Omaha daily bee., 1911-05-24
REPORT ON LIQUOR TRAFFIC
Presbyterian Committee Condemns
Figures that MiSlead Public.
USE OF ALCOHOL IS INCREASING
Bright spots of Year Are Election OF
Reform Governor I'm Tennessee
and Retention of Prohibi-
tion I'm Oklahoma.

ATLANTIC CITY. N. j.. May 2s-while
interest in the trial Of Rev. William ID.
Grant OF Northumberland. Pa, who ls &C
cused of heresy. u intense. the trial IL not
interfering with the proceedings OF the
Presbyterian general assembly, and today
the reports Of three important committees
were taken up for discussion.
The committee on freedmen, the commit
tee on college boards and the committee ON
temperance reported. The latter report
says:
When allowances are made for false
and garbled statements, deliberate false
hoods and misleading charges the fact re-
mains that there Is an alarming increase
in the use Of alcoholic liquors IN the
United States IS a whole. Only harm can
result from deceiving the public by charts
which indicate a rapid advance in temper
ance legislation and by boastful statements
about making the map all white while
we are doing nothing OF the kind.
THE bright spots OF the year are the
election OF reform governor In Tennessee
against the efforts Of the LIQUOR interests
and the vote by an increased majority to
retain prohibition in the constitution in
Oklahoma"
The report says:
THE per capita drink bill in the year
1910 was &24.17. Multiplying this by 4.s. the
size OF the American private family accord
ing to the census Of 1900 (the estimate for
the census OF 1910 is not yet available). we
have S111 Is the annual drink bill Of the
average American family"
Under the caption. The cost of the
curse" the report gives a summary Of the
amount Of liquor consumed during last
ca.
total cost to the consumers at -, sS6. S24.4 al
The Grant heresy trial probably will be
concluded today II is not known. however
when the judicial committee which is con-
sidering the case will make its report.
Rev. DIR. Grants Defense.
The Rev. william d. Grant. who is ac-
oused Of heresy today appeared before
the judicial commission Of the Presbyter-
ian assembly and denied that he is un-
orthodox in his views. He attempted to
justify his broad conception OF God, Christ
and the miracles by quoting from sermons
preached by Rev. Charles Little Of wabash,
Ind.,. moderator of last years assembly
and from sermons OF Rev. DR.. Jowett
the minister, who was brought from Eng
land TO fill the pulpit of the Fifth Ave
nue. Presbyterian church, New York.
DR.. Grant said in part:
THE appellee all his life has been a
Presbyterian and his ancestors for gem
erauons back in Scotland have also held
to this faith.
80 far as he Is aware, the appellee has
never knowingly violated his ordination
vows or departed from holy scripture as
the infalible rule for faith and life.
1.-The church is certainly broad enough
to permit diversity Of opinion on matters
not essential to salvation. The Rev. DR..
Little himself said as much as this"
THE conception of God in the earlier
part OF the old testament" DR.. Grant
added. was of an entirely different being
than the, conception In the latter part
and the new testament
In proof of this he adduced the incident
of the slaughter Of the Shulamites by the
Children of Israel and said he did not
believe God deliberately handed over,
10000 people 10 death" ~eS ~
A surprise was sprung during the hearing
by the withdrawal OF two charges against
DR.. Grant, namely the ''discredlting OF the
virgin birth OF Christ and the discredit-'
ing of the resurrection as an actual arts
ing from the dead Of Jesus Christ"