The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-10-02
DIR. JAMES CANNON, JR.,
REPLIES TO EVENING JOURNAL

Rev. Dr. James Cannon, Jr., writes
in this weeks Christian Advocate as
follows:
Colonel A. b. williams, the versatile
and brilliant, though somewhat tan
genital and lop-sided editor OF the
Richmond Evening Journal has re-
tired from the editefship of the Roa-
noke Times, and is now giving his
attention to the Richmond Evening
Journal exclusively This, however
still gives to him the opportunity to
criticize and supervise generally Tho
conduct OF everybody in general, and
the Anti-Saloon League and its work
ers in particular. He is SO greatly
concerned that the league workers
shall do their work in accorda nee
with his views, and that tneir utter
ances shall comport with his ideas,
that when the Times-Dispatch with
its usual arrogance made no expla =
nation or apology for its slanderous
attack on the league workers, ne en-
tered the lists, and without offering
any proof whatever that the charges
of the Dispatch were true, pro-
ceeded to read lecture to the super
intendent of the Anti-Saloon League
for his candor in dnaracterizing ex-
aetly and properly the conduct of the
Times-Dispatch. its owners and its
employees
He is very much disturbed because.
as he says. This writer has "backslid
again" His sorrow is greater because
he fears that the children of the
pious homes In which the Advocate
circulates VIII be damaged by read
ing the aforesaid exact and proper
characterization of the conduct OF the
Times Dispatch. and he repeats with
great gusto' and smacking of lips
some of the language applied by the
undersigned to the editorials and the
writers OF the said Times Dispatch
He adopts the tactics usually adopted
by wet writer's and defenders of
those Who attack prohibition work
ers." Newspapers like uhe Tir4es-
Dispatch and the Evening Journal.
which sell their columns to scatter
liquor advertisements in the homes Of
the people. and thus show their will
ingness to damage the children Of
pious homes for the sake of little
filthy lucre. cut rather a ridiculous
figure In manifesting their concern
lest the said children Snail be dana red
by reading how utterly Enthusiastically
and vicious some of the said news
papers are; but consistency. or rather
the lack of il. never disturbed such
newspa pers. They never hesitate to
attack anybody who is doing active
work against the saloon and It's evils
They impugn their motives. insinuate
that they are hypocrites, call them
''whoopers and howlers." describe
their attacks upon saloons, and APP
peals for its abolition as ''disingenu-
Gus rawlings" and hold them up to the
readers of their columns as men who
are working simply to get for them
col IN AT@
know that these statements are false.
either because Of prejudice or hatred
against prohibition workers, they
write these vile ISLANDERS concerning
them and their work.
Then. when they and their state
ments are properly characterized.
they become exceedingly pious and
consider ii to be very unseemly, be-
cause their slanderous attacks on pro-
hibition workers are denounced as
malicious falsehoods and SANDERS, as
they deserve to be. These tactics
as stated above are characteristic,
and Colonel Williams is In this simp-
ly following in the old beaten path.
and cannot claim even the merit of
originality
AS for myself. have long since
made up my mind not to allow tho
work or the workers OF the Anti-Sa-
loon League to be slandered by either
individuals or newspapers without
characterizing such ISLANDERS as | have
been taught to characterize such con-
duct in the Scriptures Without any
sort OF hatred of any individual, and
with perfect willingness to help
such individuals in any possible way.
| am determined to follow out the
apostolic injunction. 'Iet not your
pnnd hn axvtt 81 vH fa Ja
fend and to protect as far as possible
the work of the league from the as
saults of any and all such persons
1t is true just as it was In the days
of our Lord that the world hateth"
the Church, and the Master gives the
heason therefor. He says: The
world hath hated them because they
are not of the world, even as / am
not of the world" When he faced his
enemies who were accusing him
falsely before the people in their eff
fort to destroy him, he characterized
tnem and their conduct with absolute
piainness. He looked them In their
faces and denounced them as "hypo-
critics. as blind guides" as de
vourers of widows houses as "chil-
dren OF hell" as fools and blind"
as "whited sepulchers. full OF dead
mems bones and ali uncleanness, and
as climax OF his scathing denuncia-
ton said, "Ye serpents, We generation
of vipers, how can We escape the
damnation Of hell ?" According to
Colonel Williams the twenty-third
chapter OF Matthew ought never to
be read before children OF pious
homes"
Later on. after the Master had as
cended and the Church was under the
leadership of the APOSTLES, these same
apostles followed him In their plain,
clear-cut sweeping denunciations of
evil work and evil workers. st. Jude,
in describing certain evil workers, de-
clares these are spots In your feasts
of charity raging waves of the sea.
foaming out their own shame" wan
dering stars to whom Is reserved the
blackness of darkness forever ST.
Peter also does not hesitate to speak
in similar language, and declares: