The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-11-14
rHE rosIrloN oF rRnsaYTERrANx.

THE POSITION OF PREsBYTERIANs
 The Selma Journal. In a news report of the Presbyterian synod held in, Selma. has this to say in reference to the reaffirmation by that body of the different deliverances on the subject of temperance and prohibition by the General Assemblies of the same church.;
 When the resolutions were brought forth by MT, Dean and read. there was Mir. F. P. Glass. editor of The Mont gomery Advertiser, who called atten- ton of the body to the fact that the church did not put itself on record as favoring any political party. The members of the synod did not consider that sucn was being done in the en- dorsement of the resolutions. hence they voted unanimously to endorse the General Assembly resolutions. The ayes voted strongly and when the noes, were called for there was death-like stiffness to see If any one in tho synod would vote against the re. buttons. No man opened his mouth, not even Mir. Glass.
 
 synod as construing these deliverances as strong prohibition documents. and there is a distinct intimation of sur prise that MT. Glass did not oppose the reaffirmation,
 It would have been difficult for any Presbyterian. in a subordinate court of his church. to have opposed the reaffirmation of any deliverance by the highest court of that organization. If the matter had been before the General Assembly itself, and Mir. Glass had been a member. he probably would have taken the position that some of the deliveranees were not to the point in the light of the present situation in Alabama and other Southern States. and that they were not fair and complete statements of the church's position.
 The Journals report of what MT. Glass said in his remarks is not full and complete. MT. Dean, in present. ing the various .deliverances, which were printed in full in yesterdays Ad- vertiser. did not read them all; he chose the first and the last, as suf- icient to let the Synod understand what their tenor was. MT. Glass arose, and called particular attention to the deliverance of 1897, and read 1t as fol- lows:
 "1Ss7-Tn response to the eommuni- cation of the Executive Commi ttee of the Prohibition Party of North Caro- lima, asking the Assembly to make some deliyerance and declaration of principles on the all-importanI subject of temperance, this Assembly would reply: That alike by uniform practice and constitution, we are forbidden to intermeddle with political parties or Seripturai attitude of our beloved church on temperance and intemper- ance, as shown in past deliverances on record, Is too we'll known to require restatement. Resolved, that in the ac- tion by the Assembly in adopting the report of the Committee on Bills and overtures in reply to a communica- ton from the Executive Committee of the Prohibition Party of North Caro- lima. this Assembly Is not to be con- strued as intending to commit the church to the political theory of pro- hibition either pro or con. '--( (Alexan- der, p. 142).
 It will be seen that this deliver ance went much further than declara- ton against cooperation with po- litical party: it very emphatically as- serted that the Presbyterian Church is forhtddap ta ;ntarnaadla with pnliti- cal questions. Furthermore. the ac- companying resolution positively re- fused to take stand on the political theory of prohibition. MT. Glass directed the special attention of the Synod to what was involved in that specific deliverance, in order that no member might be in ignorance of just what was under consideration. And what The Journal says is true: no man opened his mouth against that specific declaration. and no man voted against it.
 That deliverance contained the his- toric position of Presbyterians upon political matters, which. with very few exceptions. has been put forth by them at all times. One exception was in 1861 when the Presbyterians of the North took a different attitude upon the political questions of that period, and this led to the separation of the Southern Presbyterians from their Northern brethren-a separation which. still exists. The Southern As sembly again, as late as 1907, in re- sponse to various requests, refused to create a Committee on Temperance, because it would involve the possi- bllity of political entanglement.
 It cannot be denied. therefore, that any Southern Presbyterian court or minister is not in line with the highest court, whenever the one takes sides in political contests. or the other un- dertakes to change votes by going or the stump.