Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1895-12-07
higher than that.
A Friend of the Nation.

came To the rescue If this nation i'll
1876, at the close Of a presidential cleo
ton famous for fcrocity. \ darker cloud
yet settled down upon this nation The
result Of the election was i'll dispute, and
revolution, not between two or three
sections, but revolution III every town
and village and city of tho United States
seemed imminent. The prospect was
that New York wonld throttle New
York. and New Orleans would grip New
| Orleans, and Boston, Boston, and Sa-
vannah, Savannah, and Washington.
Washington. Some said Mr.. Tilden was
elected. others said Mr.. Hayes was
elected, and how near we came to uni
versal massacre some Of Us guessed, but
God only knew. / ascribe our escape
not to the honesty and righteousness Of
infatuated politicians. but l ascrihe it
| to the upper forces of the text. Chariots
of mercy rolled in, and though the
wheels Were not heard and the flash was
not seen, vet all through the mountains
of the north, and the south. and the
east, and the west. though the hoofs did
not CHATTER. the cavalry Of God galloped
by. tell you God is the friend of this
nation. In the awful excitement at the
massacre of Lincoln, when there was u
prospect that greater slaughter would
open upon this nation. God hushed the
tempest. In the awful excitement ut
the time Of Garfield's assassination God
put his foot on the neck of the cyclone.
To prove God is on the side of this ma
ton argue from the last eight or nine
great national harvests, and from the
national health Of the last quarter of a
century. epidemics very exceptional,
and from the great revivals of religion,
and from the spreading of the church Of
God, and from the continent blossom
ing with asylums and reformatory insti-
tutions. and from an Edenization which
promises that this whole land is to be q
paradise, where God shall walk.
am encouraged more than can tell
you us l see the regiments wheeling
down the sky, and my jeremiads turn
into doxologies, and that which was the
Good Friday of the nations crucifixion
becomes the Easter morn Of its resurrec-
ton. OF course God works through hu-
man instrumentalities, and this nation
al betterment is 10 come among other
things through n scrutiniZed ballot box.
BY the law of registration it is almost
impossible now TO have illegal voting.
There was n time-you and l remember
it very well-when droves Of vagabonds
wandered up and down on election day,
and from poll TO poll. and voted here,
and voted there, and voted everywhere,
and there was no challenge, or if there
We're, il amounted to nothing, because
nothing could so suddenly be proved
upon the vagabonds. Now, i'll every well
organized neighborhood. every voter is
watched with severest scrutiny IL am
in a region where l am allowed u vote,
/ must tell the registrar my name, and
how old am, and how long have re-
sided in the state, and how long / have
resided in the ward or the township,
and if misrepresent. 80 witnesses will
rise and shut me out from the ballot box.
Is not that n great advance: And then
notice the law that prohibits man
voting if he has bet ON the election. A
step farther needs 10 be taken and that
man forbidden vote who has offered or
taken bride. whether il be i'll the shape
of free drink, or cash paid down, the
suspicious cases obliged to put their
hand on the Bible and swear their vote
in if they vote at all So, through the
sacred chest of our nations suffrage, re.
demption will come.
God will save this nation through an
aroused moral sentiment There has
never been so much discussion of morals
and immorals. Men, whether or not
they acknowledge what is right, have to
think what is right. We have men who
have had their hands in the public treas
ury the most Of their lifetime. stealing
all they could lay their hands On, dis.
coursing eloquently about dishonesty in
public servants, and men with two OF
three families of their own preaching
eloquently about the beauties of the sew
enth commandment The question Of so.
briefly and drunkenness is thrust in the
face of this nation rs never before and
takes part i'll our political contests.
The question of national sobriety is GO
ing to be respectfully and deferentially
heard at the bar Of every legislature,
and every house of repre- cn:atives, and
every state senate. and an omnipotent
voice will ring down the sky and across
this land and back again, saying TO these
rising tides Of drunkenness which threat
en- to whelm home and church and ma
ton, Thus far shalt thou come, but no
farther. and here shall thy proud waves
be staid ="
Antigonus' Army.
have not in my mind a shadow of
disheartment ms large as the shadow Of
house fiy's wing. My faith is in the
upper forces, the upper armies of the
text. God is not dead. Tho chariots are
not unwheeled. If you would only pray
more and wash your eyes i'll the cool,
bright water fresh from the well Of
Christian reform, it would bc said Of
you, as Of this one Of the text, 1.-The
Lord opened the eyes Of tho Young man,
and he saw, and. behold, the mountain
was full Of horses and chariots of fire
round about Elisha.
When the army of Ambiguous went
into battle. his soldiers were very much
discouraged, and they rushed up TO the
general and said to him, Don't you
see we have few forces and they have
SO many more?" And the soldiers were
affrighted ut the smallness of their num-
Der and the greatness of the enemy.
Ambiguous, their commander. straight
ened himself up and said, with indigna-
ton and vehemence, "How many do you
reckon me to be-" And when we see
the vast armies arrayed against the
cause of sobriety it may sometimes lie
very discouraging. but ask You in
making up your estimate of the forces
Of righteousness-I ask you how many
do you reckon the Lord God Almighty
to be? He is our commander. The Lord
Of Hosts is his name have tho best
authority for saying that the chariots Of
God are 90, 900, and the mountains are
full of them.
Have you any doubt about tho need
Of the Christian religion TO pnrify and
make decen; American politics? At ov'
cry yearly or quadrennial election we
have i'll this country great manufactures
manufactures of lies-and they ar,
run day and night, and they turn ont
half dozen a day, all equipped aut
ready for full sailing Large lies ant
small lies. Lies private and lies public
and lies prurien:. Lies cut bias and lie:
cut diagonal. Long limbed lies and lie:
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