Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-10-06
HOT SHOT FOR A BISHOP.

Bishop Potter delivered an address re-
Gently to ti.e Episcopal diocesan conven-
ton, which. II was easy to predict at the
time. would provoke severe criticism.
II has had that result in many quarters.
but nowhere have the bishops views on
the liquor question. expressed in the ad-
dress referred TO created quite such fur
~ as in the ranks Of the womens Chris
tan Temperance Union. The substance Of
the remarks OF Bishop Potter. which have
brought down upon him the wrath Of this
large and ardent organization, may be
fairly stated as follows: In the present
state OF society prohibitory temperance
enaCtments are worse than futile. Ii is
proper and necessary TO make stealing a
crime. The number OF persons who re-
gard stealing as a virtue or as a pecea-
dill0 IS small II is well enough to pro-
hibit the sale OF certain injurious drugs.
Not one. person in thousand thinks that
those drugs ought to be offered to the
public. With liquor the case is different.
Public opinion is divided. and the num-
Der OF persons who wish TO retain the
saloon is 50 large that laws passed against
the saloon by bare majorities are inef-
fective. you Will gather from all this. "
said the bishop. how superficial, how ut
terly inhuman. inconsiderate, and I'M
reasonable 1 regard a great deal Of that
doubtless well intentioned zeal which
seeks to make men and women virtuous
and temperate by law OF indiscriminate
repression. do, 1 do!''
Bishop Potter went into an explanation
OF the reasons which. TO his mind. make
prohibitory legislation Intellectual upon
the masses OF the people.
The man OF property, he said in sub
stance has his home, his club. his amuse-
ments. He knows "as much about the
wOrkingman's home as he does about the
rabbit hutch OF an Australian farm" lie
is. in most cases, perfectly willing TO see
the saloons closed on Sundays. He is
often willing 10 see them closed altogether.
Why shouldn't he be? He would not be
affected. He still has his well fitted
den at home, and his opportunities for
hearing music. seeing pictures. and I'm all
other ways getting the most out of life.
It is to the man behind the counter and
the machine, whose task is so narrow. so
confining, and so monotonous." that the
drinking. and the talking. and the good
fellowship of the saloon become an al
most necessary relaxation after the days
work.
Besides, when the saloon is taken away,
what happens? 1T cannot be denied
the hysterical and abusive denials which
one sees and hears only furnish to the
phflosophic mind the stronger evidence
for the thing denied-that the growth of
the consumption OF the substitutes for
things against the use of which the pro-
hibitory laws are aimed has risen, side
by side. with the prevalence OF those
laws; and the observation and published
statistics OF medical men in states where
such laws have obtained opens a chamber
OF horrors, into which have no heart to
ask you to enter"
II viii be very generally agreed by both
the advocates and opponents Of prohibi-'
ton that this is remarkable talk to come
from a bishop in this country. 1t is how
ever only an advance upon the line
which Bishop Potter has been pursuing for
years. but he must have known that it
would elicit from the religious press OF
the country generally and from organiza-
lions ike the Woman's Christian Tenn
perance Union a storm OF protest and con-
demnation such as hardly any clerical ut
terznce has called forth in this country
in recent years
II remains TO be seen whether Bishop
Potter viii fight back. or merely stand
on what he has said, but there are no
signs OF an early cessation of the fusilade
that opened upon him some days ago and
has continued with incessant fury ever
since.