Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1894-04-10

correct principles i'll government.
Yes, they may denounce from the
pulpit in the most severe terms the
wIckedness of such conduct, the cor
rupting effects of such institutions,
the terrible result of such reckless
voting, and the damning results of
idolatrOus political partisanism. That
is all moral suasiOn, because it APP
plies to individual conduct. But the
very moment they cease to warn and
persuade along these lines and begin
to discuss the legal status and bear
ings of these things and legal methods
for dealing with them, their action
changes from that of moral suasion to
that of political interference. See
Webster OH definition of politics. This
however, they certainly have as much
right to do as any other class of Amer
lean citizens: but when they doir their
methods are just as much Il proper
subject for criticism as the political
methods of any one else. If not, then
they become dictatOrs in politics by
reason of their Ecclesiastical stand
ing.
No more dangerous or un-Ameri
can prcrogative could be conferred
upon Il fallible and cver-crring Eccle-
Siasticism set of men ever striving
to do good, and yet so full of the roots
of bitterness that Il very influential
minority at them stand ready ut the
opcnin" Of every Presidential cam
pai@l in this country to assist design
mr. in work n ,r
al strife among or people, as is evil
denced just now and this early by the
suggestion made III our central organ.
or correctional religious paper, of
June =, that we stop all fraternal
greetings between tie two great di-
visions Of our once united MethOdlsm.
Every effort made by Bishop Gallo
way to influence men to avoid the sa-
loon, the hrothcl, the gambling hell
or any other disrcputablc place, or to
get them to vote for principle instead
of party, has been along the line Of
moral SdaSion and well hcftting his
high position as IL church officer. But
every effort of his to have such places
licensed, restricted or suppressed by
law has been strictly political, but
cmphaticaIly his right as il citizen of a
free country. Hence he has been
dahbling in politics as matter of
right. and i'll 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 be Pope. Bishop, ID. D.,
common Circuit Rider, an honest cit
izen or a liquor dealer.
Bishop Galloway is quoted as say
ing in his Raleigh, y. c., speech, Nov.
10. 1891, that he was opposed to max
ing the liquor traffic a 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 i'll 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 a handed
thrust at it when he published IN a
metropolitan religious paper that the
excellent measure"-the Mississippi
licensing bill-passed both houses of
L. Lot fl,0nt fhn
of single party ProhibitiOnist What
was that but irony, when he knew
that party Prohibitionist, standing
as they do for principle, would have
opposed that or any other liquor Ii
censing bille
You will not insist, my good broth
er, that such 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
on the consideration of the American
people. Hence, he and every other
candid Christian gentleman must adj
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 us il citizen or as a politician to
advocate that sort of policy. But
his misguided followers have no 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
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 n few weeks ago. Yes,
sir. license with local OntiOn and re-