The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-08-18
POLITICAL PREACHERS cENsuRED

| The Springfield Republican is an ad-
vocate of the gold standard that pre-
sents its arguments in a way that
always commands attention and re
| spectful consideration. 1t discusses
the financial question calmly and does
not go off into Mysteries over it. as
some do. It has no patience with
those preachers who are dragging the
question into the pulpit and endeavor-
ing to make their parishioners look
upon it as a religious question. It
condemns the silly and absurd allitera-
ton Of Preacher Macarthur, that on the
part of the advocates of silver he could
see nothing but lungs, lunacy and
larceny" 1t says that the gold papers
have since been printing the allitera-
ton in capitals, as though it were a
valuable campaign document, putting
their opponents under the ban of the
church; but that they fail to see how.
such wild and whirling words injure
not only the church, but the very
cause in support of which they are
adduced. 1t declares that it is not the
mission of the preacher to make smart
partisan phrases.
Then it quotes from the sermon of a
Cambridge, Mass, minister this sense
less drivel:
In this hour of danger and fraud
deem it to be my duty as a minister of
Christ and a leader Of this people to
warn you against this danger. Christ
teaches honest methods, just weight,
a just measure and a Just balance
want to tell you the United States has
done all it can do for the silver mo-
nopolists whose mines are putting out
silver at such an enormous rate that
they have an overproduction of silver,
and they want US to have an oVerpro-
duction of cheap dollars 1t is q finan-
cial infidelity that ought to be crushed
out: it is worse that higher criticism
or evolution. 1t is mora dangerous
than Darwinism or any political ism"
that can be invented. Silver has al
ways been a treacherouS metal; it has
no staying qualities. About thirty
pieces of il was the price of a slave.
1t was the price Of Christs blood. II
was paid by the Jews to Judas for his
betrayal. 1t was the price of the field
of blood. 1t can never become Of Itself
national standard for convenient in
ternational commercial relations.
1t declares it would seem incredible.
if there were not so often painful evil
dence to the contrary, that the re-
ligious care of the people could by any
chance be put in charge of men capa-
Bile Of such Stiffness as this. AT any
other time one might smile at the puer-
ility of the attempt to put silver I'M
der the condemnation of scripture. but
just now it provokes thoughts which
are serious and anything but pleasant"
says the Republican. I'VE can hardly
think of more useful labor for the
church to take up just now than the
undoing of the effects of such talk as
this in a partisan pulpit and partisan
press. We can spare the clergy from
taking sides on the financial issue. if
they will only exert united influence
in behalf of sanity and moderation"
Every sensible person, no matter what
his views on the financial or other
questions may be, will agree with this.
1t is a matter of congratulation that
only few of the clergy have made
asses of themselves as has this Cam
bridge man, and Macarthur. Their
folly will not spread