The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-02-17
The Subject Of Discourse at Shsarn
Church.
A TALK on MUNICIPAL POLITICS.
Rev. Rankin Pictures What He Conceives
TO BE tho Condition OF Affairs
in tho City.

grapes" Luke. vi. A.
Every tree brings forth fruit Of its kind.
Were II otherwise. the most appalling r.
suits would follow. Nothing In tho vege-
table world would be governed by any
law OF certainty. The products ot the
earth would fall into a state Of hopeless
confusion. But such Is the uniformity OF
the laws OF nature mat no calamity @.
,hss character Is even possible. When we
plant a given quali,y Of trait tree VIC are
susc 10 gather from IL fruit OF It's kind.
From the fig tree we gather figs and from
the vine we gather grapes. We SOW the
wheat ard the barley and We plant the
corn and the cotton. and they yield US
the same in the time ~ the harvest, This
is so absolutely certain that we have come
unconsc!ously to the point where We re-
pose perfect confidence IN the laws of ma
,urc From year TO wear VIC commit 70
ne. keeping cur hest selected nlan,s and
:t.ads, with no element OF misghlng what
ever. She has never violated oug conf
deace. The fact IS that she has never
bcen known To- perpetratc fraudulent
transaction IN all % her dealings vita TIE
children OF men. and iaerc IS unity IN
nsr system OF laws. She IS IN perfect
harmony with herself Whether in the
mineral. The vegetable. tie animal y tile
moral kingdom this system IS one ana the
same in lis application ard results, Every
where and under al circumstances. ike
ppouures Ike. We can rot eSeJpe tne
iorcs az this trutn- " ha,e'c,e 81 a man
IAN nut prDouce grapes ne.4Aer eAn a
prsnhe bdah bslns form nEs
~ - c4Ua-sy tfhe taai .~d A'n can
not some ogt ot a good heart, nelttieT
can a good he come out ol a Dad hcart-
The liu and the hear, arc 1tsc. Iuey cAu
not bee separated, And our public moth4s
ARE under the same law When good men,
nctuateI hy goJd moNFte, use their IN
iiuencc "a promote good government. tfsp
We, nave t0r enforcement 81 our laws
and ine maintenance OK dcc nfy IN ohr
social system. isut when designing men,
with e'ifsh interests 20 promote u-t
their Influence 30 control local poilti's
~ tehalt ~ their slti~h schrtnrs, thr "a
our laws are ignored aud paplic morals
are d.tauchCd The cause and the "rert
- hand iu hand Vhua e. Is thAt firE
raie ia politics grows into u system %
uisrule ia municipal EoNetnWrnL Ana
this Is the condition Of Things In oar cliy
today. From time TO time VIC have per
nsittisi the selfish designs OF men to pre-.
vail untii we are now controntci win
problems II the graVcst character In tAe
cQnduct OF our local Affairs
These problem are the result %, per
pct4afinE men n public office. not ne
rause they Possessed busluFsS and moi NJ
Qualification Tor such posltsou. bat tie
cause they have the abNltS to organize
and control the worst classics OF our clu-
acnship in tho Interest OF ring pontcs.
by this COMPACT organization they con
50 direct the forces Of min
GRITTY OF voters, through the In
fluence Of the night wari primary, AS
10 override nna hrovbcat the unorgan-
izel majority Of car Law abiding giti1f ns.
to this sort OF thing until this ring ruic
system has placed It's huge foot upon
HE neck OF puhitc deccncYs "" ARE AT
~" mercy OF o. gang Who neither tsnr
Cod nor respect Nonrsi moral men Gam
hiers ana NluoF dealers. WITH ilcir fui-
lowing, are ihc an powerful taciors m
our 0lty politics They dictate our ,nn
didRtcs Tor ofAee aud share the policy OF
our officials No have piacurnliY
turned these matters over INTO tBcf
hauds. They haye made oar lRw' oil M
fleet Therefore, We rad iust as wen
look {, the thorn and the hrnmnir uusa
for grapes ana hg4 bs 10 TINS rina
system IN our city politics tor TIE en-
torcemcn' OF law ana the maintenance OF
ppNic metals. lt Wll never come iron
that source. Look n the lruit Of its
doing. and thon say whether or not
am correct. l hav" already called your
attention TO the prevalence or Samuluf
anu SUNDAY saloons in The city,
Now SiaHce at our gigantic social eyi
IS another illustration OF the abuses com
nl4ned OF; Within a sioD.'s throw o
ihis church Ia % Vtritabl. plague spat,-,
rocking eossnool OF moral putrcsencc' {,
comparison with which Sodnm or Go
inorlaA might b. regarded as decent com
muniues out Of IL are going tho rumc
Of Infection dsgracctul 10 our Chrsttnl
civilization, 50 Tar as / can see Their
Is no restriction placed upon this lepruu
locality It's dtniEcus and their patron
nave sll The rlghts Of decent p.nplt
They haunt their badges of lmnorailt
along the public streets by day and b
fiEht. They make NO prrtcuse 10 prl.acy
Your wives and daughters can't come =,
fsa d.. .-ia
OF coming face 10 fAnc with d.artputahl
characters. Their co-aasnsiatrs ia Vic
rake the street IN front az this pMc
OF worship ihfir common th1rouehfar.
Aud II wil never hr anything else a
long rs ring rule pu.q oui officials I
office. The present order az Ahings wi
never b. disturbed MS long as th, prra.H
s{stcm prevails IN our iocN poliilo,
Eher look NJ the variety tAcafrr, ~
tMln A!rter of thli pl0gue-aii'ic kun al,
tiict iust fcforrcd to- We have A stu,
lnW aftinst tho FORT W Thing herein con-
plHlhrd Of and a special city ordi9an,
against II, and yot there 70 Is in fnll bias
violating both OF thes laws every nigi
without WorsietiOu. " omen OF disreput,
bio character. men or the hascr SORE m
Aiull-nodsed bnrroom nll IN the same hal
fhrse vile characters gather there ur
aance ana drink promiscuousiy. Al OF I,
"itmNntS OF moan. low disordtrlv hOu,
are thrre associated night after niri
~ most dtsrrareful manner. ana vi
oyer lh'n'is 81 disturbing the orglos
u
IN its employment 10 drum IN patronas
on the public stredts. ana by It's on.
air performances. Il makes the night HI
tous with It's howllns music. The diq
nte thing has The right or way IN N
city. II Is the home OF tho roisstahou
tho common resort FOR gamblers the 4
niliar haunt OF the hunco man and pie
pocket. and the rend zvons OF ali nj
"oHrser grades o. our population.
breeds vice ana immortality and ~ fos,e
degradation and crime. Aud il is almo
impossible "a make ont a case In ol
courts % justice against this brood
nrclean birds. Next Sunday night | wa
ia toll you our experience with the poli
dive. '''N'
Why are these things thus II Is becau
OF ring rule In our city government q
nihcials instead 81 supptesyinc tho
crimes against society. arr virtoally vi
irr them immunity from the redress
law. TO longer than last Thursday
heard the chief of police OF this city N
under his oath AT tho ccurt house on I
wi'ness stand, that ne had no knowled
81 the existence ~ gambling dens In ii
elty. Ana yot everybody knows that
rs 80 familiar with tine location OF the
piares, that n sou were to blindfold N
anu trn hun loose after dark ana vii
out guide he could Ind his way ir
every one OF them without the slight
ditnculty. But under the dorn!nance
our present system OF local notifies q
OFFICIALS can not aud will not f.iye /
community any relief from these null