The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1908-05-28
METHODS. AND PROHIBITION.

f Without dissenting vote the
delegates to the general conference
OF the Methodist Episcopal chufch
now in session at Baltimore have
adopted and ordered referred TO
committee for speedy report the fol-
lowing resolution:
First that we respectfully request
the political parties of this nation TO
consider well the great interests OF
our country as affected by the liquor
traffic and to nominate no man for
the high Office of president who is not
In harmony with the movement 10
divorce this nation from the crime
of liquor selling.
Second. that no candidate Tor the
office of president of the United
States. who is not himself a total alb
stainer. and who is not In harmony
with the abolition of the liquor traffic
from the federal government down,
should receive the support OF Chris
tan citizens.
Exactly how the committee Will
treat this subject, whether from a
strictly UNCONVENTIONAL, religious,
an economic, a moral or a pohucal
standpoint, is of course only mat
ter OF con lecture: but the prospect
is good no doubt, for the conference
eventually committing itself to the
principles or policies enunciated in
the resolutions.
Without either advocating or con-
demning the proposition to prohibit
by statute law the sale of intoxicants,
1t may in all fairness and without
pre indice he said that the final pass
age of these resolutions by the con-
ference might easily prove a two
edged sword for the cause of Method
ism here in the United States. There
are good Methodists in plenty who
do not deem it advisable to make tee
totalism and advocacy of prohibition
a prerequisite to the presidency of
the United States; there are many
myriads of young men and young
women approaching the age when
they naturally seek church affilia-
tions who would he antagonized by
the PRONUNCIATION of such a denom-
national policy; and probably not
one in a hundred Methodist voters
would be influenced by this pro-
nounced stand of his church. one way
or the Republican churchmen
would vote their own party ticket, as
usual, and Democratic churchmen
would remain loyal to their party
candidates. Furthermore, total abb
stinence and advocacy of prohibition
do not go hand in hand by any
means. There are drinkers-let us
say moderate drinkers-in numbers
who are at the same time strong pro-
hibitionists as matter of economic
or political policy; as, for instance,
in the state of Maine where the pro-
portion of drinking men in the en-
tire voting population is unquestion-
ably greater than is the average in
all the states together. popular
vote on the question would no doubt
be overwhelmingly in favor of con-
tinuance of the prohibition policy.
And, on the other hand. there are
total abstainers who are
unalterably opposed to prohibition,
believing that traffic that has in 1t
so many harmful effects and infiu-
ences can better be intelligently reg
ulated by law than be absolutely for
hidden and that the cause of real
Temperance can be better promoted
through such policy.
The question of prohibition is al
most wholly an economic one. 1t is
only through artificial, superficial
and purely sentimental considera-
tions that it has been given moral
or a religious aspect. Temperance
and prohibition have been confound-
ed-that's all; one is no more the
handmade of the other than is Nor
monism identical with petty larceny.
President Roosevelt is not total alb
stainer-far from it. But in an issue
involving the economic ACCESSIBILITY
of prohibition locally in Oyster Bay
or in Washington or in Kalamazoo
he might easily be found its warm
est, most jealous and most strenuous
advocate there.