The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-11-21

support or ministers and churches. In
the North. on the other hand. some Of
the preachers thought that to advo-
cate free silver wes immoral and they
claimed that they took this position
because they regarded free silver az
dishonest. An earnest man IL liable
to believe that q certain question In
which he II Interested AZ q moral
question. and that the side which he
fAvors II the moral side. Questions
Of ex pediency and morals are often
combined. But the fact that an issue
has armoral. side does not take away
fts financfaf or industrial or political
side. The fact that a question may
have d moral side does mot make II
q pon-polittcal question. Politics Is
politics. no matter what the question
in politics may be. Anything 10 In
politics on which men are required to
vote. Voting, IL political act. vot-
ing ID a function OF government. vot-
ing IL an act by which men seek to
control physical force, the physical
force Of state. Voting on a question
shows ipso facto that the question Ia
in politics. II the church puts q ques-
tion into politics and works for II,
then> the church becomes to some ex-
tent q political party. Tariff is in
politics whenever we vote on It.. The
exclusion OF the Chinese Is in politics
whenever we vote on the question.
The regulation OF freight rates Is In
politics whenever. we vote on the is
sue. The establishment OF stock
law 10 In politics whenever we vote
on the subject The Issue Is politi-
cal PLATFORM and the people who adj
vocate the issue are political par
ty. II the church raises an issue.
uses its buildings and the occasion Of
the Sunday service for campaign pur-
poses. and takes up collections for
the same, then the church itself IL In
politics.
The object OF this communication 10
not to ask the ministers and church
members OF Alabama to refuse. as In
dividuals and citizens, TO take q hand
in the present and coming contest.
but 1t r. our purpose to ask that the
churches and the ministers in their
official capacity keep out of politics..
Members of the church may go into
politics on the temperance question.
or on any other question, But they
should 20 In as individuals, and citi-.
Gems, and should not drag the church
in with them, and insist that the
church as o church should espouse
either side of political controversy
We should concede that men may have
different views on the temperance
question, and yet be good men and
rule. 1t is q correct proposition OF law
that when the plaintiff in any case
has right to prove 3 certain propo-
sition, the defendant has an equal
right to deny or controvert the same.
II a man advocates certain political
proposition or political remedy in a
church, why should not the men who
oppose that political propositionsor po4
llitical remedy have equally the priv
iiege Of the. place, ana occasion to de-
| ny |, or scontrovertl that ,preposltion or
remedy. or TO. ask that the same be
modified or amended7 Is the minis
ter to assume that his Views on q po-
Nticaf question are, absolutely correct
and that those who differ with him
on this political question are absolute
llyawFongf land that. therefore. ne has
the right. the sole right. to use the
institution and machinery Of the
church q advocating Ids political
views? II not. then II might thus
happen that unseemly debates and
wrangles might originate in the
church, or that one class OF worship
pers might feel that undue advan-
tage had been taken of them by the
ministers who differed with them ON
a political question
We wish TO repeat that we are not
advising the suppression OF the tenn
perance question. On the contrary.
we are, trying to push n forward 4 hut
we suggest that = hez churches, as
fchurches. keep out OF politics. we
ask that the members of the churches
alike other individuals ana citizens. 70
Into politics. There is no need to drar
the. church itself into the political
arena. Let temperance people meet
in their court houses and city halls
and school buildings. ana under the
oak trees. and consider the various
phases OF the temperance question. In
such places let them discuss plans
take up collections and push forward
the temperance cause. Let these
meetings be held at some other time
than on Sunday.
Many years ago and at time when
dispensary in Alabama had not even
been thought of, we had prohibition
campaign In Tuscaloosa. The prol1i-
bition people were anxious that the