The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-07-29
PASTORS DISCUSS
ALLEGED CORRUP ton.
No Names Were Mentioned and
No Judgment Passed.
DR.. j. S. M'ELR0Y IN THE CITY
>rrives in Richmond to Take Up Work
With Ministerial Relief Committee.
Mr.. Henry r. Pollard breaches.
Other Religious News.

In sermons preached Sunday several
Richmond pastors took up the alleged
corruption In the City Council and com
mented upon it in various ways. Inc
question OF bribery was discussed, ana
while in some cases ii was localized, no
names were called.
There was no sensationalism and no
effort to pass judgment upon those I'M
Z der suspicion.
At the morning service at the Leigh
Street Baptist Church. the Rev Mr.. Ash
nv Jones took the matter as his text and
preached a sermon on betfaylhs
Trust" After a quotation from Grover
Cleyeland-"a pu bic Office is pubic
trust"-aad a discussion Of the bribery
question In the widest aspect, MI. Jones
made reference to the situation In TINS
city.
II there has been corruption among our
there has been corruption among our
city officials Che would not for moment
prejudice their cases.. he asked now QUO
thay, get their Offices but by the paliot
~ tho neople Some of these ballots. 1t
was true. were bought for money. NO
one would deny that was dlsgrace1ui.
Pint others were bought for personal
friendship. Many man voted tor
councilman because he in turn would
vote for a personal friend for an once.
Other men were too busy 10 Fcie-
Others so taken Up with their private
business they knew nothing Of the char
actar of the men offering for once, ana
after their election We're TOO pussy 10
keep a watchful eye upon their olhciai
record. When the crash comes anu oui
citv is covered with shame ana ols-
grace. we turn with Indignation against
the men who have betrayed her But
we must bear our part of the response
t,ljtv. MANY of us have sold the pubic
welfare for private baseness or personal
ease. and thus have we. too betrayed
our trust Mr.. Jones pleaded Tor
watchful and alert citizenship. Eternai
vigilance the price of liberty Sald the
speaker, the power of the corrupt pom
tician lies in the indifference OF the re-
sneotabie voters to political issues
While you are busy here and there the
prosperity and the good name OF your
ritv Is gone. When God shall reckon
with YOU for the talent which He has
given YOU, among others He shall ask
Won. .:Son. what have you done with
the vote which I have given yoT?
The Rev. c. P. Stealey, pastor Oh .he
eroadus Memorial Baptist Church. also
no,I up the matter. His morning sermon
r,s IN the subject The Word Made
Tiesh and Dwelt Among Us" He brought
the bribery affair up in an incidental
pay basing II upon the text Exodus xiii:
s. ..Thou shalt take no gift for the gift
blindeth the wise and perverted the words
Of the righteous.
II, his localization of the theme. Mr..
stealy DISCUSSED the matter in its broad
est light. He did not pass judgment On
the pu;,!ic officers Of Richmond who are
held In suspicion, but chose rather to
deal almost entirely with the abstract
question. He referred to the case of
samuel. one of the judges Of Israel,
who held a position Of high trust and
who respected that trust in the highest
sense and said that there are many for
whom the same cannot be said at this
time. In discussing the question Of bri-
berry, he declared that the man who
gives a bribe is every bit as bad as the
man who takes one.
The Rev. P. A. Cave, Of the Third
Christian Church, and several others
had a few words to say concerning the
scandal Mr.. Gave declared it to be his
opinion that Christians do not pray fire.
quently enough for the officials. The
Christian Bndeavor Society of the Third
Church adopted a strong set of resolu-
tons commencing the action Of Judge
Witt and Commemorative Attorney
Richardson In causing immediate inves-
tigauon OF the charge Of bribery in the
Council.
The Rev. l. S. McElroy. D. D.. late OF
Lexington. KY, who has recently accept
ed the secretaryshir OF the Executive
Committee Of Ministerial Relief OF the
Southern Presbyterian General Assem-
bly,, has reached the city, and will enter
at once on his new work. DR.. McElroy
is weli-known In the Southern Church
and Will be warmly welcomed to Rich
mond by the community at large.
Mr.. Henry R. Pollard, city attorney,
preached Sunday morning at the Ran
dolph-Sreet Baptist Church and made
an excellent impression upon a large con-
gregaton.
The pastor of the church, the Rev. ]. S.
Boyles, who purposed spending the day
at a camp-meeting in the Northern Neck,
had tried vainly to secure some local
preacher to fill his pulpit during his alb
sence. DR.. J. B. Hawthorne consented
to preach there at night, but had to be
at Grove-Avenue in the morning. Others
also We're engaged elsewhere. Thcreupon
Mr.. Boyles asked Mr.. T. H. Elicit,
prominent Baptist layman, to take his
place. and Mr.. Elicit agreed to do so.
-1ncCsn ne had Ilaoe ever! ARRANGEMENT
to go to the church and had announced
his subject, The Ten Commandments"
Mr.. Elicit was unavoidably prevented
Shortly before the hour for the service,
ne was taken sick and he was forced to
ask Mr.. Pollard to fill the enga cement for
him.
The Rev. T. B, Thames. D. D., of Dan
VILE. who has recently resigned the care
OF the First Baptist Church in that city,
will in all probability be called to the