The Republican journal., 1901-02-28

| hess OILY udUlIlS ITOul tIC uCdLu VI DIO-
| ther. She was 40 years of age. A prayer was
held at the house that afternoon at O'Clock,
| when the remains were taken to her former
| home, Biddef0rd, where services were held.
MRS. NATION AND HER HATCHET.
Rev. G. E. Edgett spoke at the Methodist
| church Sunday morning on "MrS. Nation
and her Hatchet.' His audience was small
on account of the storm. He took his text
from Judges g. 1926, and related the story
of the destruction of the altar of Baal by
Gideon. At that time Israel was de-
generate; the moral tone Of the tribes was
low. After a period of peace and pros
perity she had once more relapsed into
evil, and time had softened the adherence
of idolatry. God sent prophet to warn
them, and when they needed him not he de-
stroyed their idol and the grove they had
planted about it and set up an altar to Je-
hovah on which the wood of the grove was
used for fires to consume the sacrifice Gid
con was hero, and in our hearts to-day we
say well done; but he destroyed property
that did not belong to him; he interfered
with the rights of others. But it was pc
culiarly aggravated case and called for he
roic action. We Justify Gideon for his act,
just as we justify Jesus Christ for clearing
the temple of the money-changers. From
the worlds standpoint it was said of Jesus
s'He hath devil People called him er-
ratio, and no doubt some wise heads said,
''He will ruin his influence. He has gone
| +no for ba hoiD IN
improper use, but why did not Jesus ap-
peal to the priests. Why not go to the au-
thorities with his grievance. 1t would have
done no good, and they would have laughed
him to scorn The methods adopted by
Gideon, and centuries after by the Nazarene,
are the same in principle as those used by
reformers in all ages The leaders in all
great reform movements were what the
world calls eccentric. They were enthusi-
astic and determined and often showed
more zeal than discretion. The acts were
often in violation of law, but we cannot
deny that the end often justified the means.
Crimes have been committed in the name of
| justice and mobs have acted without regard
to the rights of Others But after the eX-
ClleIutllU CoOlGu oODtl-lHiilueu Il0u We
done what they ought to have done before
and have brought order out of chaos. | do
not say that because we justify Gideon and
Jesus for these acts that we should uphold
all such methods. But the same principle
may be applied now when milder and more
lawful means fail. In other words | believe
that lawlessness in the suppression of law
| c Sti ti,h1 icto
| bears me out in saying that occasions have
arisen when such course became abso-
| lutely necessary. When the people were
under allegiance to the king of England
and were amenable to the laws of Great
| Britain, those laws became irkSOme. The
cOlonistS appealed for justicein vain. They
repudiated the stamp act, mobbed British Off
GERS and emptied the tea into tht sea. 1t was a
lawless mob that did these things, but to-day
we speak of them as patriotic. l do not
say that because Gideon did right in de-
| stroying the altar of Baal, that Jesus was
justified in overthrowing the tables of the
money changers, that Mrs. Nation is justified
in smashing the saloons of Kansas, nor
that they are parallel cases. But l do be-
/
same. | am not fully in sympathy with
Mrs. Nation, but l have the most profound
respect for her. / admire her spirit and do
not wonder at her indignation. I am sur
prised that there is not more righteous in
dignation among the women, that they are
as quiet as they are while being trampled
upon by monster recognized and protect
cd Nv fl,n 1Irhn GRO 70 Il
stroy it's power. Mrs. Nation has succeeded
in accomplishing her end. To-day all eyes
! are turned toward Kansas, and Mrs. Nation
is the most talked-of person in Kansas.
| Mr.. Edgett then reviewed the history of
the prohibitory law and it's work in Kansas,
and continued; In Kansas as in Maine
/, the prohibitory law was imperative through
nc fault of the law itself, but because it
was nullified by the executive and others
whose duty it was to enforce it. Mrs. Ma
tion resolved to see that the law was en-
| forced and failing to accomplish it through
| the officers of the law took retribution into
her own hands. She has attracted much no.
tice and has placed the State officers of
Kansas in very awkward position, and we
/
sible position as that occupied by the Of
ficials of Kansas. Her case is different from
that of the negro lynchers. In their cases
the law would deal with the offenders, but
in hers it does not. Judge McCabe in dis
missing her case said that as she had no
malice towards the proprietors, and only
destroyed public nuisance, she was not
guilty of malicious destruction of property.
| It is evident that her work is being felt in an
ment of the law. Mr.. Edgett closed with
an appeal to his hearers to rally for the
work and to use every means in their power
looking to the enforcement of law through
the legal and authorized channels.
Mr. Edgett has received numerous re-
quests to repeat the discourse, and is con
| sidering the matter
| Transfers in Real Estate.
The following transfers in real estate