The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1901-07-26
PRACTICAL
RELIGION.
Rev. F. J. Tyler Does Some PLAIN
Talking at the Tabernacle.
Men of righteousness, Backbone and
Self-respect Needed in Public AT
fairs In Columbia Roasts
the Saloon Keepers.

the sermon Of Rev. f. j. Tyler at the
Tabernacle. AS announced, he
preached on the subject, THE kind of
Men Columbia Needs for Mayor and |
Aldermen and he handled his subject
without gloves. A few extracts are
given below:
The text chosen was "When the
righteous are in authority the people !
rejoice, but when the wicked rule they
mourn The preacher started off by |
saying that he wished it to be under
stood that his remarks would not be All
attack on the present city officials. |
He said the city would soon be in the
midst OF an all-important question
that next fall there was going to be an
effort made to drive whiskey out Of
Columbia, and the fight had already |
commenced.
THE first requisite of good Mayor |
or Alderman is righteousness a man |
who is honest. A man who would sell |
his vote ought to be in the penitentiary,
and the man that will buy vote is
too mean to go anywhere. The peni-
tentiary is too respectable for him. No
honest man will buy vote. l mean
that A man that will buy vote will
sell vote. The only model Mayor on
record was Nehemiah. He left one of
the highest positions in the King s
councils to become a magistrate. A
very uncommon thing. You never
hear OF man giving up big office to
accept a little one these days. People
don't do that now.
Another thing it takes to be
good officer is backbone; men that can
stand the pressure, men who can
resist bribes of money. One trouble
to-day is that man no sooner gets
into office than ne begins to lay wires
| for reelection. You can do anything
with him if he thinks it will win him
your support in the next campaign.
The other day the governor of the state
appointed man to an Office in Chatta
nooga over the protest of this preachers
and business men and nine -tenths of
the people of the city. Whyf Because
that politicians had more influence and
could muster more votes than all the
preachers and good people OF Chatta-
nooga.
Do you know what candidate
is? The word candidate" to day
means the man that has got the most
money, the most liquor; that can
steal the most and can act the biggest
scoundrel. We haven't had an honest
election in Tennessee in ten years. l
know men holding Office in number
of places in this state that are there
through the power of fraud and cor
ruption. What votes they can't buy
with money and mean whiskey, they
count out. Of course, there are excep-
tions to the rule, but they are scattered
Give us men with backbone. There
are a lot of preachers in this world
that need backbone. | believe the
curse of the nineteenth century is the
cowardly, cringing, salary seeking
preachers. Oh there are few excep-
tlons but they are as scarce as hens
teeth. We are going to have big
fight on whiskey this fall and there
are some preachers right here in this
town that are going to show the white
feather; watch and see if they don t.
They can't stand the pressure. We
had a fight a while ago against
whiskey, and some men of the city
council couldn't stand the fight. |
want to say that the best opportunity
the mayor Of this town ever had was
when the eight o clock law was pre-
sented for his approval. would have
signed that measure if it had put me
in bankruptcy and rags the next
minute. | am glad we've got some
good men serving the city in an official
capacity. I'm glad John IIatta is
marshal He's the best we ever had
!. And, we've got few good policemen,
too. Policeman Voss is a good officer
and discharges his duty. I'm going to
vote for them when the time comes.
"Another thing needed in public
, officers is self respect. Why, a, while
back in a prominent Southern city
thev had to turn the mayor out of
office for downright beastly drunken
ness. Yesterday afternoon three young
men of the town were beastly drunk,
passed a saloon the other day and
, saw young man sitting in there and
when he saw me he hung his head III
shame. asked him why he didn
keep out of those places and he said,
: Brother Tyler, / want to keep out,
try to keep out, but | can't I've gone
1 too far " That young man is ruined.
| had rather have sent bullet through
: my brain than to have been engaged II
= business that sent that young man tC
I ruin: | would not have sent those three
young men staggering to their mother
homes yesterday evening for my
hearts blood. I'll tell you the streets
of Columbia are bathed in blood anC
tears. A city that for a few paltry
y dollars. licenses eighteen saloons tC
S damn its men and boys and send then
y TO ruin, is going to hell-and tha
quick. How long since you had
great revival of religion in this town
: You'll never have one until you ge
T rid of the saloon. Wherever whiske!
a goes. crime follows Murder, thievery
4 arson. rascality and ruin follow in it
S wake. God save our boys from tn
c saloon. I'm going into the fight thi
a fall armed to the hilt, with my win
r chester loaded to the muzzle. God i
j going 10 give rs the victory. and w
are going % put men IN ONCE tha
49, eha laur -