Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1894-03-13

they become dictatOrs in politics by
reason of their Ecclesiastical stand
ing.
No more dangerous or un-Ameri-
can prerogative could be conferred
upon a fallible and eyer-erring Eccle-
siasticism-a set of men ever striving
to do good, and yet so full of the roots
of bitterness that very influential
minority of them stand ready at the
opening of every Presidential cam
paign in this country to assist design
ing politicians in working up section.
al strife among our people, as is evil
denced just now and this early by the
suggestion made in our central organ.
or correctional religious paper, of
June 2, that we stop all fraternal
greetings between the two great di-
visions of our once united MethOdism.
Every effort made by Bishop Gallo
loon, the brothel, the gambling hell
or any other disreputable place, or to
get them to vote for principle instead
of party, has been along the line of
moral sdasion and well befitting his
high position as church officer. But
every effort of his to have such places
licensed, restricted or suppressed by
law has been strictly political, but
emphatically his right as a citizen of a
free country. Hence he has been
dabbling in politics as a matter of
right, and in party politics at that as
is the prerOgative of every American
citizen.
To oppose one political party and
its methods necessarily implies the
support of some other political party
and its methods, whether the one do
ing so bc Pope, a Bishop, ID. D., a
common Circuit Rider, an honest cit
izen OF liquor dealer.
Bishop Galloway is quoted as say
ing in his Raleigh, n. c., speech, Nov.
10, 1891, that he was opposed to max
ing the liquor traffic party question.
This puts him in harmony on that
question with the Democratic party,
the Republican party and the Liquor
Dealers Association of the United
States; all IN favor of license and To-
cal option; but it puts him in direct
antagOnism to the Prohibition party
the only party opposed to license, and
on that question in harmony with the
declaration of his church.
In addition he is quoted as having
made other public declarations against
the policy of the Prohibition party,
and certainly went considerably out
of his way to make back-handed
thrust at it when he published IN a
metropolitan religious paper that the
excellent measure"-the Mississippi
licensing bill-passed both houses of
the legislature without the presence
of a single party Prohibitionist. What
was that but irony, when he knew
that a party PrOhibitionist, standing
as they do for principle, would have
opposed that or any other liquor IL
censing bill!
You will not insist, my good broth
er, that such a course is not the rank
est political partisanism. Bishop Gal
loway is too good Christian, and
has too much regard for the intelli-
gence of his cOuntrymen, to deny that
the question of legalizing the liquor
traffic is as intensely political as any
other question now pressing itself up
OH the consideration of the American
people. Hence, he and every other
candid Christian gentleman must ad
nit that if dealt with at all it must be
dealt with according to the politics of
some one of our political parties.
In Mississippi it has been dealt
with by the aid of his influence ac-
cording to the politics of the Demo
cratic party-that is, to license or le-
galize it in every place on earth; and
then allow the people by petition and
vote to suspend the operations of the
licensing law in such localities as it
may be found necessary to do so in
order to avoid the disruption of the
Democratic party.
1t is the privilege of Bishop Gallo
way as citizen or as a politician to
advocate that sort of policy. But
his misguided followers have DO right
to hold up his clerical robes as an i'm
pregnable barrier against the reason
able and just criticism of his political
conduct. Nor can the fact that he had
the courage to lock horns with Jeffer-
son Davis justly screen him from such
a review.
My good Brother Gibson, did you
know that the very position occupied
by Jefferson Davis in his controversy
with Bishop Galloway five years ago,
was the position occupied by Bishop
Galloway when he got his excellent
measure" that l made you indignant
by criticising, through the Mississippi
legislature few weeks ago? Yes,
sir; license with local option and re-
strictions was Jefferson Davis posi-
ton; it is the position of the Repub-
lican party, it is the position, or rath-
Ell submitted to by the Democratic
party, it is the position of the Liquor
Dealers Association of the United
States, as expressed by their presi-
dent, j. NJ. Atherton, of Louisville,
KY, and it is the quintessence of the
bill said to have been engineered
through the Mississippi legislature by
Bishop Galloway, and denOminated
by him the "excellent measure"
But you undertake to contrast the
status OF the liquor business in Mis-
sissippi with that of Georgia and Ken
lucky.
Now, my brother, have you not a
local option law in Georgiae Has it
not made many of those who are pro-
tected by it selfish and Indifferent to
tha naalS Of thnsa xvhn oannnt cat 30