The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-11-03
PULPITS
Sermons Preached in interests
of Independent Ticket.
Rev. p. w. CranneII Finds a
Message for Voters.
CHAS. SHELDON'S TALK
HIS Hearers How to
Mark Ballot.
Will Pray at the Methodist
Church Tuesday.

"A NUMBER OF the church services in
Topeka Sunday night were in reality
meetings in the interest of the Inde-
pendent candidates for county attorney
and sheriff
AT Rev Charles M Sheldon's church.
the Central Congregational, a political
meeting was held. followed by a session
of prayer for the victory of the Inde-
pendent ticket in tomorrow's election.
The speakers. Rev. Chas. M. Sheldon,
Rev. J. E Everett, p H. Forbes and
Frank Stahl. were limited to five min
utes each They all oversteDped the
time limit except Rev Mr.. Sheldon. who
opened the service by making a short
talk accompanied by a blackboard il
lustration.
There is always a bad odor which
goes with a political campaign, no mat
ter what the principle is at stake said
Rev. Mr.. Sheldon The disagreeable
odor is part of the game, and 1 recently
heard a little story on that line A
mother was disturbed by a very noisy
game of something which was being
played by her children in the room over
mead TIE furniture seemed in danger,
and she went u0 to see about it. She
saw a strenuous game being played
with chair which two of the children
were pushing around, while the third
son did not seem to be in it at all. She
was informed that they were playing
automobile and asked why the younger
brother was not in the game, He is
SAID the chaffeur. he is the bad smell
to the blackboard back of his pulpit,
and taking a piece of chalk proceeded
to explain the complicated ballot. He
made several perpendicular lines to rep
resent the columns, and then placed
circle over each These circles are the
places you don't want to touch" he
said Now he continued, lin the sew
enth column you will find the names OF
our candidates. just those two and no
more. What you want to do-What 1
snail do-uDon first entering the booth
is to mark cross in the squares oppo-
site those Names" Here T. H. Balm
spoke out from his position in the audi
enec and said. 'And don't forget,
Brother Sheldon, that the marks must
no fountain pens or indelible pencils
must be used. They will invaIidate the
ticket. and your vote is lost"
Rev Mr.. Sheldon said further: I'VE
are not only against the violation of the
prohIb1tory law. We have one of the
most stringent of gambling laws, but it
is violated continuously When we mark
our ballot it is not only mark for our
candidates, but mark for civilization.
There 1s principle at stake"
Rev. Mr. Sheldon was followed by P.
r. Forbes who was selected to use the
five minutes allotted to DR. T w Peers
who was unable to be present. He re-
peated in substance a speech made by
Abraham Lincoln, at political meeting
in 1887. He said that all the powers in
Europe could not take a drink of water
from the Ohio river by force, but that
the only danger to the nation was in
ternal strife and lawlessness. and the
nation would never die except by po-
litioal suicide He said that this city
is threatened with political suicide, that
the main street was lined on both sides
with gambling and drinking places, and
he quoted the phrase, Upon the powers
that be, rests the odium of present con-
ditiOnS." Mr.. Forbes was followed by
]. f. Everett, secretary of the State
Temperance union, who said that the
f1ff f17a +r-r~I <@E4
and licentious." There are no words to,
express the rule of this city, he saic
Monarchy means the rule of one;
plutocracy the rule of a few; democ-
racy the rule of the majority but there
is given us no word to signify the rule
of the worst" He also said that each
voter who voted against the Independ-
ent candidates showed thereby a desire
to have saloons
Mr.. stahl was the last speaker. He
began by reading a story, The Convic-
tion of James Kilroy," in which pris-
Oner convicted of the murder of his wife
laid the blame of his crime to the peo-
pie who had voted for the saloons
He said that the city is in charge of
less than 200 people, who derived reve-
nue. from the saloons, while 13, 900 voters
seemed unable to break their grip.
When the Independent candidate for
Sheriff closed his talk he was vigorously
applauded by the congregation. No
names were mentioned in the entire
evening. The meeting was closed with
a season of prayer for the success of the
Independent standard.
AT THE BAPTIST CHURCH
Rev P. W. Crannen, pastor of the
First Baptist church, spoke to his con
gregation Sunday evening on the theme
The Bibles Message to the Voter" 3"
handling it under the heads of twofprin-
cipal queries: Has the Bible any mes
sage to the voter?" and What has the
Bible and the church to say to the voter
in Topeka ?"
l. r.
nell that the Bible has no particular
message to the voter It is true the
people think it has a message for every
other purpose But on the supreme day
when the citizen has the scepter of
sovereignty in his hand. if the church
: whisper a word. men draw down the
solemn face of disapproval Three hun
dred and sixty-four days in the year
she may have message, but on the
three hundred and sixty-fifth she must
stand back in the corner while the
thug, the jointist and the gambling
house keeper may say they are safe.
This belief is founded on three miscon-
ceptions. The first is the wrong con-
ception of politics. They think politics
is muddy pool and let the women and
the church keep away. That is what
you have made politics, but it is not
what it is. Politics is the science and
art of government: the noblest occupa-
= ton on earth in which maa can en-
gage. Never let us think of politics as
dirty scramble, II is the art of king
l craft. The second misconceDtion is in
: the wrong idea of the divisibility of life
If you touch any part of mans life
you affect the whole. You will find, too
that there is one thing which is in poll
/ tics to stav urtfl it is crushed out and
! that is the saloon. They say it is the
e mission of the church to rescue the per-
: ishing, and care for the dying: but we
2 grow weary OF this process after this
! deadly Juggernaut goes through tbs
country Anything that makes my
blood boil is for the usual machine Dem