Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1893-11-17

the foundation Of this Government, AM
though the perpetrators and their victim,
may have gone into the dust, in the last da"
judgment VIII be awarded.
The falSehoOds that Aaron Burr breathe
into the ear of BlennGrhassett; the elanders
that Lieutenant 4enefal Gage proclaimed
about George Washington: the misrepreSen-
tatiOns in regard ID James Mdtiroe; are as
fresh in Gods book to-day as the lies that
were printed last week about our local can
sjiates. 'And all liars shall have their par
n the lake which purneth with fire and brin
stone, which is the second DEATH"
Again. Iccinsel you as Christian men to
set yourselves against the misuse of money
in political campaigns. OF the thousands
dollars already spent this autumn; how mucA
of the amount do you suppose has been prop
eriy Used? You have right to spend mOn"y
for the publishing of political tracts for tn
establishment Of organizations for the carry
ing out Of what you consider to bs the best
you have a right to appeal to tho reason
men by argument and statistics and by facts.
Printing and renting Of public halls and po-
litical meetings cost money; but he who puts
n bfibe into the hand Of voter or plie6 weak
men with mercenary and corrupt motives
commits sin against &c and the Nation.
Bribery is one Of the most appalling sins
OF this country. God says, Fire shall con
sumo the tabernacleS Of bribery" Have
nothing to do with such sin, o Christian
man! Fling it from the ballot box. Hand
over to the police the nan Who attempts to
tamper with your vote, and femenlber that
elections that cannot be carried Without
bribps ought never to be carried at all.
Again ask you as ChristiIn men to set your
selves against the dissipatiOns that hover over
the ballot box. Let me say that no man can
afford to go into political life who is not a
'teetotaIer. Hot political discussion somehow
creates an unnatural thirst, and hundreds Of
thousands of men have gone down into
drunkenness through
After an exciting canvass through tho
evening you must take something" and
rising in the morning with less animation
than usual You must take something" and
going off among yOIr COmra les through the
forenoon you meet political friends, aud you
must take something, aud in the afternoon
you meet other pOitiCa, fren Is, AMI you
must "take something, AMI being night has
come something has taken you. There are
but few cases where men have baen able to
stand up against the dissipations of political
life.
Joseph was politician, but he maintained
his integrity. Daniel was d pdliticia1 bit
he was A teetOcller TO the las. Abraham
was a politician. but he was always ,harac-
terized as the father Of the faithful. Moses
was politician. the grandest of them. but
he hOnOred God more thin he did the Phar-
aohs, and there are hundreds of Christian
men now in the political parties maintaining
their integrity. even When they are obliged
to stand amid the blasted, lecherous an
lOathsOme crew that sometimes surround the
sallOt bOX-these Christian men doing their
political duty and then coming back to the
prayer meetings and Christian circles as pure
as when they went ont. But that is not the
ordinary eircumstance=tha is the excep-
ton.
How often you see men coming back from
the political conflict. an their eyei glazed
and their cheek has an unnatural flush; AMI
they talk louder than they usually do. and ct
the least provOcatiOn they will bet, and YOU
say they are cOnvivial, or they exceed
ingly viva acious. or you apply some other
sweet n2 me to them. but God knows they are
drunk! Some of you. a month or six weeks
ago, had no more religion than you ought to
have, and after the elections are over to cal
,u3ate how much religion you have left will
70 slim in vulgar fractions. Oh, the pres
sure is tremendous
How many mighty intellects have gone
down under the dissipation of politics I
think of one who came from the west He
was able to stand out against the whole
American Senate. God had given him fac
ultieS enough to govern a kingdom or 10
frame constitution. His voice was terri
bic t. his country enemies and mighty in
spiratiOn in the day of National peril. But
twenty glasses Of strong drink day were
his usual allowance. and he went dow. into
the habits of a confirmed nebratP
Alas for him ! Though a costly monument
has been reared over his resting place, the
young men of this country shall not be de-
MED the awful lesson that tho agency by
which the world was robbed of one of its
mightiest intellects and our country of one
Of its ablest constitutional defenders, was the
dissipation of political life. You want to
know who l mean? Young D~G, ask your
iather when you get home. The adverse tide
is fearful, and l warn you against it.
You need not go far off to find the worn
out politician. Here he is stumbling alons
q highway limbs ahIn n
him up. Bent over and pale with exhaust,
ing sickness. Surly to anybody who accOsts
him. His last decent article of apparel
pawned for strong drink. Glad if, when 60
ing by a grocery. some low acquaintance in
vites him in to take a sip of ale and then
wiping his lip with his greasy sleeve.
Kicked off the steps by men who once were
proud to be his constituents. Manhood OBJ
iterated. Lip blistered with a curse. Scars
II brutal assault on cheek and brow Foul
nouthed. A crouohing, staggering. wheez-
ing wretch. No friends. No God. No hope.
No heaven.
That is your wornout politician. That is
what some of you will become unless by this
mornings warning and the mercy of Col
yGir steps are arrested. Oh. there are
words enough potent, enough portentious.
enough consuming, enough damning, to de-
scribe the horrible drunkenness that has
oiled over this land, and that has bent down
he necks of some of the mightiest intellects,
ii the trough of bestiality and abomination!
! warn young men against political life.
,psS they are teetotalers and consccrated
Christian men.
Again, counsel you that when you go to
he ballot box at the city. or the State, or the
National elections, you recognize GOD and
appeal to Him for His blessing. There is a
power higher than the ballot box, than the
yubernatorial chair, than the presidential
White House. It is high time that we put
less confidence in political platforms and
more confidence in God. See what weak
thing is human foresight! How little our
wise men seem to know! See how, every
autumn. thousands of men who are Chamber
ing up for higher positions are turned under!
God upsets them. Every man. every party
every Nation. has a mission to perform. Fail
ing to perform it, down he goes.
God said to the house of Bourbon, RE
model France and establish equity" House
of Bourbon would not do it. Down it went.
God said to the house of Stuart. ''Make the
English people free God fearing and happy"
House of Stuart would not do it. Down it
went God says to the political parties i'll
this day, ''by the principles OF Christianity,
remodel. govern. educate. save the people.
Failing to do that, down they go, burylng in
their ruins their disciples and advocates.
God can spare all the political intriguers OF
this day and can raise up another genera
ton who shall dc justice and love mercy
If God could spare Luther before the re-
formation was done. and if He could spart
Washington before tree government had been
fully tested. and if He could spare Howard
before more than one out OF thousand
dungeons had been alleviated. and if He
could spare Robert McCheyne Just as Scot
land was gathering to his burning utterances,
and if lie could spare Thomas Clarkson