The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1906-02-16
CONDEMNS CHRIST.
And Denys Gods Wisdom
Ex-Preacher Says Local
Option Law Does.

ness before an auQlenCe, was q
spectacle in the circuit court room
last night. An audience of 80 to
100 people was present, and was
unquestionably interested, if for
no other reason, because of the nov
city of the occasion. Probably I'M
til the advent of the person in
question. no preacher ever declared
saloons to have the sanction of
Jesus Christ, and that any effort to
prevent saloons and the saloon bust
ness is an assault on Christ himself
and a questioning of the wisdom of
the Lord Almighty. A doctrine
like that, announced and stouty
defended as the gospel of the Bible
is obviously in the nature of a sur-
prise to those accustomed from
childhood to the orthodox, and in
consequence, all the speaker said
was listened to with deep attention,
by some of course with unexpressed
derision, by others with r~everential
and rapt appreciation.
Was a Preacher IN Kentucky.
The speaker was Rev, H. M.
Street. He is from Prineville, and
is reputed to be, or at least to have
been, a preacher in the Christian
church. He averred himself dur
ing his lecture as he called it, to
have been until recently, a regular.
1y licensed preacher, and to have
spent many years in saving souls.
Incidents that he related of his min
~isterial career had their scenes laid
in Kentucky. Others occurred
while he was a preacher in Arkans-
as. He admitted tibet a gulf now
exists between him and his former
brethren, and declared that he is in
the right and they in the wrong.
He said, cit is a very remarkable
step for a man to deny the things
that for years he has preached, but
that such is the situation in which
I now find myself, and that OBJ
viousiy he expects determined op-
position from his former brethren.
His lecture, he said, is the product
of conscience and two years study.
His mission in the present work. he
said, is to do all he can to defeat
operation of the local option law.
Of course, a primary effort in his
campaign, is to make sentiment for
the Jayne bill, which, the Whole
sale Liquor Dealers Association has
pending for adoption by the voters
under the initiative at the June ell
ection. He says he is not paid by
the liquor men for making his cam
paign, and that he is depending
upon voluntary contributions for
his remuneration. The hat was
passed at the end of the address. J.
K. Berry and F. Hopkins, taking
up the collection. Something like
s. or s. was contributed.
Whiskey is Wrongly Blamed.
The speaker declared that before
: he cast loose from the orthodox
view of saloons, he discovered ''in
I tolerance" in the church. He in
sisted that the local law is a pow
l erful sign of this intolerance. HI
ascribed the whole local option il
movement to the church. and abus
t ed the church roundly for defend
l ing a law that so interferee
! with the rights of men.
Lust of gold, he said, is the roo
of all evil. There are 1000 mil
lionaires in the church. More time
it is the lust of gold that is res
sponsible for a crime, when in fac
the churchmen cry out that it i
whiskey that cause the crime
, !, Many a tragedy he declared AM
many a shortcoming is ascribed t
whiskey. in which whiskey ha
d had nothing to do.
It One time when he was conduct
ing a meeting in Kentucky, b
said, nearly all the girls in tn
neighborhood were becoming con
: verted. which meant that the dar
cling parties would be interfere
with. So the young men held
council of war and determined t
break up the meeting. They sen
to town for whiskey and the mex
night, after imbibing enough of th
d whiskey to make their hearts stout
they took fence rails and smashe
= in all the windows. It was col
weather there, and because til
windows were out no more NEE
ings could be held. "They sal
- whiskey caused those young men t
= interfere with that meeting, but we
it whiskey?" cried the speake'
1.-THE fathers and mothers Of thos
young men were members of th
church and, ignoring the counc
held beforehand, they laid all thu
y proceeding at the door of whiskey
p 1t was whiskey that was made th
scape goat, and SO many a time
human experience, whiskey
h1arue6 r,ha, - ier,t -hieLav Of a