20 enter into
that compact? England! No, And
England is not Christian enough t.
hurt her. France? No. And
France never was called consecrated
Russia? No. And Russia is count
ed only semi civilized. Belgium?
Drunken as she is, no. Who re-
fused? America refused The
American government said, eve
can't do it, we can't do it. We
have broken our treaty with China,
with everybody, always looking after
the material, always on the side of
gain, and yet are we a Christian gov
eminent? Have we a Christian civ
iization? We are told that in the
city Of New York $50, 900 children
are day and night, and night and
day, under the demoralizing infu-
ences of the saloon; we are told by
the Citizens League of Chicago that
$4,000 children go day after day in
to your saloons and drink and bring
away drink, We have heard from
the platform here of your $4,000,
900 for liquor, and $50, 900 for