Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-08-05

political campaign" feel ike saying,
| ''Thank the Lord that is lie."
Unscrupulous politicians would have
the people to divorce religion from every
thing that is connected with the manage
ment of the government. The Bible
says: Whatsoever ye do, do all to the
glory Of God" But too many people are
following in the footsteps of the politi-.
clans. They are leaving religion out of
their everyday lives. 1t is related that a
little girl who was about to leave New
Jersey for summer vacation in New
England, said in her prayer the night
before her journey. GOOD bye, God,
Pse going to Maine." 'That is what many
men and women practically say when when
religious. They believe that God and
business, God and politics, and God and
pleasure are and must be divorced. This
Is why the business operations of Chris
| tian men are so often in violation of the
decalogue; why politics appear to many
to be so goddess; why pleasure is so
worldly and anti-spiritual." All! I tell
you, there is crying demand for some
revolutionary changes in the sentiments,
principles and practices of many who
profess to be governed by the truths
of the Bible!
Why Is it that politics have become so
corrupt? 1t is because the people have
left morality out of them and have turned
their management over to unscrupulous
politician and demagogues. And this
very thing is one of the perils that con-
front us as q nation today. The people
ought to have the candidates for Office to
understand that unless they do what they
can to conduct the campaign on plane of
moral decency, that they need not expect
to receive their suffrages. The people
ought to condemn in the strongest terms
the use of intoxicating liquors in elections.
We ought to resolve that we will support
no man and no party that will use whisky
in political campaigns. 1t is said there is
certain county in North Carolina where
the two great political parties were about
of equal strength. No one could tell how
the election was going until it had gone.
Each party used great deal of whisky to
carry the election. The thing became q
public disgrace. There was religious
BODY in the county who became so thor
oughly disguised that they determined to
right matters, ifpossible. They took upon
themselves solemn VOW that they would
support no party which used intoxicating
LIQUORS to carry the election. They were
strong enough to hold the balance OF pow
er. What was the result? They were the
cause of ruling this internal agency out of
the campaigns. No man, no party, dared,
after this, to use it. Sometimes, I think
it would be we'll if we could form in this
state union of some kind which would
set its face towards the defeat Of any man,
or party, that resorts to dishonest methods
to carry the election.
We need never expect to have the very
best government until there are some
radical changes along the lines which /
have just indicated.
What kind of men should be elected to
Officer?
/. Men of good, upright, moral char
acter men of integrity; men OF high,
noble purposes, who will not stoop to do
mean questionable things. One trouble
with us as nation has been right here.
We have been putting men into office
REGARDLESS of their moral character % and
the consequence has been that in some
| instances our highest offices have been
| filled with men who have been rotten and
thoroughly corrupt in their lives. We
have put men in the highest offices who
have been just as guilty, and of the same
sin as Breckenridge Of Kentucky, though
| they may not have been as bold and bra
zen. Yet, it is an open secret that men who
have occupied high places in our state have
been habitual adulterers. What an exam
pie to set to the rising generation ! We
send man to represent US at Washington,
| @. e., and we know his moral character is
rotten and his life full of lewdness; and
then we ask God to bless him in his work,
We put man in office who is to all prac-
tical purposes an atheist and an infidel
work. I tell you, this is on the border.
land of sacrilege.
We need men in Office who are right
and who will dare to do right, who will not
only do right in their official acts; but
whose private lives are pure and above
suspicion. And instead Of asking oul
candidates how Ithey stand on the silver
question, etc., you had better ask them
how they stand on the Ten Command
ments and the Sermon on the Mount.
submit the following as an appropriate
catechism for our candidates.:
l. Are you an honest man?
2. Do you pay your debts?
3. Are you profane swearer?
4. Are you slanderer2
5. Are you liar?
6. Are you an adulterer?
7. Do you get drunk?
I think it would be for the highest in.
terests of the country if the people would
subordinate for awhile the money ques-.
ton and emphasize and exalt the moral
question.
There is more urgent demand for re-
form in our morals than in our money.
We need men of character in our public
offices. The moral character of a govern
ment can't rise above the character Of its
rulers. "a country morally degenerate
will not long remain prosperous When
vice increases, then the country declines.
Infidel rulers cannot increase the wealth
of the people in any respect; National
safety must consist in national acknowl-
edgment of the Divine supremacy"
2. Men who are intellectually qualified.
Men who are competent to fill the offices.
1 use the word competent here in its
limited sense. It is not enough for q
man to have good, sound, moral char
acter he must have other qualifications.
IA pious fool may be as injurious to the
state as q wicked philosopher" What is
the use in sending man to the iegisla-
ture, it matters not how good he may be,
| if he is not competent to do the work
which you send him there to do? What
is the use in sending man to congress,
or to the United States senate, ifhe is not
qualified to do the work which you want
done there? 1t would be far better to
take the money which you pay these
purpose. Many mistakes have been
made right along this line. We have put
men into office who have been altogether
incompetent to perform the duties OF the
offices to which they have been elected:
You need never expect to have good
government until you put men in office
who are competent, not only from a
moral point of view, but also from an
intellectual point of view.
3. Men of courage. Sometimes you
put a man in office who in certain sense
Is competent both morally and intellect
ually but he is lacking in moral cour-
age. He is one Of these goody-goody,
namby-pamby kind of men. What he
needs is more backbone, moral courage
courage to stand up to his convictions
courage to do the right regardless OF the
law, it matters not who is punished.
But how many are lacking, just here