The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-11-05

In unloading their stocks preparatory
to the operation Of the prohibition
law DR.. Woods win also note
that practically all OF this advertising
was from manufacturers and whole
saiers. Very little OF It came from
the saloon he hates 50 much.
SO It will be seen that during q
period OF almost two years "the pro-
fessed Christian editors" have been
tempted to sell out their honest opin-
Ions by only little over half the
sum he believes was their size for one
year. II the lessening of the masni-
tude of the temptation Is any satis-
faction to him, 1t is TO be hoped he
win be less disposed to insinuate
hereafter that the paper is corrupt.
Now. there Is no getting around
the fact that he virtually charged The
Advertiser with corruption and that
he uttered a sneer. when he spoke Of
its owners "as PROGRESSED Christians"
In the opelika rally he spoke Of them
as receiving a heavy wage" The
dictionaries say wage" means hire"
and everybody knows that Is what the
word implies. He. therefore. charged
the PROGRESSED Christian editors" with
being hired by the whiskey interests.
and he sneeringly offered this as 9
reason for their being afraid that
prohibition would not prohibit" There
is no record of what else he may have
said in his rally speech, but In the
talk over the phone to which he al
ludes, he admitted that he said other
things, and severe things" because
they were in his mind" 1t is very
plain from his utterances that his
mind Is much poisoned. and that he 10
in a much holier than thou" attitude.
And yet very probably he Is not with
out the same sort of sin in this mat
ter: very probably the Anti-Saloon
League, or some one connected with
1t, paid his expenses to that opelika
rally. and It Is not unlikely that he
received an "honorarium"--an acade-
mic word for a light wage. for his
gospel sermon at that Sunday evening
rally.
Now the fiery patriarch Of the pull
pit who believes The Advertiser has
been influenced by the heavy wage
mentioned. has not been in Montgom-
cry long. and he may not know the
reputation of The Advertiser, but II
he would investigate. he, would learn
that since 1t has been under Its pres
emit management 1t has refused two
offers of $4,000 each to sell out
Its convictions on political issues. and
without a moments consideration, de-
clined both. II its owners In the past
had the backbone and devotion to
principle to resist such offers, why
should they at this late day be so
thin-pated as to ruin this fine prop
erty they have built up with sweat /
and brain and blood by being untrue
to their ,conYietiono yssklsss OF regard
for principle, as they see 1T. and
treacherous to their State. as they
view Its interest? The idea is prepos-
ferrous. and only an Inscriptions
demagogue. or a jealous fanatic.
blinded with vanity OF opinion or by
narrowness of vision, would make II.
or insinuate It.
There are a number Of incidental j
things in Dr., Woods's article, that
might be discussed, but space will adj
nit Of only one. In his close he di.
reefs his rage personally at Mr.. Glass,
probably because DR.. Woods believed
Mr.. Glass wrote the comment on his
speech, possibly because he and Mr.:
Glass are members Of the same de.
nomination. But he cannot. for any
reason, leave out of his wrath, the
other controlling spirit, the venerable
editor-in-chief Of this paper. who for
fifty years has sat here and fought all
the isms and crazes of the passing
hour, from secession on down to- pro-
hibition. Major Screws stands as
high in his professions of Christianity
and in his service of the Master as
any layman, and he was included In
DR.. Woods's indictment. al
The Advertiser regrets that It has
had to handle this matter so vigor-
ously. but DIR. Woods has been the
aggressor continuously. Several times
in the past year in his own pulpit he
has made reflections on this paper
and it's editors. which we chose to let
pass. Now that he mas gone out Of
his pulpit, and In a political rally ar
raigned this paper. and when rebuked
for It, writes that he has done no
wrong, that his insinuations are true.
The Advertiser cannot be blamed for
taking care of itself.
He must not think that because he
Is minister. he has license to say
what he pleases on the stump. and
then be handled with kid gloves for
his plumbers.
DELIBERATELY DONE.