Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1892-11-03
Let Mississippi Preachers and People
who Have Been so Long Driven and
BROW Beaten by Democratic Far
~ Bosses, Read aud Take Com
fort to Themselves.

fort To tnehnStiNtN
A hcart-rending letter has been sent
to the ministers of Alabama by c. Nj.
Shelly, chairman of the Democratic
State Committee. 4 copy of this let
ter has come into our possession, and
in some respects it is the most remark
able political document we have ever
seen. Here it is:
HEADQUARTERS
DEMOCRATIC CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE.
BIRMINGHAM, ALA, Sept. "a, 1892.
REV. AND DEAR sun take the liberty 81
addressing you, not rs u minister Of the Gospel,
hut ~ good citizen Who IL deeply Interested III
the welfare ~ oar people, and III tueir moral Gle
Walton.
Tic uoilIcal strife which is now going on
throughout our state Is creating much disturb
aucr in the social and religious relations OF our
committees. The depressed condition of the
country, the scarcity Of money, the low price Of
the products Of the farmer, and the dihcllltE IN
finding employment for the lahOrcr all combined
have produced feeling Of discomfort, OF which
the yIIouS poltcal factions in this state are the
legitimate outcome. These divisions among thc
people are threatening the overthrow of good
government and impcTling the cause of ciyliIa-
tion and OF Christianity. Many OF our good peo-
pie have broken away from the great Do4y OF
conservative citizens and gone oil after teachers
of strange doctrines and dangerous politics. In
this strife good government, our clvlllZatOn ana
Christianity are all involved. The peace ana
quiet Of the country is being destroyed. Neighbor
is arraycd against nCighhOr, and the bitterness
being engcndered by these conflicts between
opposing factions Is increasing each day. Much
OF this trouble is due to natural causes. but more
largely to false teachers, and to the unwiSe man
agcment of our party leaders. In contemplating
this fearful and dangerous condition OF AFFAIRS, l
feel that il is the duty Of every good citizen with
out reference to his profession or calling to exert
whatever moral and Christian Influence he pos
SeSSeS to the bringing OF the people together
again. and keeping them united and harmonious
in their efforts, so that good government may he
promoted and the peace and prosperity OF our
beloved State secured for ourselves and children
after us. This cannot be done by public speak
ing, because the people who are arTayed against
the Democratic party will not come out to hear
our speakers. They are so prejudced against
the party that they will not believe what our
speakers may say or what our leaders may write.
Politicians cannot reach them-they will not hear
the truth from such sources, and other means
must be employed | can think of nothing so
effective and certain as the Cody counsel and
advice OF ministers of the Gospel. know that 1t
is a delicate matter TO call upon you to do work
which is generally regarded as inconsistent with
your holy calling |, however do not SO regard 1t.
| believe that the influence.Of the Cody men of
this country could not be better employed than In
uniting the political power of the citizens in be
half OF good government, because good govern
ment fosters the church and advances the cause
of Christianity. | therefore appeal to yOuln the
most earnest and solemn manner, begging you
to every effort consistent with your high and
sacred calling to bring our people together in the
support of the most eminent living eXpOunder of
the true principles and correct politics of our
government. II have Overstepped the bounds
OF prOpriety In thus addressing you beg you to
fOrgiyet. A most earnest desire to avail myself
In the conduct OF this campaign of every possible
good influence to reunite our people and make
them strong In the support of good government
is my only excuse.
Politicians and Office holders generally have
lost their power, and are no longer accepted as
teachers OF correct doctrines With profound
respect and reverence, am. your most obedient
servant {. NJ. SHELLEY,
Chairman.
On reading this we could not help
wondering what Senator Coke, Senator
Roger @. Mills and Barney" Gibbs, all
of Texas, would say to this cry of help to
the preachers. Those three high Dem
ocratic dignitaries, in the prohibitory
amendment campaign in Texas in 1887,
denounced the preachers for entering
into politics and advised the people to
'scourge the political preachers back
to their pulpits" and to whip the
preachers out of politics.! But then
it was only the home that was at stake;
now it is the sacred Democratic party.
Preachers, it seems, may go into poll
tics to save Democracy, but for no
other reason
The letter above is remarkable chief
ly for the utter misconception the
writer seems to have of the nature of
popular government. To him the di
vision of the people into two parties is
the very essence of ruin-a Fearful
and dangerous condition of affairs
while the truth is that that is exactly
what popular government means, and
the very fullest freedom to make such
divisions is the very first requirement
in true republic. "These divisions
among the people," says Chairman
Shelly, fare threatening the overthrow
of good government and imperilling
the cause of civilization and Christian
ity" Such sentence would have done
discredit even to the Dark Ages. What
it means is that the freedom of the
people, the right to think for them
selves and act according to their polit-
ical conditions, threatens good govern
ment and imperils civilization. Such
doctrine, carried out logically, means
not the restoration of African slavery,
but the creation of American slavery,
the enslavement of whites and blacks,
by the managers of the Democratic
party.
No wonder politicians and office
holders generally have lost their power
and are no longer accepted as teachers
of correct doctrines" by the people of
Alabama. This statement does them
credit, and is most cheering indica-
tion. If the preachers of Alabama have
the good sense we think they have,
they will give Chairman Shelley some
wholesome instruction as to the ma
ture OF popular government and of
American institutions that will open
his eyes and make him exclaim with
his fellow Democratic politician of
Alabama "Where was 1 at ?"-The
Voice.
We are told that the Cleveland and