Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1893-09-26
WARMLY COMMENDED.
Preachers Write to Approve the
Leaders Article of Last
Week.
The Personal Responsibility of
Christian Voters FOrcibly
Emphasized.
Rev. T.. 4. Douglass Says 1t Was Timely,
to the Point and the Arguments I'm
anStNprablp"

Kew. r.. Il. DouSitss says III "aS hihe'y,
to the Point and the Arguments I'm
answerable."
Editor Mississippi Leader:
l have just read your editorial in
The LEADER of 10Th inst, under the
caption of personal and Otherwise"
1t is timely, to the point and the argu-
ments unanswerable. am glad, Mr..
Editor, you wrote that article; it will
do good.
The individual responsibility of
Christian voters is truth that ought
to commend itself to the mind of every
one. A Christian may do a righteous
act by the casting of his ballot, or he
may commit sin. If there is any re-
sponsibility resting upon Christian
men as to their manner of living and
acting in this life in other matters,
there certainly is in this also. A true
patriot sis one who loves and serves
his country" not his party. A party
may be used only as means OF serv-
ing the good of the country. But when
a party becomes the avowed advocate
of corrupt principles, it ought to be
abandoned by every true patriot.
When the Democratic party, right in
in the face of all the earnest efforts of
the Christian men and women of the
country, to eradicate the evils of the
| liquor traffic. took under it's sheltering
wing that iniquitous business, it for
feited every claim that it ever had up
on the Christian voters of the country.
1t is direct Insult to the intelligence
and piety of aug Christian man to even
intimate that he ought to gire his sup
port to such q party. Yet many good
Christian men are still giving their
support to the Democratic party, just
because they have not seriously
thought about the attitude in which
they place themselves in doing SO. A
brother minister said to me in my
house the day after the election last
November Il voted the Democratic
ticket, as I have always done, because
| had not read and informed myself
upon the issues that were involved,
aud | was afraid to vote any other way
because 1 thought all this new par
ty movement was Republican
scheme to foist on us carpet-bag rule
again."
Now here was Christian minister, a
good man, one beloved by all who know
him, who confessed to the humiliating
fact that he went to the ballot box and
voted unintelligently. Was this right !?
Was it faithfully meeting the demands
and responsibilities of an intelligent,
Christian citizenship? l think not.
AS it was with this brother so l am
persuaded it is with hundreds and
thousands of Christian men. They
have never yet realized their individual
Christian responsibility in the matter
When the Christian manhood of the
country becomes aroused, as | believe
it will in the near future, the Christian
men of this great government will
arise in their might and crush the life
out of all the parties that give their
support to the abominable liquor bus
mess.
Like you, Mr.. Editor, Il came slowly
and reluctantly, to the conclusion that
a new party, committed to Prohibition,
is the only solution to the liquor curse"
Coming to this conclusion have, for
the last nine years, given my support
to the National Prohibition party-a
party based upon principles of truth
and justice. If the principles advocat-
ed by the Prohibition party are not
true and good, will some one show in
a manly way why they are not Argu-
ment, straight-forw and to the point,
is what we demand. Personal thrusts,
petty spite and mud singing are in
deed very poor arguments.
Such things are as harmless as paint
ed fire and serve to show the weakness
of those who resort to such methods.
The men who have deliberately left
the old party, great and good as it may
have been in the past, have acted from
sense of pure conviction in the mat
ter, and no amount of personal criti-
cism will cause them to deviate from
the determined stand which they have
taken.
THE LEADER is making converts
wherever it goes. Let the friends of
reform rally to its support and give it
wide circulation. May God bless our
people and help them to bring about
state of better things than now exists.
e. p. DOUGLASS.
WaCcOp Misc