Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-09-16
A Crisis in Illinois

When the Bible was ruled out of the
public schools in Illinois there was gen.
eral belief that there would be some
,, thing doing on the wrong side of the
public ledger. God is not Knocked. and
coming events will cast their shadows
before. So it came to pass that graft
and corruption in the selection of a
United States senator worked out their
way TO the outside just as a carbuncle
will gather under the flesh in human
body until it reaches a point where the
boil must show itself and sometimes IT
kills the poor victim.
A Goddess race of people may go along
for a time with a smooth outside, but
the moral safeguards being absent there
also comes a time when the inside decay
will uncover itself and display putrefac-
ton and foul-smelling deeds.
For nearly four months the investiga-
ton of United States Senator Lorimer's
election has been under the limelight
and the further the investigation pro-
ceeds the worse it appears. He was
elected by Democratic as well as Repub-
| lican voters. and 1t looks now as il he
had to buy the whole layout with
money.
How it will end nobody can foretell,
because his judges in the case are pos
sibly "tarred with the same stick" and
the verdict will be tainted without a
doubt But Mr.. Roosevelt understands
the situation. and he rose up to declare
his objection to Senator Lorimer, when
both were invited in the city of Repub-
lican politicians Of high and low degree
are wont to congregate.
Mr.. Roosevelt is being critisized quite
brusquely for his unwillingness to sit al
the same board with the senator who is
] on trial before the people OF the United
| States for corrupting voters, but 1t must
| be remembered that the club had only
| to take choice in this matter between
Mr.. Roosevelt and the senator and the
Hamilton club made its choice Some
| are of the opinion that Mr.. Roosevelt
has become suddenly squeamish, etc.
Be that as it may, he has made 1t plain
that he will not rub elbows and pass
compliments at a public function with a
public man Under indictment and whose
case will put to the test the unacceptable
sort of men that Illinois wishes to send
| to the United States senate. This God
| less Illinois, that rose up and put ban
on the accepted word of God, as a text
book in the free schools of the state, may
sustain the corruption and condone the
graft but it is Mr.. Roosevelt'5 desire
to stand aloof and he took his own way
| of doing so.
Senator Lorlmer Is a Republican. bu,
| his election was made or controlled by
the debauchery Of Democratic and Re-
publican legislators in the legislature of
| Illinois, which has abolished the Bible
| from the state, so far as the instruc-
ton of youth is concerned.
Chicago Is essentially a foreign city. In
the year 1890. when 1 visited Chicago,
was told that three-fourths of the city
population were foreigners.
With a census giving a million iuhabi-
tants only 2500OO were registered as ma
| tives of America.
| The rest were foreigners or the children
OF foreigners. The state had just passed
| through the trial and conviction of some
brazen anarchists, and shortly afterwards
President Cleveland employed the mill
tary to put down a railroad strike.
These things it is well to remember
in considering the holiness of the school
directors in Illinois, where pagan philos-
| ophy has been introduced against the
Bible
| have not the time nor the space to
enlarge now upon the effect of the Bible
| in the history of our civilization, but l
am only trying to emphasize the evils and
the risks which Goddess politicians en-
counter swhen they abandon this great
moral safeguard and attempt to rule the
commonwealth of Illinois by legislators
who will sell their votes for money. Sem
ator Lorimer is, perhaps, as good as the
people he bought, but he Ia under indtct-
ment just now.