The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-11-24
Plans 10 Purify
b City Government
Interesting Paper Read Before Mems
League of the Baptist Church.
TO REVIVE MORAL INFLUENCES
1t is Very Largely the Fault of the Church,
Says w. w. Browning, If Munich.
pal Rule Is Not What
II Should BE.


was recently read before the Young
Mems league of the Penn Avenue Bap-
tist church by w. w. Browning. In this
paper Mr.. Browning took the position
that the church is largely responsible
for the lax condition of morals now
prevalent in local government and that
upon the church rests the responsibility
of providing a remedy. Interesting
parts of Mr.. .Browning's paper are ap-
pended:
Party politics has no place in city
government. We have already passed
the dawn of new day in the manage
ment of American cities. The civic
federation has cleared out the gam
bling dens of Chicago. In Baltimore
the union for public good has exposed
the corruption existing in that beauti-
full southern city. In Philadelphia,
Boston and other great cities reform
has followed the awakening of the
Christian church, while in New York
the massive chains forged under mis-
rule and corruption have been severed
by sturdy blows of truth. Two and a
half years ago it took the courage of
a martyr for DR.. Parkhurst to stand
beneath the sneers of Tammany hall.
loutty HIS lOOl IeSlS On llle llSSI , lSCh'
And the police captains chant the
words of Isaiah, saying I'VE are men of
sorrow and acquainted with grief"
True, Also, of Scranton.
What is true of other cities is. also
true of our own. The duties of Chris
tian citizenship are as important in
| Scranton as in New York. We have
| here the foundation for great city. 1
| believe in Scranton and bespeak for
| her larger, broader, purer and nobler
| city. She is destined to become a great
commercial and industrial metropolis,
and she is rapidly nearing her destiny.
| The responsibility of citizenship in
creases with the city's growth. 1t rests
with you, the Christian men OF Scran-
ton, whether her growth in pure gov
ernment shall keep pace with her
growth in commerce. 1t rests with
you. because you hold the balance of
political power, and because you are
the moulders of righteous thought in
the community. If this city be made
pure, virtue must be given her by the
| citizens, and where shall we look for
Virtuous citizens but in church of
Christ?
believe in divine supervision of
city government as well as in the af-
fairs of individual moment. | believe
when Almighty God unlocked the crys-
tai doors Of heaven and dropped from
its portals this valley of ours; when he
placed the boundless wealth of minerals
beneath our feet and filed yonder
mountains with material for a mil
non homes, believe He expected in the
1ulness or time people should inhabit
this vallley-a people with sufficient
christian courage and sufficient states
menship and sufficient patriotism to
build here noble city and to exercise
the functions of local government in
'He interest OF every man, woman and
child within its borders. | contend.
therefore,, that pure local government
is as important to the progress of
Christ's kingdom on earth as anv other
branch of human conduct covered bv
the teachings of the Bible.
| The City's Wealth.
| Scranton today stands 100000 strong
Some OF you whose locks are silvered
rocked her cradle and sang her lullabys,
She mas already outgrown your fondest
nopes. The revenues coming into her
treasury for disbursement each year
are enormous. For the last fiscal year
$626,OOO came under control OF the coun-
| N'A' o''N VfiV'VVV W lilC SCHOOl ana
nearly as much more to the poor board.
Did you ever stop to think who are the
men you elect to disburse these funds? ?
Remeber, it is contrary to Christ,s ex-
ample to spend public money lavishly
or carelessly, or to discriminate against
the poor and those who have no pull. /"
Remeber the temptations to public men
are manifold and II you elect men who
are not able to stand under them YOU
are the ones at fault, and the city
suffers through your neglect. KnoWl-
edge OF candidates Is an imperative
duty of good citizenship and most of all
of Christian citizenship. Let party pol
itics and partisan spirit be foever cast
aside in city affairs and let all work
together for the common good
Are the principles Of the golden rule
applied in raising the revenues of
Scranton? Is the rich corporation
placed on an equal footing with the
poor man? If not, that, too, is your
fault, You have no right to sanction
by sins Of omission a city government
which grinds down the poor to tighten
the burdens of the rich. Is there any
reason why Diamond flats should be
assessed and taxed as farm land by the
! acre and Park Place as building lots
Is there any Christian reason why yor
should pay as much tax on your lot AZ
X so as the great railroad company
pays ON an acre with coal and all? II
the church does not protect the pool
) by her voice at the ballot box what
have we to expect from the wicked anC
the ungodly?
How is it in the disbursement OF these
| funds? How is it in the granting OF
; franchises to corporations Why Is Il
that one street car company, after offer
ing $4,000 to the public treasury for 6
=, certain right, is refused while another
(. is granted the same right for nothing
= Is 1t because the city's interests are
: looked after or is 1t because somebody
has "pull?" ,-
Other Pertinent Questions.
Again, how about the sanitary condi
/. ton of our tenement house districts
b. Is it not the duty Of the church to SCI
0 that the health of the city is preserved
Yes; but you say, We do not appoin
the health officer" True, but you pa.
him his salary and ii is your priveleg'
. to see that he earns his eight hundred
dollars per annum.
. why is 1t that the side doors of sa
looms are allowed to remain open on
L tlGCllOI dety uih Oii phiiNoJ A'a
: ton of law? Is 1t because our polio
{ are prohting thereby2 Why do tn
: houses of prostitution flaunt NOR
: publicly than ever before their, goods
wares and merchandise? 1t is be
cause the officers of the law lack cour
age?
How about the case of the poor in ou
city? Shall they be taught that clean
illness and industry are the best recon
> mendation to charity, or shall 1t con
tinue to be lazyness and filth? l be
! lieve a system of charity that robs
man of his self-respect and takes ava
81. the gem of true manhood is detrl
. ment to American institutions.
What shall we do with the streets @
out city? Is 1t Christian to suffer tn
germs of typhoid to slumber along ou
A pavements and make no effort towar
reform? There are scores of simila
p questions constantly coming up whic
" either directly or indirectly affect tn
q moral we'll being of the city. The
must be solved If we would come full
10 ,,e ridtian ltfa n.