The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-09-08
new. mn. AsRBURr CHRISTIAN. IN
! SERMON. Owes THREE
REASONS.
|ScARECROW OF LIQUOR
swOE TO HIM THAT BUILDETH 4
TOWN WITH BLOOD AND STAB
LrsHErH CITY WITH INr-
guilty. Is TEXT.

A large congregation gathered a,
Union Station Methodist church Sun
day night to hear DR.. Asbury Chris
tan preach ON THE Taxes Scarecrow
OF the Liquor Dealers and Their Al.
les" DIR. Christian took as his text
these words from the Prophet Habak-
kuk: Woe to him that buildeth q
town with. blood. and stablisheth q
city by blood"
or. is evil In its nature, wicked In
its operations, and Ubiquitous in IL
results. It fattens on sin and -four
ishes on crime. Like the devils cas-,
out by Christ. all II asks Is to be lei
alone mat II may work its wickednesl
and continue Its iniQuity. When At
tackled 1t takes any means for Its de-
Tense, fair or foul, and nothing il toe
mean or too low for 1t to use to per-
petuate Its abominable life. It ap.
peals to all that is wicked and de-
graded In men and to save itself II
does not hesitate to use falsehoods
bribery. SANDER and crime. 1t boasts
that it cares not for law and will
trample It under foot. and Its throws
into the face OF decency and law the
vain threat that nothing can prohibit
its debauching work. And here lei
me say that when anything def1es
government. that thing should be
killed at oncA
with no reason under Gods blue
heaven for ats existence and with alb
solutely no right to live among men
this Infamous traffic tries to scare
people into enduring It. and to de-
ceive them into prolonging its life. II
appeals to covetousness and under
takes to ecare and deceive when n
~ HSok no Ho 4 h.
people must mourn It's death by an In
crease OF taxes because its debauch-
ing life is necessary for the very
maintenance OF government. All OF
which Is utterly false. No necessa ~
evil ever existed In Individual life or
In State. To compromise with an
evil by accepting tribute from II tends
TO perpetuate that evil. Hence we
hear tho voice of-God laundering
through inspiration: Woe to him
that buildeth town with blood and
Establishes a city by iniquity.'
1T Is the duty Of Christian citizens
And II II Ia to Danish It at all haz-
yards. It lie unworthy Of virginians to
ask whether an evil will raise taxes
or reduce taxes. What man 50 de-
graded AS to sell his daughter to In
fanny to reduce his taxes or to be q
party to selling his neighbor's daugh-
ter to make his own tar bill smaller
Why, then. should you be q party to
selling the sons Of Virginia 20 drunk
snness and debauchery to reduce a
few cents your poor tax bill? al
most feel ashamed to speak Of few
dollars OF taxes In connection with the
great value OF manhood and character.
But to destroy this falsehood Of tins
liquor traffic / shall speak. Who says
to Danish the liquor traffic from vir-
gfnia win increase taxes? The liquor
dealers, and they are q pretty set to
talk Of taxes when from court records
they do not hesitate to defraud the
government whenever they get good
chance The allies OF the liquor deal
ers. the Local Self-Government asso-
clifton and the wet newspapers that
make thousands OF dollars out Of the
liquor trafiic. also say that It viii In
crease taxes. Is there not a motive
in the madness Of these?
who says 1t viii not increase
taxes? Every disinterested man who
knows conditions in Virginia
"Ex-Governor Mann says: I have
NO heettation In saving that IN nv