The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-14
Speaker Treated Liquor Ship
 nent Bill Too Badly
ACTIVE CAMPAIGN BEGUN
Methodist Episcopal Church Is Making z ethe War Upon Speaker Cannon, Alleging That He Is Hold
 ing Up the Liquor Bill.

Washington, August 13.-(special)-Not for a moment have the members of the Methodist Episcopal church of the United States forgotten the way Uncle Joe Can non speaker of the House of Represent atives, received their committee at the capitol last May, when they sought to gain his support for the Littlefield "in- terstate liquor shipment bill"
 On the contrary. the speaker has fall- en low indeed in their estimation. They are saying uncompllmentary things of him.
 But that is not all. The worst is to come. They have begun, under the aus pices of the general conference, the high est official body of the church, an active political campaign to defeat Cannon for the House, or at least for the position of speaker, and to defeat all other candi- dates for that body who are foes of the Littlefield measure.
 Rev. John w. R. Sumwalt, D. D., pre- siding elder of the Methodist Episcopal church for the Washington district, had this to say today:
 From the reception accorded the com- mittee of the general conference of the Methodist Episcopal church by Speaker Cannon, and the discussion he entered upon at that time, most of us Method ists have come to look upon the speaker as the special pleader for the liquor in- terests and the one man whose influence has been successfully used to thwart the will of the jority of the people, which, we believe, is that the states should be protected by the national government in efforts to settle moral issues according to their desires
 We are somewhat of the opinion also that the reception accorded the commit tee was not such as the character of the men who composed it and the church it represented deserved.'
 The Methodist Episcopal church, with it's three million members, Is conducting it's dry campaign through the agency of missionary society, with authority to represent it in all so-called temper ance matters. This society is managed by a board composed of bishop and 15 members named by the bishop and elect ed by the general conference.
 There was meeting in Chicago re- gently. The board then authorized it's chairman to take steps to begin an act i've campaign The result is that an of ficial address has been printed and is now circulating among all members of the denomination. It was said today by pr. Sumwalt that this address has not yet been received here, but that it doubt less will be within a few days.
 The shipment bill," pending in con- gress for at least five years. does not seek to impose prohibition upon any To- cality, but provides that liquor shipped from one state to another shall, immedi- ately on crossing the boundary line, be- come subject to the laws of the state into which it is consigned
 "The speaker of the national Huse of Representatives, reads the official ad- dress, absolutely controls its procedure He Is opposed to this legislation. He has used the power of his office to hold it in the judiciary committee, appointed by him, on the alleged ground that 1t Is un- constitutional. w. S.