Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1910-05-18
BAPTISTS WILL PROBABLY AP-
PEAL TO CONGRESS.

AS is we'll known, there is wide
spread feeling in church circles in
the South, and to less degree in
other sections, that the federal gov
eminent makes itself a party to viola
tons of state statutes against liquor
selling by the issuing of retailers Ii
.censes in prohibition territory. Minor
protests have been made, but to no
purpose, Congress having, either from
the pressure of the liquor interests,
or because it was not believed that
public sentiment was not ye. strong
enough in that direction, failed to take
any steps to limit the license-grant-
ing powers of the internal revenue
service.
The Baptists of the South are, as
general rule, in favor of the prohibi-
to Y laws enacted in this secdo1. They
are accordingly DESTROYS that the ma
tional government cooperate with the
state governments in establishing con-
ditions favorable to their enforce
ment. AS a means to that end the
Southern Baptist Convention, now
meeting in Baltimore, will 2ro52blg
memo .ialize Congress to take steps to
prevent amy federal acts that seem to
conniye at the violation of the state
laws and, if possible, to prevent the
Shipment of liquors into dry states
| Referring to the probable action of
the convention along these lines, the
Baltimore Sun. in its report, says:
From what can be learned, the re,
port will be unanimously adopted by
! the convention. Mr.. lowering when
I asked what the attitude of the con-
/ veulion would be, said:
| Il cannot speak for the other breth-
/ rem, but l do know that there is a
| strong resentment against the course
| which Congress has taken in refusing
to change the interstate commerce act,
because, while nearly all of the Souh-
ern states have prohibition, they are
unable to prevent liquor being ship
ped into the state. The interstate
commerce act allows it. This amounts
| virtually to taking away from the
state its rights and giving them to
the central government by the power
to circumvent the enforcement Of laws
demanded by the people of the state. y
This stand of President lowering
is practically a summary of what
nearly all of the Southern Baptists
have said since 10y have been here.
with the excep of some, who have
said that Congress should have been
commended for passing the laws COM
polling the shipments of liquor to be
labeled as such.
This law is now in operation, but it
does not suit the Southern Baptists
as a whole. This is exemplified in
the temperance committees report. 1t
recommends that the Curtis bill, now
before Congress, be passed.
i. At present the states are poWerless
to stop the shipments and Congress
has only passed the law which makes
it mandatory that all liquor shipments
/, be stamped withi the name of the con
tents
1t was also advocated by the com
mittee to advocate the passage of the
Gallingher-Bennett bill, which will
; regulate the sale of liquor in the Dis
trict of Columbia, and also the one
providing similar regulations for the
sale of liquor to Indians.
| Congress is also asked to incorpo-
rate in the statehood bill providing
for the admission of Arizona and New
Mexico into the union a section which
will permit the people of these terri
tories to vote upon the prohibition
issue and incorporate it in their state
constitution, as vase done in the case
of Oklahoma, which has a prohibition
statute in it's constitution.