Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1909-12-24

coholic stimulants There are well
known patent medicines whose chiet
ingredient is cheap rectiied whisky,
and these to-day are shipped by the
carload into the small towns and
villages of the West and South. The
prohibition question is not settled
bv any means and many thoughtful
people in these States believe high
license under proper legal rrstrIc-
tionS preferable 10 the Illicit sale of
liquor and the poisonous noStrumS,
which are now being rctalled IN all
these States. This. however, is not
the side of the question to which we
desire to draw attention. 1t Is the
strange new force in American poll
iticS which has arisen as a result OF
this anti-SaioOn crusade 1t has IN
ttrjectcd the preachers into munich
pal, State and national affairs. There
was "A time when it was said that the
Catholic Church was DESTROYS Of play
lny part in national politics. These
accusations are no longer heard. The
Catholic priest leaves politics Sc
vcrrlv alone: he is willing to let the
people conduct their own affairs.
To-day the people of the south are
ridden to an alarming cN-
tent. No politician down there can
hope to succeed unless he has OBJ
tanned the approved Of the real pol
itical leaders; namely, the clergy.
. These godly gentlemen are dominat-
ing the small towns to such an extent
that they have brought back the Pu-
ritan Sunday and the discarded Blue
laws of New England. The Antisa-
loon League is perhaps the strongest
political organization in the country
to-day. 1t has a corps of well-paid
lecturers in every State. most of
whom are preachers. Its political
methods are copied after those OF
Tammany Hall. Its chief aim and
purpose is to make the " Church the
dominant power in politics and to
make prohibition over ride all other
political issues. One of the results
has been to produce a new type of
politician. A sanity sort of chap
with the old fashioned traditional
whine. who can grow beautifully
black in the face whenever the sa-
loon is mentioned He campaigns in
the churches and generally gets re-
ligion" before election day rolls
around. There is another reason for
the growth of this new power in
American politics. The preachers
have given up positive doctrine.
Their people will not listen to it.
They have turned to philanthropy
and social questions. Prohibition
has been veritable GOdSend to
them. 1t has given them new is
sue, Il new field Of activity and a CON
Sequent new lease Of life. 1t is the
last stand of the cvangclicalS and
they are making the most of it. We
venture the prediction that the Godly
gentlemen who have obtained their
first taste Of power as the result OF
this anti-salOon agitation, will in the
near future turn their activities in
other directions. They have left re-
ligion fo- politics and the people of
the United States will do well to be
on their guard. Catholics must keep
up the campaign for real temperance,
which involves the elimination of all
abuses in connection with the liquor
traffic and its proper restriction. but
it is evident from what appears above
that they will have to avoid in fu-
ture entangling alliances with the
reverend gentlemen who are making
prohibition the chief tenet of the
Christian religion, to the exclusion
of all else besides. To us over here,
the great surprise is that a country
which has been Boosting so much OF
it's political liberty should in this day
and age tolerate the dominance of
the Church" in State and National
politics. The result of the election
was, however. in viddication of the
sentiments of the Rriew, being over
whclmingly in opposition to the pro
posed amendment. The same rea-
sons apply to a large degree here.