The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-08-27
Letters fo The Editor
THE wETUMpKA MEETING.

-
 Rev. J. B. cumminG writes of Its
 Purpose.
 Editor The Advertiser:
 In your issue of the 25th there were one or two errors or misinterpretations which I ask the privilege of correct ing. Your Wetumpka correspondent states that "the campaign for consti- tutional prohibition was launched in Wetumpka yesterday" Sunday. the 22nd), and that at the close of the union services Sunday night "a collec- ton was taken for campaign purposes" the inference naturally being for cam paign purposes in behalf of the prohi- bition amendment to the constitution. In your editorial Bearing False Witt ness" you seem to accept as true these statements. for you say: "on this page we publish a news letter from The Ad- vertiser's regular correspondent at Wetumpka which tells of the inaugu- ration of a campaign for the prohibi- tion amendment in Elmore County. It was inaugurated on Sunday and in a church"
 First-as to the launching of the campaign for constitutional prohibition in church on last Sunday, your corr respondent is in error. The Methodist Church Is on record twhether rightly, for the total prohibition of the liquor traffic. We regard 1t as an evil for whose extirpation we. are to use all le- gitimate means and endeavor: For personal knowledge, we have occupied this position and have all along waged an unceasing warfare against what we regard the question as one of morality. vitally effecting the moral and relig- ious welfare of the people. In waging this warfare. we as church have loon League-it being but a union of all the forces antagonistic to the liquor interests. and organized to pre- sent the combined power of all these the representatiyes % of the Anti-saioon League the endorsement of our confer ences and pulpits in its one supreme abolition of the saloon, been making systematic free-will off, ferings to assist in its work. The rep resentatives of the League have ever since this endorsement been making these occasions they have usually oc. cupied one pulpit in the morning. and at evening In the smaller towns espe- cially. there have been union services In the interests of the common cause. Such was the situation at Wetumpka last Sunday. Being in charge of the services and knowing that there would be much misunderstanding and possl-
  church's real position, I took advan- tage of the occasion to state the posi- tioSi of the church on the general sub ject of temperanee and prohibition and its relation to the present situation; and the burden of which was that these had not ceased to be moral and religious questions because they had taken on in s large measure p9,it,- tional prohibition was touched on by me only incidentally. as means to an
 Now, 1t was not our intention to prohibition at Wetumpka and on Sum day. Such was not thought of by me. and had 1t been in the mind of any one else l presume 1t two would have nay been a1 the meeting. The meeting was in the interest Of temperance and prohibition in general and not for the purpose Of tbpp speresaSy tSs news letter, not mentioned specifically in your editorial, however. that a col lection was taken up for campaign general campaign which the Anti-Sa- loon League and the church have been waging for years, and IS still waging against the organized liquor traffic, then the statement of your correspond
 Such a collection was taken, the same as for years past at all meetings held in the interests Of that Work. If, however. the reference ia to collec- tion taken for the specific purpose Of launching the s .constitutional amend ment campaign in Eimore County or elsewhere, the statement Is erroneous. though of course not intentional.
 The point I wish to emphasize is, that the question has lost none of it's moral characteristics or importance be- cause in certain of its phases 1t Is now being discussed and considered as a political problem; and as a moral ques- tion the pulpit has always had the right to discuss 1t, and that the politi- cal phases it may from time to time assume, do not put 1t beyond the pur- vieu of legitimate pulpit and church consideration and discussion; that when thus discussed the preacher and the church are not always rushing into politics Ca very ambiguous word thisl. and instead of the, pulpn Invading the territory of the politician in this pres ent agitation, many politicians have come to see the question from the standpoint of the preachers and the church. Are the politicians and pon- tics any the worse for this? Must the preachers and the church abandon all discussion of their position because the masses have largely come to their way of thinking?
 Very respectfully,
 J. B. Cumming.