The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-10-25
He Wants Them to Awake and
Assert Themselves in the
Municipal Election, Which
Will Be Held Next Week.
ADOPT A RESOLUTION
FAVORABLE TO REID
Quaker Divine and Educator
Feels Very Much That Rich
mond Is in Danger of Being
A ''Wide-open" Town.

Members of the West Side Friends
church, Sunday morning, voiced their
sentiments, relative to the city election
week from tomorrow, by adopting a
resolution favoring the candidacy Of
Pettis A. Reid, democratic nominee,
for mayor. The platform of the men,
bers of this church is as follows:
Resolved, That the voters of the
West Side Friends Meeting, in view Of
his past record, enter a sincere and
vigorous protest against the election of
DR.. Zimmerman, as the Mayor of Rich
mond, and pledge our support to the
candidacy of Pettis A. Reid.
A Strong Sermon.
The vote in favor of Mr.. Reid was ta-
ken after the church services at which
Prof. Ebert Russell, of Earlham Col
lege, delivered strong sermon on the
subject, wide Open Cities of Pales-
tine" Richmond, curing the former
administrations of DR.. w. w. thinner
man, the republican candidate for the
election, next Tuesday, was likened
unto Palestine city by the speaker.
Prof. Russell also said that the Qua
ker population Of this city had been
altogether too passive in the city's po-
litical affairs. He referred to other
Quaker centers and said that. similar
conditions existed in those cities as
have existed here because the Quakers
have taken no prominent part in de-
feating bad" administrations.
Gerasa, one of the four leading cities
of ancient Palestine, was used as an
example by Prof. Russell in his dis
course. He spoke of the beauty of the
city, its wealth, its political rottenness
as well as it's loose morals. The sub
sequent outcome of such general debil-
ity resulted in the city's ruin, accord
ing to Prof. Russell.
Prof. Russell spoke in part as fol-
lows concerning vice and the power
Richmond has to save itself from
what he deems a curse:
The Crucial Question.
The crucial question for the future
prosperity and growth of Richmond,
in this as in every generation is,
whether we who profess to follow
Christ and believe the bible, really do
believe that righteousness alone exalt-
eth city; whether we are willing to
make the needful effort to save our
city from rulers like Hezekiah's cor.
rupt politicians-from men who like
them believe that the wine-shop is the
cradle of prosperity and liberty: that
vice is the best foundation for the CON-
monwealth-from men who seek to es-
tablish a government on ruined lives,
who make mock of purity and vir-
tue, who ingratiate themselves with
the poor only to use the grateful poor
as tools by which to rob the whole city.
and to think to make of PROSTATE wo-
manhood stepping stones to fame and
power.
A century ago when our fathers laid
the foundations of our city: their chief
gifts were sterling Christian characters
and high spiritual ideas which those
Quaker and German and Methodist pi-
oneers brought. Richmond has grown
prosperous, and beautiful. and cultur-
ed beyond their greatest expectations.
More Than a Jest.
If in the future it is to become still
more the city of our pride and prayers;
if it is to be something more than a
jest and by-word among the other
cities of Indiana, something more than
a source of shame to US Quakers. whose
name it often bears: something worthy
of the character and prayer of its foun-
ders: we must found it anew on the
foundations of Christian character,
and remove from it the disgrace of a
'wide-open city,; we must cut out by
drastic political and moral surgery the
last cancerous roots of corrupt and vi
cious civic government.