The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-03-14

Protesting in strong terms against the
corrupt system of suffrage by which po-
iitical bosses rule the ballot of the Amer
lean voter, Bishop Cranston in a sermon
delivered yesterday morning at Foundry
Church. intimated that such corruption
was due TO the idea Of church and gov
eminent, in contrast to the spirit OF
Professionalism.
The Protestant idea Of government.
Bishop Cranston said. taught that self
government is the ideal to be desired and
realized. That liberty is absolute within
the domain of love. but that love is SO
perfected that every one should love God
Eupremely, and his neighbor as himself,
every individual must be held to account
for wrongs done his neighbor. and that
for this end civil government exists not
TO give to any one man the power 10
prescribe law in his own interest or In
his own glory.
Man IL SubOrdinated.
''The papaI government. on the other
hand" he said, "subordinates the indi-
vidual, exalts one man TO lord over all
others, centralzes all authority IN him
for time and eternity, centralizes learn
ing where it has the power. supresses
doubt and the spirit of inquiry. denies
individual right TO judge in matters of
religion and morals Thus 1t stands for
mOnarchial government in its most ex-
IRENE form.
THE young American with his first
ballot knows the meaning Of It. It Is the
instrument and evidence Of his sover-
eighty. He justly feels that his first
vote records an epoch in his life. He be
comes one OF the guardians or American
institutions and of civil liberty. He goes
10 the polling place. to find his new dig
nifty discredited and bedraggled A drink
OF whisky votes in front Of him, boss
protected repeater or a soul-bonded in
strument of ecclesiastical autocracy
comes behind him. equal in voting power
with himself
I'm the name Of the men who won the
privileges Of American citizenship with
their lives, and the men who cemented
these States with their blood, 7 ask what
becomes CT the government of the people.
by the people, and for the people when
one saloon keeper can plump nifty votes
on that young patriots ballot. when a
political boss can vote $1,000 times 10
Abraham Lincoln's once, or an arch
bishop 100000 times TO Bishop Harding's
no vote
Influenced Many Votes.
Lincoln Influenced many votes. but not
by the methods OF Boss Tweed. The eIo-
quence Of Simpson and Beecher held
many voters to their allegiance during
the black days Of 1862 and 1853 but not
by ecclesiastical authority Why should
any distinction be made between the
classes OF men who buy or sell votes? No
one will deny the political boss is the
Zoe Of popular government Is the eccle-
slasteal boss 10 be lauded for devotion to
our free institutions because he takes his
reward for helping the party in legisla-
i've currency or administrative power?
If the Protestants must choose he
tween the ecclesiastical hucksters. they
will take the boss as the less dangerous.
for two reasons: He does not pretend his
traffic is holy one. and second. he NAV
be brought TO bar without the indictment
being quashed as a 'sectarian' document
II is time for some voice to be speaking
the thoughts and fears of millions o.
Americans who love their native land for
its own sake, and have no interest in
party spoils
To destroy confidence in the ballot as
the expression Of the free and intelligent
verdict Of the people is to make an end
of democratic government, and is. there
fore, treason to the republic.
Crime Against Manhood.
TO buy or sell a vote is a crime
against manhood, against society. against
deeency. against good government. and
against all high hopes and better in
stincts of the races. Is this good Prot
estant doctrine obsolete? The political
Jesuit thinks it is. The ecclesiastical
Jesuit never did believe it, But I am
persuaded the eighth commandment is
good law, and the Sermon on the Mount
good ethics for three-fourths Of the
American people.
They have been taught by the Prot
estant clergy out of the open Bible. BY
the New Testament standard they grade
character and weigh honesty. Leaders
who deal largely in political craft need