Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1908-01-23
INTOLERANCE Run MAD.
[Fron The Richmond News Leader.l

tiOn OF tue peOpie vi fHkiula. iet "o
read in the Halifax Gszette, Of this
week, letter Indicating a remarkable
condition of affairs. A correspondent Of
that newspaper, writing from Glover,
under date of Jap. Is, 1908, says that
the preacher whose church he attends
recently announced in the pulpit that he
would send petition to have the Msun
law smended, so ss to force wet counties
into local option elections, to each ofhis
churches. he further said that he
wanted to see these petitions before they
we're sent of 80 that be might knQDhax
each member of bis cougregstioQ stands
on that question. GAIL OF bis members. (
he added, would be required iosAow
their colors."
Some time ago when The News Lesder
ssid that certain branch OF the hard-s'
shell Baptisis in remote mountain sec
tioBs OF the OarCliuas hsd voted to expel
ell members who supported the no-fence
law, members OF that denomination chal-
legged the assertion with evidences of
indignation and repudiated 1t hotly-
Yet, here is preacher in the county Of
Halifax, conducting something very like
the iDquisition the Catholic church con-
Quoted 10 Spsin centuries ago. He gives
the implied warning, or threat, that
those members of the congregation who
refuse to sign the petition for the amend
ment of the Mann bill will be brought
under discipline. The inqulsition used
10 decree burning, hanging and tortures
for heretics, those who differed from its
members in matters of beliefor doctrine,
or who failed to measure up to their re-
quirements of morality and faith. For
tunstely tor the Halifax congregations,
the law forbids the use of those drastic
measures against such of the members
a. decline to favor the forcing of new
elections on wet counties; but the cler-
gyman goes as far as the law will let
him 10 frightening and Furnishing. It
seems to US the spirit of this msD--no
d)ubt good and well-meaning man--is
precisely that of the ipquisition, soma
members of which doubtless were good
and well-mesning men firmly persuaded
that they were serving God by tearing
the Aesh of here,ics to pieces with red
hot pincers or burning them alive.
II this is not interference by church in
the sff.irs of State we would like TO
know what it is. Ifit is not following
the same principle that guided the igpo-
rant mountaineers 10 communicating
those who opposed popular law on
political question, We would like to
know why not. We do not know TO.
what denomination this preacher be-
longs. The correspondent does nos in
dicate. If his method is not istoler--
spce, Darrowness and bigotry carried to
the greatest possible extreme, we would;
like to know what it ia. The corre-
spondent of the Gssstte says he never
hiss taken drink Of liquor, but he is
clsssed ss whisky man because he
votes on the prohibition question &C.
cordiug to his own judgment and re-
fuses to sign the petition presented to-
him by the church.
Of course, it ia argued that prohibition
Is moral and not political question,
but we can force ourselves to believe any
political issue TO he moral one. People
in the mooDsbiDe districts honestly
believe that they have the moral right 10
do as they please with the products OF
their own labor, aud to make their corn
into whisky il they like. And, on that
ground, they justify themselves in killing
revenue officers who undertake to inter-
fere with them. At one time opposition
to free masonry was made moral
question, and all over New England the
aboliIionists taught that no man could
be a Christian, servant of God and
proper member OF Christian church If
be opposed the immediate and violent
abolition of slavery Here ia the South
we call that fsnsticism. What shall We
call the implied declaration that the
man who refuses to sign petition for q
prohibition election, however sober,
however righteous in bis life, however
squarely he may live to the precepis OF
the teslameuts, shall be treated as 40
outcsst and denied the communion Of his
church.
We see that at another point in the
State where town in q local election
declined to accept prohibition, a" effort
is being made to have the question
whether the town shall be we. or dry
decided by vote of the county. And
we suppose If the county should vote
wet, we would have demsud that the
State have an election to d-cide. This
seems to US to be IS uDfsir IS it Is incon-
sistent. The prohibitionisis, where
they cannot carry whole city, demand
q vote on the liquor question In each
ward for itself and pu. up the plea of
the right of local self-goversment; but
when town votes vel they forget shout
local self-government spd want the couH-
try around called in 10 Try and decide
the case.
FanRticifm end intolerance have de-
feated themselves through all the history
of the world. The temperance people
are permitting themselyes 10 be led by
extremists into courses which will bring
q violent reaction and general sweep
Ing triumph Of the whisky interests as
surely as the recorded facts OF history
are true.