The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1902-04-17
CASTING YOUR VOTE.

nous offices IN state and counties.
Now, IN connection with the afore-
said elections so soon to be held
all over this grand "Old State of
Georgia, | would like to ask the
Voter" the Common Man"
upon whose ballot depends who
shall handle the reins of state and
county government for the next
two years, this question: How
much of Jesus are you going to
take with you to the polls when
you go to vote? How far are you
going to allow your. christianity
to influence you in casting your
ballot?
Although our Constitution men,
lions neither the name of God nor
Christ, although years after It's
adoption, Congress declared that
this Government is in no sense
founded on the Christian Reli-
gion, yet in the minds of the
American people, ouls is an essen
TALLY a Christian Government.
But how much room is there for
Jesus" in the forces that control
it? Doubtless corruption of all
kinds have always existed here,
but politics of our land has be-
come so UNANIMOUSLY corrupt, "
that a man takes his reputation
into his hands when he enters in
to 1T.
The time has actually come,
when one half of the best Christ
ian citizens, speak of leaving pol
tiles to those who make profess
ional business of it. To persist IN
righteous legislation means, to
dig ones own political grave, and
this country has lost the service
of many valuable, broad-minded,
christian man, because he felt I'M
able to realize his political ideal
in competition with the "base and
Doodle machine" politics, that
prevails all over the land. We
have lived to see the day, when
hotel Hobbies. are crowded with
professional political sharks, who
need only few pieces of silver to
buy some Judas Representative"
willing to sell his country for a
price. When q seat in the United
States Senate is shamelessly knock
ed down to the highest bidder
when man enters office and holds
it at the mere nod of a ring that
placed him there when a u. S.
Senator dares to stand on the
floor of American Congress and
say, the decalogue and the golden
rule have no place in American
politics; when honest Legislation
and conscientious execution OF
the law are made impossible
| through the corrupt and illegal
use of money and whiskey; and
when law and decency are shame.
lessly outrage and violated / say
it is time to call a halt. The
mistake of the church has been in
emphasizing too little the essen
TALLY holy character of politics
| Politics have been divorced from
religion and regulated to the sphere
of the secular and the irreligious.
The church has placed a stigma
upon politics that it never deserv-
ed. They have drawn their holy
garments about them, less they be
contaminated by political touch
| that is essentially unholy. The
people need to be educated up tc
that standard where they will look
Upon the casting Of a ballot as
holy thing as the preaching OF
a sermon, or sacred like the Sac
rament in the house of God, and
go from their knees to the polls
| full of christian sentiment, and
drive the "money changer, " and
"political boodler" from the TEN.
| pie of American Liberty"
| The Old Testament idea of q
ruler or statesman, was that he be
filled with the Spirit Of God, and
| why should this idea degenerate
under the newer and higher dis
| pensation? And to-day we have
| God to thank, that there have been
a few men, who have risen to prom.
inence in political positions, and
whose integrity has been kept,
whose honor has been unsullied
and whose convictions have not
| been sacrificed, but who have de-
monstrated not only that room
can, and ought to be made foI
Jesus in politics, but that when
ever and wherever it is made the
blessings Of civic righteousness
| have rested upon the people. And
| when we come to see and feel that
the holding of an office is not ON.
| ly a "Public Trust" but a "Sa.
cred Trust" and that no man has
right to such an office, and nc