The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-26

 bama or the whole union could receive would be the injection into every po- lit.cal campaign of some great moral issue that would necessltate the selection of officials on their merits rather than their ability to pull wires, or their fit ness to deal successfully with both the good and evil forces of their constituency, by blinding both of these clements to their real unfitness to a place in the machinery of government.
 The time for the accomplishment of moral reform by the quiet teachings of the church is past, and l might not be far wrong, if I said, never to return The forces of evil are intimidating the manhood of the church, brutally com peling good, but weak men to do their bidding, or remain inactive while they | advance their evil designs. The contest with them is between dollars and duty; and dollars win too often, not because the men or the church prefer the evil-it is only the dollars they see.
 l 1 wish to remark again, the relation of the church to moral reform calls for a greater activity in all public affairs. Whom you pause to consider that the 1 church of eJsus Christ in the state of Alabama has about 75,Oo0 voters in her l ranks. would it not be strange If poli- ticians, lawmakers and executive officials l should brdzenly ignore the requests of l this array of voters?
 Once the church has fastened eonvic- toa on her membership as to their duty, 1 old conditions will be changed. It has l changed, Is changing and will continue | to change until the time will come when no tr1e churchman will support an evil 1 agent for public office.
 l The enemies of righteousness in public aff1irs point to their evil officials and say very glibly. "The powers that be, l ara ordained of God" The devil has been quoting the Scriptures ever since the l days of Christ "The powers that be- are ordained of God, does not neces- sarIly mean that a ruler chosen by cor ru )tion and gross dishonesty is the agent of God His office-the rulership of a people-is a God-decreed position-and one has a better right to demand that a man of clean hands and an upright heart shall occupy the seats of the mighty than has the church of the living God. When the church does this the political haranguer will glibly cry out, "The church and ministers have no right to dictate to political parties" This is apparently a truism The church has no right to dictate to a political party, as such; the l church has no right to endorse or sup port any political party as such. but as l government Is for the whole people, of the whole people and by the whole peo- 7 pie for the good of the greatest num- | l right, to protest against dishonest or in capable officers, or those who are the | friends of recognized evils.
 No ability in the juggling of words is able to take away this right to protest, or to make 1t appear mere dctation. From 1 the days when Gideon and his chosen band swung the sword in an effort to l change their environment for good, crying l out. "The sword of the Lord and of Cid eonl' the people of God have been im- portant factors in shaping the destinies , of nations.
 The church was an active agent in the days of Cromwell, giving stability to English reforms that continue till this day It was the true spirit of the church that impelled Luther to nall his 95 theses ! to the door of the Schlosskirche in Wit tenberg. denouncing the sale of indul- gences and the other corrupt practices of his times. It was high conception of the church, her founder and her mission 1 that set the Pilgrim Fathers ashore upon a barren, friendless coast that they might plant the faith in God which was l to be foundation stone for a nation l whose mission was to be a great ex- 1 ample in righteousness to all the peo- i pies of the earth. It is the awakening conscience of the church that creates 1 the hamburger of hope that the day is not far distant when this land will sec the irving of their shackles from the l lives Of the drink ens1aved and oppressed.
 The enemies of the church and her mission love to prate about mans inabii- ty to make men better by legislation. Since the fall man has been restrained from evil indulgences more by the power of Gods prohibitive decrees than he has by the gush and imbecellic whimperings of love- The closing years of the eigh- teen century witnessed perhaps the most striking example of what the absence of the restraint of so-called man made laws will do. In France they murdered king and queen and nobles, the representatives of an effete system of rulership, and every man was a law unto himself for a time. The result was a land ensangulned with the blood of the most intellectual the most wise. the most righteous, the | very flower of what had given France her greatest glory past, and what was the bud of promise for days to come was bruised and crushed and dragged through the dust of humiliation, shame and death all because law had been dethroned and l the rulership of individual passions and desires had been crowned and sceptered l instead
 Some men may not need that restraint of law Many more do. We have exam pies of what comes to a people or nation when laws are loosely framed or there IS laxness in their administration. Would 1 we return 10 those dayS when brute strength was the master everywhere Would we exchange our law protected condition for that when men murdered when and whom they would? When arsen, plllage. robbery was unchecked by the laws strong hand. If we would all we need do Is to listen to this spacious argument that men are not made good by legislation and simply drift with the sensuous lustful, sinful throng who know not good nor can appreciate it's votaries or those who seek 1t for themselves and | others.
 The church must admit that Legislation does not make all men good, but sht must insist that law and its enforcement does protest the whole community from the depreda lions of the vicious and nevel relax her diligence to compel obedience tc the majesty of the law. We grant thai prohibition does not prohibit the crime of murder, but the most liberal enemy ol temperance or social reform would no advance the removal of our laws agains the crime of murder The same may bt said of robbery and arsen. In the hand: of the church is the solution of the sa- loon problem, the greatest question be- fore individual and state and nation, fol d drunken and debauched people means . drunken and debauched nation.
 If we would escape the eclipsed glory of other nations whose meridian of honol and power was submerged benath ths dishonor of dissipation and prodigal sin we must curtail the power of those whs are mere panderers for gain to the eyl natures of men, Much is demanded o should be appealed to until all are aroused | 11of tIa fnp rrt