The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1899-01-06

summit Avenue VI. T.. NhulSh'
East 1t. Louis, Ill.
From the Lever.
"No party has a right TO expect.
nor ought il to receive the surporl
Of Christian men so long as 1t stands
to license policy, or re-
fuses to put itself on record IN an
OF open hostility TO the sa
loom This is statement by tn
Methodist General Conference re-
lating to political duty, and II 1t be
true, is as binding upon US "a any
other religious or moral obligation
A man is as truly responsible To
God for the casting OF his ballot a
for any other act of his life. Meth
eI priest, nor pope, nor party, ha'
any power to grant absolutIon OF
indulgence for any sin, political o.
otherwise. Politics Is not a leglti-
ment refuge for crime. But beyond
his own ballot the citizens respon-
sibility ceases. What Others may
do, with their ballot, does not al
feet his duty. He is not under OBJ
legation to vote so "a to win. III ne
were. We ought to first take an in
formal ballot, and then proceed t.
make il unanimous, so that nom
might throw away their vote. A. q
victory for any party is worse than
worthless if right is ignored or tram
pied under foot to secure II.
The responsibility OF the voter ex-
tends 10 all the foreseen consequent
ces of the success OF his ticket. II
a man performs any act iorcseelng
that certain results will follow, We
must believe he intended those re-
suits. II he expected that sal IONS
would continue To exist unmolested
in case of the success OF his ticket
we cannot avoid the conclusion that
ne intended to vote for the contln-
uance of saloons. 1t may not be
the only thing, or even the che
thing he voted for; he may have
voted for it with great reluctance
but nevertheless he voted Tor 1t.
II is a favorite statement o. some
people, who are seeking any sort OF
hole TO hide in, that the saloon
question is not an issue in political
campaigns. The only trouble with
this statement is that IT Is not true.
The liquor traffic has had a recog
nized standing in national politics
since 1872, by the official action OF
the so-called great parties. They
axe pains inevery campaign official
~ to inform the liquor interests that
.hey have nothing 10 fear. which i
Equivalent to saving that the tenn
perance cause has nothing TO hope,
rhe liquor men have understood
this perfectly, and the results have
justified their confidence.
Every man who votes an old par
ty ticket votes for an officially
declared policy on the saloon
question. When in 1894, IL the
room of the platform committee OF
the national Republican convention
the petition of the temperance peo.
pie was thrown upon the floor and
spit upon, there was "a clean a dec.
laration OF policy as il they had said
the saloon must be preserved. II
party's policy is license, then a
vote for it is to vote for license, a
consent to all the evils that spring
from the saloon, a participation in
all its crime and guilt. The voter
NAV favor none of these things, but
he docs not affect government by
what he fav ,rs, but by what he
votes for. 'No Party ought to re-
ceive the support of Christian men
so long as it stands committed to
the license policy"
We are driven to the conclusion
that thousands Of Methodists have
been giving to the old parties what
the general conference said they
fought not to receive" and they
have had abundant company from
o,her churches. The saloon exists
in this country, by the consent OF
the members OF our churches. Con
sent under protest is still consent
1t is certainly time that we blocked
our a new policy. We have preach
ed and prayed and resolved, but
there has been no progress in TWEEN
ty years, and for twelve years W,
have seen the tide setting strongly
in the wrong direction. No'hinl
will procure Legislation but votes
We must have a union of temper
ance forces at the ballot box.
The anti-saloon league is an oh