Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1906-06-27
(4) "From renting property to be
used for any such sale."

used for any such sale."
If, in the minds of some persons
such language lacked explicit declara-
tion as to the attitude of their church
toward the liquor business, the fol-
lowing utteranoes were surely clear.
cut: ~
The General Conference of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South,
had by unanimous resolution said,
"The only proper attitude for Chris
tians toward the liquor traffic is that
of relentless hostility"
The General Conference of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, North,
had by resolution likewise said, "We
hold that no member can consistent
ly contribute by voice, vote, or intlu-
ence to the perpetuation and proteo-
tion of the liquor traffic"
Moreover, the Reverend John
Wesley, himself founder of the
Methodist church, had said;
"We may not sell anything which
tends to impair health. Such is,
eminently, all that liquid fire com.
monty called drams or spirituous
liquors. 1t is true these may have
place in medicine; these may be of
use in some bodily disorders, although
there would rarely be any occasion
for them were it not for the unskil-
fulness of the practitioner. There.
fore, such as prepare and sell only for
this use may keep their conscience
clear. But all who sell them in the
common way, to any that will pay,
are poisoners general. They do
murder his majesty's subjects by
wholesale, neither does their eye pity
or spare. They drive them to hell
like sheep! And what is their gain
Is it not the blood of these men?
Who, then, would envy them their
estates and sumptuous palaces? A
curse is in the midst of them. The
curse of God cleaves to the stones,
the timber, the furniture of them |!
The curse of God is in their garden,
their walks, their groves; fire that
burns to the nethermost hell!
"Blood blood is there! The
foundation, the floor, the walls, the
roof, are stained with blood And
cans't thou hope, thou man of blood,
though thou art clothed in scarlet
and fine linen and farest sumptuous-
ly every day. cans't thou hope to de-
liver down thy fields of blood to the
third generation I? Not so; for there
is God in heaven; therefore, thy
name shall be rooted out. Like as
those whom thou hast destroyed,
body and soul, thy memorial shall
perish with thee.'"
Now, Mr.. Editor, your correspond
ent, while not the keeper of another's
conscience, steadfastly believes that
with these lights and laws before
him, a member of the Methodist
church cannot maintain his integrity
for truthfulness and O) run for pub
lie Office as an avowed supporter of
the dispensary or other system of
liquor selling for beverage purposes,
or (2) vote for any such candidate.
And, it is equally certain, he must
endeavor in some proper way to ex-
ercise his right and duty of voting as
Christian citizen. But he cannot,
consistently, unless there are prohi-
bition candidates in the field capa-
BILE and worthy of holding office.
The liquor business is positively
before the sovereigns of South Caro-.
lima for protection and perpetuation,
or else for repudiation. The issue
was never, perhaps, 80 well defined
among us. And it is pre-eminently
moral one. Unless there shall
come out for election to office eff
cient Christian men, large number
of citizens will be practically disfran.,
chised. They dare not commit false
hood by the political act of voting
for men who do not represent their
principles.