Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-08-03

rooted N African slavery ~ AmeE1ce
Such m exhibition - has been made
Of political methods by The months Just
passea - disgrace TO . cultured, ed
ucatod christian people. We may care
nothing for men or parties; we do care
for national honor. The need for q
prophet voice has come once more. The
United States needs an Amos and q
jeremiah who viii cry out Tor clean
politics. TOR non partisan government
for officers who can and viii sink per-
sonality and personal ambitions out Of
sight and look and work only for the
public veal. Who can cry out 30 Eff
fectively az the christian minister?
What agency can sound so clear q note
a. the religious paper? The hour has
struck when the church should begin
to stand for the principles which the
founder Of the church preached. Roscoe
Conkling sneered at Sunday school
politics. but the time for sneering has
gone forever and ever by. Righteous
ness exalteth a nation. Sin Is a re-
proach to any people. And the religious
man or the religious paper which holds
its peace in the crisis to which poll :
teal iniquity has brought us will be
-ecreant to the highest duty Of the
times"
Nearly all the editors are agreed. at
least, that we live In times that bit
terly vex the editorial or clerical con-
science. Says the Congregationalist
(Boston):
"All the wisdom and all the grace OF
our citizenship is needed to guide our
great republic Alright. We must not
forget our personal responsibility. Our
duty should be plain-to choose the
nominees and the party that comes
nearest to our ideals, and. In the spirit
Of tolerance and fair play, to secure
good government from the channels we
have chosen. The two chief errors
that threaten are blind, intolerant par
tizanship and refusal to exercise The
right and duty Of suffrage. Politics
become corrupt and offices are occu-
pied by men INSCRIPTIONS and bad
when good men keep out OF politics and
keep away from the polls. The call
to the Christian today is to go into
politics and, when men and measures
proposed for his suffrage fail to come
up to his ideals, to vote for those who
seem to him most likely to serve the
cause OF righteousness"
The minister's dilemma IN these cir
cumstances is told by The Christian
Century Chicago, Christian:
IF he rebukes the wickedness Of
politics. some one will charge him with
being a partizan, and with selfish mo-
tives desiring the defeat of our party
Reason fees when the party is In dan
ger. The preacher may distinguish
between the corruption in the party
and the wise craftsmanship Of which 1t
may boast. but the average nearer can
understand nothing but the assaults
on the fabric Of the party wherein he
was born. The politicians have thor
oily indoctrinated the people with the
theory that political sin was different
from all other: that 1t must not be
mentioned In the pulpit: that to men
ton was only to degrade the sacred
desk Hence. one of the corrective
agencies OF Christendom was as effect
ually silenced as tho 1t were In the
heart OF Cathay. We are making some
progress in correcting these impress
sions. but we move slowly. Political
sins are popular and profitable: they
become defiant under fire. and fight
with skill and vaIor"
The Western Christian Advocate
Cincinnati MethodisD thinks "it is
obvious that today there is great con
fusion and almost chaos in the political
outlook and in the platforms and poll
Giles OF old time and new time parties"
The Advocates advice to religious
journalism is:
'It must not throw its weight In a
partizan fashion to republican, demos
cratic. populist, socialist or prohibit
ton organizations. but debate the is
sues between them all upon an ethical
plane which shall ignore the minor dit
ferences and Include only the great
principle of patriotism and righteous
ness, upon which all may be supposed
to be united. -. There is only one
thing which ministers and the editors
of religious papers can do in such a
situation, and that r. to exhort one and
all to consider seriously and prayer