Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1914-08-22

"FALLEN MINISTER'S"
Texas Farmers Would Lift Certain
Class "Fr"m the Slough of Politics
Back to Pulpit"

Richmond, August 22.-Coples O.
pamphlet just issued by TeXa
farmers protesting against the po
litical activity of the ministry hav
been received here.
Political and economic condition
III Texas are about the same as thos,
prevailing in Virginia.
The Texas pamphlet boldly speaks
Of the "yellow peril" of politics from
the pulpit and calls upo'
brethren to unite in lifting faller
ministers from the sloughs Of poll
tics back into the pulpit.
The Farmers Union Of Texas, with
a membership of $4,000, opposed
Statewide prohibition in the recent
contest in that State solely on eco
romic grounds, but it issued a state
mcnt in which local option was pu
on a higher moral plane than State
wide prohibition.
In pamphlet recently issued by
the Farmers Unon, over the sigma
ture of its president and secretary
the following statement appears:
"At least rs per cent of the
preachers Of this State are on the
payroll of the farmers; the farmerS
oe Texas have built approximately
1000 churches; contribute toward
the support Of religious institutions
about $5,OOO,OO0 per annum, and the
.charsl, census Slows. that seventy
five of every 100 members of tie va
rious churches live on the farm
The Statewide Prohibitionists or
Texas had charged the farmers with
"selling out to the liquor power"
This the farmers resented, "What
ve have to say continue these cour-
areous farmers in their pamphlet,
"has no reference to that vast body
of militant preachers who have con-
secrated their, lives to the upllft: OF
and whose precepts and eX-
annIes are a beacon light illumina-
ting the pathway of the human race"
Continuing they say:
awe address ourselves exclusively
70 that cotcric of political clergymen
who prostitute their high calling by
capitalizins their reputation and by
IcnGinr their occpation to designing
noliticians, and we appeal to the
Texas laymen to use their Influence
in preventing the yellow peril of pol
itics entering the pulpit in any of its
"The religious preacher is the most
capable servant and the political
preacher the sorriest master the
world has ever known. Wherever
power is placed in the hands of the
latter they invariably become In
tolerant, bigoted and vicious.
"Civilization has many times been
compelled to drive incorrigible
preachers back to the pulpit. at the
point of the bayonet. " Many of tho
pages of history are wet with blood
shed at the hands Of political preach
ers who wrote laws on the statute
books that committed arson upon
mankind, manned human beings with
the hatchet ani sent helpless women
To the torture rack, all because they
with their lives. When in
control of government the pulpit po'
liticians invariably undertake to per-
form political miracles such as cast
ing ont witches with the flame OF
the torch, suborning conscience with
shacklcs and enforcing opinions with
tic ruillotine. 1.:
"a preacher who graduates from
the pulpit into politics becomes a
menace to good government, and
likewise a politician who occupies
the pulpit debauches the church and
becomes menace to religion. These
occupations will not blend. No free
government can long exist or the
church perform its mission to society
when preachers and politicians tenn
porarily exchange caElings, and a
civilization which will countenance
such conduct will soon decay. Suck
a traffic in occupations is as un-
sound in practice and principle a: