The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1894-03-29

our mother country prior TO the reVO-
luton of 1876 which caused our fore
fathers to resist them and expend so
nany thousans Of valuable lives and
hundreds of millions of dollars worth
of property ? Could no political
party in existancc then in England
have prevented these acts and the
consequences thereof? Were there
not two political palties then in
England, one formulating and the
other opposing these wrongs? Could
not the stronger and most numerous
party of which the king was its head
could have prevented these outrages?
If man is free moral agent (as
the editor of said religious paper be-
lieve and teachD then the stronger
party that made and enforced \or
tried toy those laws.-could have pre-
vented their being made, and as the
government which was influenced by
that strong party failed to enforce
said laws, the civilized world punish
ed that government by recognizing
the Americans as free and indep-
cndcnt people. During that strurg-
gle the Church of England took
strong grounds to wrong and Cypress
the infant colonies, and her clergy
had to leave them or take shelter un
der the armies of the crown, while all
other religious bodies in the colonies
co-operated with the oppressed sub
jects or were non combatants.
High churchism never defends the
oppressed. but always co-operates
with the oppressOrs. And sad as 1t
may appear We have in this young
Republic, this asylum for the op-
pressed, very high churchmen in the
large and strong Christian bodies
who seem to feel it to to be their es-
pecial duty to defend the oppressors
of the helpless and needy. Many
professedly pious Christians minis
ters and editors are now suberdinating
their high position to wealth and
honors! Oppressors always try to
subsize the religious press and pull
pit in order that they may the more
etfectually control and absorb the
wealth and honOrs Of the nation or
the world. If both our politics end
religion are to be handed over to the
selfish, centralizing and grasping
monopolies Of the age, it is only a
question of time when free America
will be monarchal, dcspotic nation;
and high churchism or subsidized
pulpit and press will be the chief in
struments to bring about the sad
result. The preaching and example
of Christ and eleven of the apostles
were always with the poor and op-
pressed; and His church must follow
in their footsteps or die with a
fallen M lion.
As a church grows rich and in
tluential her leading minds are apt
to become political partisans and de-
sire union of church and state or to
be on the strong side, though it be
oppressive and dictatorial.
What is to be our future? Are we
to give up all our civil and religious
liberties for the privilege of becoming
serfs or slaves for monopolistic
greed? God forbid! If causes pro
duce effects, rs we know they do,
every voter (as we'll AS every Officially
who aids by voting or otherwise help
ing to put in office. men who perpe
tuates the liquor traffic becomes a
party to the crime of sending an
nually one hundred thousand Of our
citizens to drunkards' graves, their
souls to eternal perdition, and power
ty and disgrace upon their posterity,
while future generations suffer men,
tally, physically, financially, socially
and morally by those acts perce-
trated in ages past, anu unknown to
many of the sufferers. Man sins, hu.
the punishment comes from the VIC
latlon of law. II this is true in re-
gard to the drink traffic it is also true
in regard to tariff, currency, edu-
cation and religion. Effects are not