The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-10-19
EVILS OF PARTISANSHIP
Rev. Mr.. Milburn Thinks All the Votes
of Last Tuesday We're Thrown Away.
Impossible for Sobriety and Love Of Home to
Win Where Party Lines Control the Vote
discourse on Biblical Fools.
UPON PARTY POLITICS.


Rev. Mr.. Milburn Views the Recent Cam.
paign from "a Pulpit sraud-Point.
At the Second Presbyterian Church, yes.
terday forenoon. Rev. Joseph a. MiI5urn
took as his text the clause from the fifth
verse of the thirteenth chapter of Matthew
IN the parable of the sower:
Because they had no d~eepness of earth.
The words refer to the seed sown in stony
places, The plants swiftly grew aud swift
ly withered because they had no deepness
of earth. In themselves the seeds were
doubtless ali right, just as good as the seeds
that brought forth sixty and a hundred
fold. but they missed efficient life because
of shallowness of soil.
In his discourse he said that in this age
of organized charities. when charity is far
seeing and discriminating, when she has
her agents out in the highways and the by
ways. in the garrets and in the cutters,
seeking for them whom she may rightly
and Justly help, it is wrong. it is q crime
against humanity. it is to foster mendl-
cancy and incidence to give even to the ex-
tent of a crumbo of bread or u five-cent piece
at a venture. Tramps. beggars and gypsies
are not the creation of nature. Nature does
not make beggar: nature does not feed
the tramp. Nature does nothing for this
mighty host that goes about the land-the
wlthered crop grown from virtues sowed in
the shadows where there is no deepness of
earth.
Likewise this truth applies to party pol
ltics. Parties are Indispensable to govern
ment. They are lndispensa Bile to the or
der, honesty. integrity and balance of gov
eminent. So long as we differ as to the
relative values Of the future n the past.
then shall we be- Liberals and COnserva-
tIves. So long as men differ as to the rela-
State rights and protection and free trade
there must be American parties,
Republicans upon tue one side.
Democrats upon the other. When these
problems will come, about which we shall
differ. and the parties shall continue still.
Hence, man must be partisan. must be on
one side or the other. This does not mean
that n man shall always follow his party.
that he shall always vote with IL. that he
shall always be Obedient to It's behests.
Let us rather say to the party II shall be
loyal to you only while you are on high
ground, while you are faithful TO the
right" There are times when the DrInci-
Piles of a party are ignoble and cOntempti-
BILE. not as a whole. but In q particular
member. in localities. in special points.
Then il should be- that the partisan, no
matter whether he be a Republican or a
Democrat, should be so loyal to his
party, should be so jealous of
its great career. that he would for
the while remind il of its derelIctiOn. How
we need this spirit In the political affairs
of this city must be manifest to all. We
are at a moral stand-stIll in this CON-
nunIty because of our rotten partisanship
because we vote for the Republicans and
the Democrats rather than for law and
order and sobriety. Human happiness we
all long for. We a every home in this
city to be- happy and joyous. We want
every mother to rejoice In her boy. We
want the husband OF every wife and the
son of every mother to be a JOY rather than
a curse to his home. We want the city to
prosper. We want the streets paved and
indianapolis to- march forward Oh her
victorious course, This we all want This
we all had in mind when we voted on last
Tuesday. -
Democrats, our vote was In a measure void
and worthless, other than in a party way,
sowed IN ground in which there was no
deepness of earth. We could not, If we
had wanted to. have voted for sobriety. for
law and order, for peace and good will on
earth.
There was something under the vote of
either ticket. The Republicans who voted
promised to see the laws enforced. that the
saloons shall be closed according to the
Sabbath from being desecrated; that they
would revere this day that our fathers
loved and did so much for America.
The Democrats had notice that all during
the past year the saloons have done very
largely as they wished. Why did not the
vote carry for the Sabbath and for lawf
There was no issue of righteousness in the
campaign. but issues such as asphalt pave
ments, street improvements, taxes, and
abOmniable personalities. All this because
make it an issue of party rather than an
issuA Of order.