Backbone. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. ;) 1897-1906, 1897-06-01

Of God, and the finest sentence in the language of
this reform,-so far. Of the coors she flies and her
status upon the technically moral aspect of the SUBJ
ject, the Methodist Church may well be proud No
Methodist deals in the drink except some very
careful very negligent physicians, some belated
druggists greedy pharmaceutical hypocrites and
homes are clean in the main. No alcoholic sacra-
ment, far l know, jeOpards redeemed drunk
ard in the Methodist church, but election day the
"visible church" becomes invisible and drowses like
chameleon upon the bar of the saloon; for saloons
creatures of license licenses creatures of law
laws creatures of legislatures legislatures are
creatures of political parties, and the parties that
stand for license, non-ntervention, contain ninety
per cent of the Methodist vote.
If l seem to criticise the church. it is because 1
love her much and suffer much at her reproach, and
it would be disingenuous to deny that there is re-
proach upon her; for if say fight the liquor
traffic. it is simple truth to say have met the
loon keeper, and his.
1t seems clear a demonstration that the rally
ing cry and fighting slogan of our Christian citizen
ship in the present civic revolution ought to be-:
ELECTION day for testimony to Jesus Christ'' And
if that takes out Of party into another out
of all existing parties into something new, every God
fearing, qhurch-honorng, sef-respecting man ought
to go and not stand upon the order of his going.
Some is sure to think that am forcing upon
you the claims Of the Prohibition party On the
contrary, although 1 am loyal member of it, am
ready to leave it this minute to join the Christian
manhood and womanhood of this nation in a new
party, provided only it be in favor of prohibition and
brave enough to say so; but, so help me God, will
never take orders from dumb general join the
standard of coward vote for any man for office
who has not plainly spoken out and spoken loudly on
the subject All the accusations you lay against
the Prohibition party of prematureness, shrewish
temper anything I will confess, or stand mute and
help you obterate it, if you will only raise the
church coors some place else and get under them or
I will gladly return to the Republican party just as
it u.s. if it will plainly pledge itself to withdraw the
sanction of law from the liquor traffic.
It will be a great day for this country when the
virtue of the church shall be expressed in available
power against the wrong rather than in raising the
price Of licenses.
Local option is the best method yet devised, for
keeping the saloon question in politics. and back from
settlement. But what is far more to purpose; a
Christian man has option but to do right with his
ballot. Salt has already begun to lose it's SAVIOR,
when it begins to study geography. Think of salt,
saying, "When 1 am in salt cellar, am saline;
when am in a sugar bowl, am sweet" and for the
Church to keep out of politics is to make armstice
with the saloon.
Many of our Christian are brave enough, but
waiting for light as to methods, not rejecting
that power and light correlated that when you
get one you get the other, in the of cleo
trio motor; when the trolley is the wire overhead
it goes and has light. You say you can't see? You
disconnected; reach up and touch God and you
will see because you go.
But says my "long headed" friend, "You cannot
destroy the saloon now" and the rest of that prop
ositon is: "Therefore you may postpone being true
to the Church." But tell you that whenever honor
and shame meet the Church at the polls she must
choose between them, then and there.
"Solomon, what about public sentiments" "Know