The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1891-06-25
LOCAL OPTION AND METH
ODISM.
Bishop Galloway's Position Re
viewed.

The New Orleans Christian Advo-
cate of May n, has an article from
Bishop Galloway, written sin order
to correct miSapprehcnsion which
may lead To unnecessary and unfor-
tunatc differences among the temper
ancc workers of our church, The
reference Is to the following rcsolu-
ton passed 10y the late w. c. r. L.
Convention III Brookhavcn
Resolved, That while local option
has been of service in the preliminary
struggle against alcohol, we believe it
to be Intellectual as a temperance
measure. false in principle, and com
promise with the liquor traffic. There
fore. we align ourselves squarely with
the Methodist General Conference at
st. Louis, with the Mississippi Baptist
State Convention and other bodies
which have declared for Prohibition
of the saloon, and that we will join
our brother Prolubitionists in asking
for Legislation that will protect the
State in its homes.
The good Bishop comments thus:
That resolution does not correct,
state the action of the General Con-
ference or the attitude of the Metho-
dist church on the subject of temper
ancc and prohibition. The General
Conference at st. Louis adopted a
strong report endorsing Prohibition,
but nowhere said or minated that To-
cal option, which is one form of pro-
hibitiOn, was "falsc in principle and Il
compromise with the liquor traffic"
The resolution of the Brookhavcn
Convention does not state that the
General Conference at st. Louis "'Said
or intimatcd" that local option was
false in principle and II compromise
with the liquor traffic" The rcsql u
ton says that "wc" (thc Mississippi
w. {. L. ~ believe it to be so
"herctorc' zee adopt the declarations
of the Methodist General Conference
at st. Louis. The Temperance re-
port adopted by that grand body
states:
Resolved, That we abatc none of
the teachings of our reverend fathers
of four Yeas ago, but rcaflirm the ut
tcranccs of our Bishops and members
of the General Conferences of 1886,
and that we adopt these uttcrances as
the sentiments of our General Confer
cncc of 1890.
The general Conference of 1856 de-
clarcd
We recognize in the license system
Il sin against society. Its essential
immortality cannot be affected by the
question whether the license be low
on high.
The cltcctual prohibition of the
manufacture. sale and use of intOXi-
eating liquors is emancipation from
the greatest curse that now atliictS our
race.
The General Conference of 1890 at
st. Louis continues
Resolved /. That the General Con-
ference of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, South, is opposed to the man
sale, and use of intoxicating
liquors except for medical and me-
chaniCal purposes, and that we will
continue to agitatc the subject of Pro-
hibition us Il great moral question in
all its bearings on the life and work OF
the church, and strive with all good
citizens, and by all proper and honor
able means to Danish the horrible evil
from our beloved church and country.
2. THAT TIE TINE HAS NOW COME
when the church through its press and
pulpit-its individual and organized
agencies should speak out in strong
cr words and stronger action in favor
of the total removal of the great evil
of intcmpcrance from our land.
Now what the women of the Missis-
sippi w. C. T. l.. meant to say and
did say was "wc align ourselves
squarcly with the Methodist General
Conference at St. Louis ;" their plat
form is our platform. 1t says the IL
ccnsc system is Il sin. Local option is
a license measure: it licenses the sa-
loon to rayage Hnrcstrained i'll some
counties, while it shuts its eyes to the
maruadings of that high way robber
the jug-in the county which it pro-
fesscs to protect: it declares that to
be legally right which the church de-
clarcs to be morally wrong-a princi-
pic which sits side by side with that
other damming hcrcsy of doing evil
that good may come. "Wrong always
builds Il lettering THRONE
To-day local option is the strong
hold of the liquor traffic, second only
to high license. The women in their
dire struggle have learned to thor
oughly distrust any temperance meas
ure that pleases fencc-rders, whisky
papers or the saloon.
1t is too true that the Mississippi
Conference last December took Il back
ward step i'll adopting the following:
Your committee is of the opinion
that an educated public sentiment,
combined with a local option measure,
earnestly stressed and vigorously
pressed are to be the instruments for
the arrest and final overthrow of this
giant evil. And recognizing the po-
tency of the pulpit we would recon-
mend that our pastors preach to each
of their congregations on the subject
of Temperance at least once during