The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-07-06
CHURCH AND SALOON
ARE ANTACON|sT|C
Vote Against Statewide Prohibition
rs Vote for Saloon, Says
DR.. Mcdaniel.
NO FIGHT ON BARTENDERs
Church Extends Friendship TO Liquor
Dealers, but Not to Their Bust
ness-License System Has Failed
to Check Evils, Says Minister.

ness-License System Has Failed
TO Check Evils, Says Minister.
calling attention to the fact that
most of the church denominations had
openly In convention espouscd the
cause OF prohibition, Roy George w
Mcdaniel. ID. D.. pastor OF the First
Baptist Church, said last night tina,
the saloon and the church arc two an
tasonistic institutions. and that tae cx
tent to which the one succeeds the
other falls. ~ vote against state
wide prohibition in this election" he
said. is "A vote for the saloon" The
subject OF his sermon was The At
Itude OF the Church Towards Liquor
Traffic" He said:
Militant Chris,ianity is arrayinr II :
self against the saloon. 1t Was
h.arien!ng TO the last degree to see
the rector of 81. Paars Episcopal
Church and prominent men In his
parish actively engaged In an effort
To remove saloons from jackson Ward
IL must have been gratifying to the
pastor OF the Second Baptist Church
to h. able to say that no member OF
that church signed the so-called Self
Government League petition. IL is q
sign OF the approaching destruction
OF the liquor BUSINESS that Iuthcrans.
Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Metho-
diS's and Baptists in their various
general conventions have gone on
record as :ayoring the abolition OF In,
saloon. The Southern Baptist Convcn
ton III its recent session In Nashville
adopted ringing report on temper
ancc. which approved. anon. other
Things. the following declarations:
We declare our settled conviction
That license and regulation are made
quat" TO cXicrininatc the liquor traffic
The license system. instead OF climina:-
ing the evils OF the traffic. has become
It's last and strongest fortress
THAT sentence expresses my views
precisely. This church Is In co-opcra-
ton viii, the Southern Baptist Con-
vcntlon. and should support the action
Of that body.
SALOON AND tHt'RtU
ARE ANTAGONISTIC
The saloon and the church are two
antaSonistic institutions 10 the extent
10 which one Succeeds the other fails
and vice versa They can have no in :
tcrcsts in common. The law recog-
nlzes TINS antagoitism when IL forbids.
in certain sections. the location o. n
saloon near church.
This church is the friend OF all men
as men, hut II is the foe Of evil I'm all
forms. 1t hates sin. but loves the
sinner. Ii would destroy the saloon.
put save the saloonkecpcr. make
no personal attack on thcsc men They
are the victims os an iniaui,ous
system, which is sanctioned by law.
but which ostracizes them from the
society OF the respectable people who
make the law. My opposition is to
that system. My position may be mis-
Understood by some and misrcprcscnied
oF others, but declare with all the
sincerity of my soul that my heart
hirbors no animus towards the saloon
Keeper. lie belongs to the common
brotherhood oil man. and Will go my
length 10 discntanElc him from his
existing alliances and set him on a
social equality with his fellow -citizcns
The churches are Impeded In their
progress by the liquor traffic. Human
nature is weak at best. and the
churches have to deal with that frail
material Scarcely ~ church in this
city that has not had its fold invaded
by the saloon. The work of rcgcnera.
lion and reformation is made vastly
more diiiicult by the presence in our
midst of this foe to manhood and wo-
manhood The calls upon the church
lot charity are more numerous and
more frequent because liquor has i'm
paired the earning capacity Of men or
made them squander their earnings.
Wcll-to-do men. who drink In their
VIII benefit by prohibition. They NAV
never become care or 4 burden to
their families or the church Maybe
some of them will order whiskey and
continue 10 drink after the State goes
dry, but laboring men, who go from
me payinaster to the open saloon and
spend their hard-carncd wages In dis
sipation. Will lie helped by prohibition.
Their families, some of whom arc now
op1ccts OF charity. will receive the
hcccssaries and comforts of slife
VOTE AGAINST STATEWIDE
Is VOTE FOR THE SALOON
whenever the Christian men of this
commonwealth rise up In the might of
their moral manhood and say so the
saloon Will go. We live in n time of
most solemn responsibility. A vote
against Statewide prohibition In this
election is a vote for the saloon. The
issue Is so defined that this is ines
capable. One may declare his oppo-
sition to the saloon. he may denounce
ihteinperance. he may pray for the
drunkard. but IL he voted against
Statewide prohibition In the forth
coming election he negatives his words
and prayers. Aye he uses the efrec-
tive weapon of the ballot against the
cause which the denominations have
espoused. More than that, he becomes
partly responsible for the vice and
CRIME WnlCn HOW from the open saloon.
| would rather DO nailed up In my coffin
alive than to have such Il RESPONSE
bility.
Granting to every man the right
which ] claim for myself-thc right to
think and act for himself, never
theless, assert that the member of the
church who votes for prohibition is in
harmony with the expressed opinion of
his denomination. and Is in the COM
pany of the majority of church men,
bers. There are drunkards who have
fought their weakness unsuccessfully
who Will vote for prohibition. am
Informed that two saloon men have OK
pressed their purpose to vote for pro-
If these men, who know from
personal experience the evil power of
the saloon. are for State wide prohibi-
ton, where ought the church member
o,,