The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-04-30
FRIDAY, APRIL 80. 1915.
THE LAST HOPE.

A drowning man will grasp at any.
thing in the hope of keeping his head
above water until rescued. From ike
recent statements of some OF the op-
ponents of Governor Hatfield, 1T would
seem that these enemies OF the high
! est executive officer OF the state are
beginning to realize that they are
soon to be lost in a flood OF public
disapproval and. in their frenzy. they
are grasping at the weakest OF sup
ports in the hope that they may avert
the inevitable. Having failed to make
good their attack on the governors
policy of taxation to look after tho
deficit in the funds for the support
of the states institution by mythical
mathematical calculations which would
demonstrate that the governor was
In the wrong, the antiadministration
machine. undoubtedly seeing the hand
writing on the wall as to future. is
vainly endeavoring to make an issue
of the fact that governor Hatfield
made some political remarks from the
pulpit in Morgantown.
It may be that there are few who
object to politics ever being dis
cussed in the church-and those who
sincerely believe that such q course
is wrong, have, undoubtedly, a right
to their opinion. But 1t is likely. yea.
almost certain, that those who are
making the greatest howl over the fact
that the governor talked politics from
the pulpit don't give rap about poll
tics being discussed from the pulpit;
but they do hate to have the other
fellow show them up in such a con
spicuous place as the house of wor.
ship. Had Governor Hatfield been ex-
pounding the gospel OF their politics,
rather than that of his own and that
of the great mass of individual tax
payers all over the state, these seem
ingly pious promoters of poor govern
ment, would undoubtedly, still be
talking about the great sermon on
Civic Righteousness" delivered by
the chief executive of the state. at
Morgantown last Sunday. AS 1t is,
however, their religious spirit is deep
ly vexed to think that any one should
have the affront to give few words
( of counsel along the lines of civic
! Justice and righteousness from the
pulpit on the Sabbath day.
=. Does the fact that a layman de-.
livered an address on civic righteous
. ness in church lessen that church's
influence for Christianity in the CON-
munity? Emphatically 1t does not.
( II civic righteousness topics are ont
32of place in the church, then the
preaching of religious truths is like
wise out OF place. For civic righteous
nses is nothing more than putting
. into practice in every day events the
teachings of him who said, Love thy
neighbor as thy self" II church
1 can not foster civic righteousness to
the extent of Interpreting theoretical
sermons with a practical talk on what
is right and what is not right in loca,
government, then that church Is not
thrilling its whole duty to the com.
munity. The governor probably kne "
better than any other person that he
would be discredited by his enemies
IL he went into the pulpit at Morgan
town, but he is not the kind OF man
who Is afraid to do what he believes
is right because some few mud
singers" are waiting for a chance to
pepper him with their clay bullets
The fact that the people who heard
the governor did not think that he
made blunder in speaking from the
pulpit IS shown by the fact that when
q, standing vote was taken, the audi.
ance was unanimously IN favor OF the
Yupes1 No