The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-08-05

act alone. it recommends local option where
possible. Page 354.l Thus the Methodist
Episcopal Church Is in su bstantial accord
with the temperance forces of the country,
and 1t Is libel upon the good sense OF the
bishops and of the General Conference to
construe the remark that the traffic can
not be legalized without sin to mean that
Methodist cannot. without SHINING, vote
for o law that is less restrictive
than entire prohibition. when his vote
for prohibition would not secure that.
Studied in connection with other words,
the meaning of the bishops and of the Gen.
eral Coference is that q Methodist cannot
fail to vote for local option and other re-
strictive measures where prohibition IL not
possible. without SHINING; on the principle
that he that can do good and doeth 1t not,
TO him it Is sin.
THE POLITICAL PRoHIBs.
But are all prohibitlonsts training in
this united temperance armyi Not quite
all. but the exceptions are so few, COM
pared with the immense host of true tenn
perapce soldiers, that there is substantial
unity In the temperance forces. Here and
there Is temperance man who will have
prohibition or nothing as there were come
cutters in the fifnes who refused to cooper
ate with the brave and good men who took
hold of the slavery question in practical
way; but what are these among so manyf
In twenty years they have never counted
Vote IHsana newer ot the Der p0e esns
And they are growing beautifully less from
year to year. In 1856 they counted nearly
300, 900, but In 1883 they could muster only
about $4,000 with one of the greatest and
best men in the world their leader; and
IN 1890. an Oft year. and most favorable for
them. they counted only about 240, 900. For
1892 what Is left of them are already run
ming to and fro like mad, seeking alliances
with disgruntled farmers or dlsaruntled
for they have been spurned BY all. Let the
dying die in peace is the dictate of human
ity; let the dead bury the dead. but go thou
and do thy duty, was the command OF the
1T is not probable the Doctor further
said, that many of these will ever again
act IN harmony with the grand army of
temperance workers. In their methods they
have said too many bitter things against
trenches to ever feel comfortable in fellow
ship with them-certainly never as fellow
soldiers In the places of danger or in hand
to- hand conflict. The probable future atti-
tude of this remnant is clearly, foreshad-
owed by it's present attitude to the temper
ance situation In Iowa. In no State for
many years have the lines been as sharply
drawn as they are this year in Iowa. The
saloon demands the unconditional repeal
of one of the very best prOhibitOry laws In
existence. and. as usual, it finds plant
tool in tho Democratic party, while the
Republican party has with substantial
unanImity declared for retaining and en-
forcing the law. Are these men, cOnstitut-
ing less than one-half of per cent. of the
voters of that State. shoulder to shoulder
with the temperance forces of the state in
this hand-tO-hand conflict Not bit of it.
They were never more unsparing In their
criticisms of the Grants, and the Shermans.
and the Lineolns of the temperance forces
There 10 not one of them who would not
rather see Governor Boies reelected,
with his black official temperance record
and his political fellowship with the sa-
loon. and on platform pledged to the I'M
conditional repeal or the prOhlbItory law,
than to see any Republican in America
elected as Republican. When asked for
a reason, their answer, In word, is: They
say 'SibbOleth,' whereas they should say
'ShibbOleth.' or, to be exact. quote from
the address of their candidate for Supreme
Judge. The Republican platform says: We
pledge continued opposition to the behests
of the saloon power through the main
tenance and enforcement of the law
whereas they should have said: The main
tenance and enforcement of the prohibit
tory law just as if there were no other
la on earth that should be maintained
and enforced.
HANDFUL OF MALcoNTENTs.
"But this handful of malcontents is too
small to seriously retard our Triumphant:
movements In the seventeen States
in which the out-and-out prohibition
force has been counted they never
constituted 7per cent. of that force alone,
but when counting the combined anti
saloon force they do rot amount to the
half of l per cent. Is not this too insigniti-
cant traction to seriously retard our ad-
vance upon the enemyf And now that the
temperance forces are so united and since
every decision of the federal court has
been for US. and As the churches ara with
rs. end more than all. as God is with u.s.
leading us. as surely as the pillars of
cloud and of fire led His people, though it
led them from the very borders of Canaan
back into the wilderness for a season. to
lead them into the land by a way they had
not thought of. let us go forward. united
force. knowing that they that are with us
are more than they that are with them.
even counting these obstructionists where
they properly belong-on the side of the
saloon"
In the evening the Rev. A. Hurlstone
preached to the conference.