The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1892-06-01

| shire, South Wales, Glasgow and Dun
dee. A remedy is reaCy when the peo'
| pie awake. / am, sir, yours faithfully,
G. 4. Howard VINCENT.
CARLTON CLUE, April %.
The Meihodist Bishops and the Third
Party.
Attention should be called I'd the ad-
dress of the bishops of the General Con-
ference of the Methodist Church. now
| in session in Omaha. This address is
| influential in the great Methodist
Church. 1t is signed by all the bishops,
| and is properly regarded as the most
| dignified announcement which the
church can make of its position and
policy. 1t need hardly be stated (be-
cause 80 widely known that the church
is pronounced in its advocacy of total
abstinence and the prohibition of the
liquor traffic. At the last General Con-
ference, in the bishops address, with
reference to the liquor traffic, these
words occur: at can never be licensed
without SIM" Some persons had con-
strued this statement as a declaration
that any man was sinner who voted
with any other than the Prohibition
party. The words afforded to
the Prohibition party weap-
on which they mercilessly used
toward all Methodist Republicans
in the states where the Republican par
ty did not stand for prohibition. So
much concerning the address of the
bishops four years ago needs to be
known in order to appreciate the pres
ent declaration of the same body. 1t
will be noticed that on the question Of
temperance the bishops reaf1irm their
adherence to prohibition, and say: eve
rejoice in every step of progress toward
the attainment Of these ends" Also
1--WE exhort our people to encourage
every repression and limitation of the
business, and to keep steady eye to its
total extirpation." Under the head Of
politics." the bishops further say:
1.-The attitude of our church is strenu-
ously non-partisan and non-sectional;"
and also: when moral issues are be-
fore the public, our people are invaria-
bly, found on the side Of the highest
standard, but even then they choose
their own party affiliations and refuse
to be dictated to as to the matter of
their vote"
While these words Of the highest dig
nitaries in the Methodist Church do not
mark any departure in it's policy, they
may properly be construed as q rebuke
to those persons who have attempted
to coerce all Methodists to vote the Pro-
hibition party ticket. They also Justify
the argument for non-partisanship
which has been so vigorously made by
many temperance people.
1t is fortunate that this utterance has
been made. The following are the
paragraphs referred to:
Temperance.-The attitude we hold to-
ward the drink habit and the saloon re-
mains unchanged. Drunkenness and
MISUNDERSTANDING are alike offensive TO
God and ruInous to man. Moderate drink
ing, So-called, is the bane of society and
the chief support of the nefariOuS traffic.
We hold with undated tenacity to the Oft
repeated statement that total abstinence is
the only safety for the individual, and that
complete legal prohibition of the traffic is
the urgent duty of the state. We rejoice in
every step OF progress toward the attain
ment of these ends. In our judgment, the
saloon is an unmiXed evil, full of diabol-
ism, disgrace to our civilization, the chief
cOrrupter of political action, and a cOntin-
ual menace TO the order of society, and to
the peace and purity Of our homes. We ex-
hort all our people To encourage every re-
preston and limitation of the business, and
to keep steady eye to its total eXtirpa-
ton.
Politics.-With regard to politics, the
attitude of our church is StrenuOuSly non
partiSdn anu non-SecIlondl. II acknOWl-
edges no allegiance to any political creed
or association. 1t urges all its members
who have the right TO vote TO discharge
that duty, but 1t leaves every voter abSO-
lutely free from ecclesiastical interference
to determine for himself for whom his bal
lot shall be cast. The right of suffrage, or
the franchise, we regard as great and re-
spOnslble trust, which should in all cases,
ecclesiastical and civil, be exercised con-
ScientiouSly, but IN absolute personal free
dom. When moral issues are before the
public, our people are invariably found on
the side of the highest standard, but even
then they choose their own party afflla-
tons and refuse to be dictated TO as to the
matter of their vote.
This should make an end of the claim
that the Methodist Church is committed
in any manner or degree to third-party
prohibition.