The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-05-30
DENOUNCE EVILS OF
THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC


CHARLOTTESVILLE VA. May 90.
The Charlottesville Methodist Epis>
copal district conference adopted res
buttons this week concerning the
temperance question. They follow:
The evils arising from the use of
alcoholic drinks are too numerous to
catalogue in this report.
The obligation OF everyone who
fears God and loves humanity 10 alb
stain totally from the use of intoxi-
cants is as high as heaven. as deep
as hell, and as broad as eternity.
But the obligation does not stop
with personal abstinence, for God
levels the artillery Of his woe
against him who giveth his neighbor
drink and putteth his bottle to him.
and maketh him drunken also. Now,
while drunkenness is mother of near
ly every form of evil it is itself the
offspring of the distilIery, the brew
cry and the saloon. These are legal
lied, perpetuated and protected by
legislatures elected by the votes of
those whose neighbors and families
become victims OF the accused traffic.
II my vote is given for a legislator
who consents to the continuance of
the business. | am before God as
guilty Of putting the bottle to my
neigh bor's lips as the man who passes
it over the bar to his hand. Nor can
escape the dread responsibility by
diiuting my vote In the thousands Of
similar votes cast. for each is as guilty
as though his vote settled the whole
issue.
Measure of Responsibility.
The measure of this responsibility
is indeed sufficient to halt the most
reckless. The founder OF the Saliva
ton army. than whom no man living
has had wider opportunity to know.
affrms that nine-tenths OF our pow
erty. vice and crime spring from this
poisonous tap-root, Yet for every
wrecked home: for avery ruined fam
lily. for every broken-hearted woman
for every shivering, starving child
for every criminal Gagged behind the
steel bars; for the seething, stencil
full sewer of vice flowing through the
red-light district OF each city. for
every hell-bound distiller. saloon.
keeper. brewer. nine-tenths of the re-
sponsibility rests with the voter
whose ballot sanctioned the continu-
ance of the business. What awful
mockery TO pray on Sunday. THY
kingdom come and 70 vote on Tues
day for the entrenehmsnt of satan
W.
revenue ard custom. where 1t may
block the way Of tho kingdom OF God
and hinder the gospel OF his Son.
When for the voter we substitute
the legislator who. seeing the girls, or
grief, poverty, vice and crime ground
out by the rum mill. for which he
provides q continued existence. Ian
guaga furnished no vehicle strong
enough to convey the condemnation
due his crime. The captain who
would sail within cali of the sinking
Titanic. hearing the chorused wall OF
the doomed and leaving them to their
fate Is the counterpart OF the sena-
tor who refused to launch the life
boat Of hope in response 10 the pitt
full. -outstretched hands of perishing
children. the wall of .terror-stricken
women, the agonized groan of en-
shaved men. Nor can the minister OF
the gospel excuse himself from par
tieipating In this struggle 1t is
equally his duty to render unto Gaze
sar the things that ara Caesars as
TO render unto God the things that
are Gods. Caesar has right to his
Vote and his in1nenae Az d citizen.
and when moral issues are involved,
to his voice, especially in the instruc-
ton of the community in the solemn
nature and duties OF citizenship. And
a. greater than Caesar will call him
to account for the manner in which
he meets this responsibility.
The Prophets Warning.
There Is something very solemn in
the directness of the prophets warm
ing:
Again the word of the Lord came
unto rne. saying:
Son If man small IN tho chu-
dren OF thy people. and say unto
them, when l bring the sword upon
land. II the people of the iand take
man Of their coasts and set him
for their Waterman:
3. II, when he seeth the sword
come upon the land he blow the
trumpet and warn the people;
4. Then whatsoever heareth the
sound of the trumpet. and taketh not
warning: II the sword come and take
him away. his blood shall be upon his
own head.
s. He heard the sound Of the trum--
pet, and took not warning: his blood
shall be upon him. But he that TAX
eth warning shall deliver his seal.
s.. But If the Waterman see the
sword come, and blow not the trum-
pet. and the people be not warned:
II the sword come, and take any per-
son from among them he is taken
! away In his iniquity; but his blood
| will require at the watchmans
hand.
I. So thou. o son OF man, | have
set thee a Waterman unto the house
OF Israel; therefore thou shalt hear
the Word at my mouth. and warn
them from me,
In view OF the foregoing facts. We
reach the following conclusions:
First--That the functions OF the
Christian ministry intensity the du-
ties Of citizenship.
Second--That the obligations OF
church membership demand a ballot
OF which we witt not be ashamed in
the white light Of the Judgment day.
rhird--That since civil government