Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-10-18
EXCISE BOARD TARGET
OF LOCAL MINISTERS
Sermons Preached UNFOLDING Work
of Anti-Saloon League in
District.
Asserted That Jones-Works Law has
Been Wrongly Interpreted and
Unfairly Administered.

| UNFOLDING the work of the Anti-Sa-
: loon League and urging their hearers
| to do all in their power to have Con-
gress vote prohibition for the District
| at the coming session, many pastors of
the city, acting on the recent recon-
mendation of the Pastors Federation,
preached special sermons in their pull
| pits yesterday, a number OF them de-
claring that the excise board is not
doing it's full duty. Some spoke at the
morning services while others spoke in
the evening.
In Dumbarton Avenue Methodist Epis-
! copal Church Rev. d. H. Martin, the
pastor, called for contributions for the
work of the Anti-Saloon League fol-
lowing his sermon. resulting in a COL
lection of about $3.50.
THE license law in the DISTRICT Is
failure" declared Rev. DR.. Clarence A.
Vincent in the Mount Pleasant Con-
grational Church.
1T is not enforced" he continued,
land the congressional committee,
headed by Senator Sheppard, severely
criticised the excise board. The Anti
Saloon League is confident that there
are many illegal saloons here at pres,
ent. The only way to destroy an eFlA
is to wiring its neck"
Discusses Jones-Works Enactment.
Rev. D. H. Martin. in his sermon yes
terday morning in Dumbarton Avenue
NJ. E. Church, said, in part:
THE Jones-Works law has done great
things for prohibition in the District,
but more might have been accomplished
had we more sympathetic excise
board
There will be a bigger temperance
fight on Capitol Hill this winter than
last. Unfortunately for the best in.
terests of the community. the people of
the District have no vote: but there is
a daily increasing moral influence that
will make, itself felt in the coming
campaign. Some representatives may
care little for the feelings of the PEG.
pie of the District, but they will not
be unmindful of the ever-growing tenn
perance sentiment in their own con-
stituency."
In conclusion DIR. Martin declared that
with victory within reach of the tenn
perance cause in this city "a respect
able man cannot remain neutral or in
different"
Says Law Is Wrongly Interpreted.
Speaking in Columbia Heights Luz
theran Church. Rev. Charles H. Butler
said:
ut is only fair and reasonable to ex-
pect that men appointed to enforce law
should be in sympathy with it. I'm
fortunately this has not been the case
manifestly with the members Of the ex-
else board in their relation to the Jones'
Works law. The law has been SO wrong
ly interpreted and so unfairly enforced
that a senatorial investigation, secured
through the Anti-Saloon League, sustain
ed every one of the charges of violation
he lou, do Inv ha Lao inst
the board Undoubtedly the conduct Of
the excise board has FASTENED the day of
prohibition for the District
At Union NJ. e. Church last night Rev
ing the woe pronounced by the Hebrew
prophet Habakkuk against the man
who giveth his neghbor intoxicating
drink and putteth his bottle to his lips.
and the declaration of st: Paul that no
drunkard shall inherit the kingdom Of
God" said that no man who has any
gard for or interest in the welfare of his
fellowmen could or would be guilty of
mourning the wrath Of God expressed in
the prophets curse by giving as an in
dividua1 intoxicants to men. women and
children especially for selfish gain.
Possible Participants in Crime.
I'm country governed as ours he
said. The might easily become particeps
criminis in all the murders, assaults
disorder, wretchedness, misery and mis-
fortune brought on by drunkenness if
he knowingly abets. aids puts into
the hands. or allows to be put into the
hands, of a criminal the means or in
struments by which crime is committed
or fails to prevent the commission of
crime of which he had knowledge, and
this every man does who permits the
continuance of the legalized manufac-
ture and sale of poisonous liquors. A
police captain of the District of Column
bia reports over four hundred arrests
for drunkenness In his precinct alone
during the last three months, and these
arrests were made only in the most
fragrant cases"
Calls Board asset to Saloon"
DIR. Lucius C. Clark spoke In Hamline
Methodist Episcopal Church on the sub.
ject The Excise Board an Asset to the
Saloon" and used as a text, Out OF
thine own mouth will j Judge thee"
After reviewing the testimony given by
mem bers of the excise board before the
specia. committee of the United States
Senate the preacher concluded with the
Judgment of the committee of senators
as given in their report that: I'VE re-
gard it as significant of the attitude OF
the board that it has not exercised its
discretion in favor of the schools as
against the saloons. 1t is the judg-
ment of\the committee that the board
has resolved practically every doubt az
| to law or fact in the interest of the sa-
| loon. 1t has shown no proper compre-
| hension Of its duties in the execution
of a law framed in the interest of mo-
rality and good government"