The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-01-09
MINISTER SHOWS
DUTY Of CITIZEN
DIR. HATCHER SAYS MAN SHOULD
VOTE As Ills JUDGMENT DC
TATES.

1T is the duty OF every man who
has the right of suffrage TO inform
himself on public questions" said
Rev. DIR. S. G. Hatcher in a discourse
on The Young Man in Politics. at
Broad Street Methodist church sun
dav night, when every seat in the edi-
fee was filled.
Men ought not to allow themselves
to be voted as cattle are driven into
a PEN" he continued. They should
study carefully the problems that agi-
tate the public mind and then vote
according to their best Judgment. re-
gardfess of party lines.
Il realize that there are a great
many good people who get alarmed
when a subject like the one / am
speaking on IL announced, for fear
that the minister Is going into poll
ties and will hurt the church, having
in their minds a definition of politics
that is erroneous. PoliticVs Is the
science of government, or the admin
istration of public affairs in the in
terest of peace, prosperity and the
safety Of the State. Taking the above
definition / make bold to say that ev-
cry man who has the right Of suffrage
is duty bound TO exercise that right.
The right Is conferred on him. and in
the exercise OF II he effects the veal
OF woe of all those classes who are
debarred therefrom. The laws on our
statute books and the offices that adj
minister those laws are determined
by his vote-good laws giving equal
rights TO all and favoring the best in
test of each. with stimulus and en-
couragement to the weakest 10 sur
vive. What blessings, and yet they
must come by popular vote.
Cautious Critics.
Away with that talk that one Of
ten hears, Well. those fellows have
got their bill through or elected their
man Why Because men who call
themselves good citizens felt that they
did not have the time to 60 to the
ward meeting or else felt that their
reputation would be jeepardized if
they took an active part In politics.
No man who has a voice and does
not exercise IL ought to criticise what
has been done by others, ii matters
not how bad il may be-
DR.. Hatcher incidentally referred to
the fact that he has Baptist name.
and, at times he has been mistaken
for n Baptist. Once, he said. Ii leak
ed as If he was on the point OF be-
coming a Baptist, when he happened
TO be preaching from Baptist pull
pit. and one of the planks over the
pool suddenly cracked as IL II would
break. As he jumped back a Baptist
preacher seated nearby remarked, II
wish that plank had broken. Then
you might have fallen into the pool
and become Baptist. =
No, I wouldn't" replied the. doc
tor, II would have gone out on the
hillside in the sunshine and after dry
ing of would have been just as good
Methodist as ever"
Says He L. Democrat.
DIR. Hatcher took occasion, however.
to say that no man should be either
Methodist or Baptist or Episcopa-
lian or Presbyterian unless he was
following his own Judgment and his
own conscience. Politically. he said.
he was a Democrat, because he be-
lieved in the principles Of the party.
But that did not prevent him from re-
speeding the views of Republicans.
prohibitionists and others who follow
different faith
DIR. Hatcher announced that he
will speak next Sunday night on the
Woman Suffragist."