Morning journal and courier., 1891-08-17
APLEA FOR MORAL IDEAS.


 Convictions into Politics-A Hoped-
 for Union of Christian People | Against the Liquor TraMc-The New Crusade Against the Saloon.
 The Rev. Dr. John A. Brooks, late pro hibition candidate for vice-president, de- Hvered an address in the Davenport Con- gregational church yesterday afternoon, ,on the Relations of Politics to Religion" The speech was an eloquent plea in favor of the introduction of moral and religious conceptions into the field of politics, par ticularly with reference to the political at titude of Christian men and women to the liquor traffic. Dr. Brooks is a man of fine personality, an earnest and effective speaker, whose sentences are each an un- qualified statement of belief, said with such evident sincerity and singleness of feeling that the very manner of their ut terance was impressive.
 The speaker himself has passed through an unusually interesting career. He comes of southern stock, and has been Missou- rian for the last twenty-five years. In the war he stood by the Confectionery, but has been loyal supporter of the Union since. In the eighties Brooks stumped up and down the length of his state for years on 8 temperance platform. He joined the pro hibition ranks when neither of the old parties would do anything for prohibi- ton amendment in Missouri, and wss nom mated with general Clinton B. Fisk on the national ticket in 1888. He is now a prominent divine in the M. E. church south Whatever people may think of the wisdom of political and partizan prohibi- tion, one cannot fail to admire the moral earnestness and enthusiasm which charac- terizes such men as Dr. Brooks.
 The text of the discourse was the passage of scripture "Then shall the kingdoms Of this world be ruled by the kingdom of Christ" The speaker outlined the day when the forces of sin and evil shall have been banished from the state and social life. and righteoutness shall be the law of the emissaries of satan will no longer con- trol our government and Christian men and women, the representatives of Christ's kingdoms on earth, will hold all the offices of state. Don't believe anyone who tells you," said Dr. Brooks, "that religion and politics ought not to mingle. It was Sen ator Ingalls, who made the greatest mistake of his life when he said The decalogue has no place in politics. If the decalogue is not to control politics, what is its The ig- norant whims and caprices of 8 sinful and selfish world. If moral conceptions and ideas of duty have no place in pol itics' do they hold good at all? Ought not man to take his religion with him into every walk and oc- cupation of life? I like that saying of President Garfield, T know no secular duties. All that have to do has a godly and religious side. My duties are all re- ligious' I believe in following ones moral convictions in politics as every where else. If fifty years hence not a man votes for prohibition, there will be one who will be casting his ballot for his ideas of right, and that man will be John A. Brooks. I will maintain the same convic- tion on my death bed and set it before the Lord for approval when l die."
 ''Tke kingdoms of this world are those | of isatan by right of conquest and of con- pact between him and it's sinful rulers When the constitution sanctioned the bondage of one human being to another l the fearless and truth-loving abolitionists cried out: Tt is league with death and g | covenant with hell, because it stands by l the sale of the bodies of men to their fel 1 lows.' Hush, hush," said the churches "You will divide the cause of the gospel | and create dissensions among Christian people, But these reformers went straight | ahead in spite of such disheartening words | A few years ago in Nebraska I met quaint old religious sect, tht covenanters, who would not vote because the name of God is not to be found in tht constitution. They were stout believers il prohibition but would not cast ballot tt forward their convictions. I said to then l Do you expect satan to put God into tn, constitutions? The rulers of this world could not be expected to recognize God l It was the business of Christians to mak | his will predominant in government as il l everything elses"
 l ''Most of the compacts with hell, whic} l were once in state law, have been broken Polygamy is gone, slavery is gone, relics o I other unjust expressions have beer swept away, but the oppression of the saloon on the bodies ant
 by the government of these United States Slavery affected only the physical man
 the heart could worship God and follow
 the impulses of duty. But the moderl curse of the liquor traffic destroys self I respect, kills the conscience and highe
 feelings, and ultimately destroys it's vic
 tim, body and soul"
 Dr. Brooks then drew forcible pictur
 of the crushing out of slavery through tn l awakening of the moral sentiment in tn
 land. Along with this recital he showed
 how his own eyes were gradually opened l as the struggle went on to the enormity o
 slavery and he with his fellow southerner
 now rejoiced in the freedom of the slav
 and the preservation of the Union. 'But,
 said he, ''when the government of th
 United States broke one league with deatl
 and covenant with hell, they contracte'
 another by granting the right of legal sal
 of alcohol to an iniquitous organization o
 liquor dealers on payment of tax o
 ninety cents a gallon" The conse
 quent ruin and unspeakable miser.
 that brought upon many home
 in the years following that darl
 license to enslave and oppress wer
 eloquently depicted by the speaker. "Peo
 pie say, as they did with reference to slav
 cry, If you oppose this enormity you di
 vide the church. Let it dividei Let tn
 devils people go one side and those wh
 stand by God on the other. If the churcl
 is weak and helpless before it's foes to-day | if it knuck1es down before infdelity and i
 attacked in the house of it's friends, it i
 because it has refused to take a decided
 and courageous stand on moral question
 of the hour. She makes no effort to loosel
 the grip that the liquor organization
 has on the politics of this country. Il | hauSaS ClUy, my OWL GoWu, Cuo people dr
 bound hand and foot by the whisky inter est. The sots and saloonists, be they dem ocrats and republicans, get elected D! large majorities, while the decent, Chris tian men are left out in the cold. It i
 true in New Haven, it is true in every cit, of 40, ,000 inhabitants. If Christians wer
 only united against the interests of satal which present such solid front we could sweep the country. If we could only Ia. aside our petty jealousies and hatreds O each other as democrats, republicans ant prohibitionists, and unite lovingly in th' service of God to forward common enc 8 better day would soon arrive. God helI a speedy consummation of our desiresl" l DIR. BROOKS MORNING DISCOURSE.
 "Can any good thing come out O Nazareth" was the text from which tht preacher proceeded to show that thougl not "good thing" in the eyes of th' Pharisees and their followers The religion | of Jesus of Nazareth was the best thins for every man, then and now, in this Tiff or the other. Had Christ been human would