Smyrna times., 1912-03-20
CONFERENCE ATTACKS BRIBERY
To Drive Out Bribers-ActIon BY
Church Results From Revelations
Made at Recent Swain Hearing

Made at Recent Swain Hearing
The opening session of the Will
mington Methodist Episcopal Con-
ference. Bishop Luther B. Wilson
presiding, in St. Paul's Church, Will
mington, Wednesday morning was
marked by the adoption of resoIu-
tions setting forth the attitude of
the church against election bribery
and political corruption. The action
was taken in view of the recent
revelations in the Swain hearing at
Washington and the movement now
on to unseat United States Senator
dupont. Cornelius P. Swain. whose
appointment as a United States
Marshal was withdrawn because of
the exposures at Washington, is a
trustee of the Bridgeville church.
He is not named directly in the
resolution. The conference. in
adopting the resolutions, pledged
itself to make war on venal office
holders and to bring to trial all
persons who shall be chal ged with
this crime. The resolutions were
offered by DR.. E. L. Hoffecker, of
the Wilmington District, and after a
discussion they were adopted unani-
mously and referred to the lay cleo
toral conference. Only one min
lister in any way spoke in opposi-
tlOn. "Some of US have preached
against this thing for years., said
the Rev. T. A H. O'Rrien, of
I.awsonia, Nd, land laymen have
come to this conference and objected
to our reappointment because we
have preached the way we did.
Now this resolution, if adopted,
means war all along the line"
Dr.Watt Says Churchis Ready to Fight
"Let it come" was the verdict of
the conference, and it was given
with shout. ''That is where our
church has always STOOD" said Dis
trict Superintendent Robert Watt.
1--WE don't need to be exhorted by
secular editors to come up to that
standard. We have always stood
there. - The Rev. W. L. White.
of Dover, told of a minister who
preached that the buying and SELL
ing of votes was a sin, that a man
came to him and remons trated
that mems votes were their own
and that they had a right to sell
them. Mr.. White said that at Sea-
ford, where he was preaching against
vote buying,a prominent man "arose
and stamped out of church,
down in Delaware there is too
much carelessness in regard to
this subject that is agitating the
public mind" Doctor White said.
The resolution which follows was
adopted by rising vote: Where
as, The Methodist Episcopal Church
is not political organization and
is in no wise connected with any
political party, having in her mem
bership men of all shades of opinion
on public questions.
Whereas, Methodism has always
stood for the highest standard of
morality both for the citizen and
for the nation and
Whereas, Recent events in the
city of Washington led an honorable
senator to remark, THAT the buying
of votes does not affect ones church
standing in Delaware we feel
keenly the reproach which has been
heaped upon the State and chuch:
and
Whereas, We hold it to be self
evident that man who furnishes
money to buy votes is corrupt and
when elected to office will sell his
own vote when the consideration is
sufficient to tempt his ambition, or
cupidity, and there is not fit to be |
trusted with the sacred duties of |
public office there being but one
standard of morality and that ap-
plying to public and private affairs
alike; therefore;
Resolved, That we denounce
political corruption of all kinds,
vote buying and vote selling in
particular, and pledge ourselves to
bring to trial all persons who shall
be charged with this crime against
the State, believing that the safety
and perpetuity of our institutions
depend upon the purity of the bal
lot.
Resolved, second, That we shall
bring this crime against public
morality into our pulpits and will
preach against it and thereby make
an effort to create healthy public
sentiment on this subject.
Resolved, third, We will continue
to war against this evil until all
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