The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-11-09
ELECTION LESSONS.
Rev. j. L. Seudder Says the
Nation Has Profound
Cause for Gratitude.

In the Tabernacle last night the Rev.
o h L. Scudder told of some of the les
sons to be learned from the election.
He said
Election day has passed and with it
3 great burden has fallen from the
shoulders of the American people. The
hattie for national honor and industrial
prosperity has been fought and won. AS
a nation we have profound cause for
gratitude, and this year Thanksgiving
Day will mean more to us than usual
and hould be celebrated with extraordi-
nary enthusiasm. Already the manufac-
tories are starting up, and labor is find
ing employment. Confidence is restored
and an air of hope and happiness has
taken possession of the business world.
1.-THE first lesson to be learned from
this election is that the American peo-
pie can be trusted in every great emer-
gency. They nave common sense. They
are a patriotic people, n manifest that
patriotism whenever the times are serious
enough to call II forth. They may not
wear the Stars and Stripes like a sash
around their waists, but they have a
cordial respect for Old Glory neverthe-
less, and will rally round the flag when
ever the country is in danger. Occasion
ally our people are as demonstrative as
they are generally demure.
Now, although a signal victory has
been achieved. it must be confessed that
the majority vote was not as large as
vas expected. and this impresses the les
son that there are vast multitudes in
this country who think themselves agriev-
&c, and a now become a mighty po-
litical power. If, as they think, there
are subtle forms of injustice in our social
and political system, these should be
candidly considered, and If they are real.
they should be promptly removed. We
want no classes in America, and least
of all do we want a discontinued class.
If there are any legitimate aus for
discomfort, it would be the part OF wis
. dom for our victorious statesmen to get
to work at once and eliminate them.
| This will save endless trouble in years
to come and would be the most patriotic
service they could render their country.
The third lesson is OF purely local ap-
piication. 1t Is to be regretted that in
this county the temperance people nave
been beaten. They lost their cause
through Indifference and a lack of hearty
cooperation. For a solid month, fore
seeing the probable outcome, the pulpit
has warned the law-abiding people to
combine against the saloon power; but
~ "a " O. A4C IL LIE saints GOhpltQ
with the -preternaturai activity of the
rum traffic, have placed the gin-mills
again in power. We ought to learn a
| lesson from this defeat. Notice how the
saloon keepers work together. l quote
from their official circular, distributed on
the eve of election:-It is of the utmost
| Importance hat all persons engaged in
the liquor trade, directly or indirectly,
use their best endeavors to assist in the
election to office of only those candi-
dates, irrespective of politics, that are
| friendly to the liquor trade. In this con-
| test the Sheriff's office, for which Will
lam Heller is the nominee, concerns all
liquor dealers. Mr.. Heller believes in q
liberal policy and will select such citi-
zens on the Grand Juries as are liberal
OF course this appeal was not circulated
generally among the people. If it had
been made public, it would have resulted
in the defeat of the saloon candidate. 1t
would have aroused a storm of public in
~dignation, for it boldly implies that sa-
looms shall be opened on Sunday, and
that those who violate the excise law.
shall not be prosecuted. The people were
duly notified from the pulpits of this
city that this would be the result unless
they combined their forces and put suffi-
cient zeal into their work to defeat the
enemy. They failed to do it and the
saloon keepers are victorious. For this
defeat I hold Christian people largely re-
sponsible. If they had worked with one
tenth of the zeal of the liquor traffic, the
result would nave been different"