Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-02-13

The second days session of the Fly
ING SQUADRON meetings at the Congre-
cs,iocal church in Augusta opened
nc on Thursday, with a song service
They we're presided over in the after
NOON Us Rev. y. l.. Hope and in the
evening by Mayor Elmer E. Newbert.
4, the afternoon session Rev. Emery
Il Wa;ervillo offered prayer and then
F~e5 Butler sang q bass solo. The
chief address, If the afternoon was BY
Dr. IT,. Landrith Of Nashville, Tenn.
ur. Iaudrith vas born a Texan and
= Derlocrat-the kind of q Democrat,
no says who votes the ticket when it
"a right. and scratches the evil out OF
i; when it IS wron-. He says the ID
in Democracy ought to stand Tor De
cency" or Death" just as the r. in
pattpblicanism should stand for Re
sDectab!lity' or Ruin or the 'P' in
procressivism for Purity" or Polit-
zeal Perdition.' DR.. Landrith was the
founder of the Tennessee anti saloon
league, and lac has always been lead
ing Official of that organization. He is
fearless champion of civic righteous
ness. and a thorough student OF the
Young Mems Christian Association
movement.
Dr.. Ira I.andrith the Nashville,
Tenn, Presbyterian clergyman and COL
lege president, is the only southern
speaker in the three batteries OF the
Flying Squadron. He is essentially a
fighter for civic uprigntness. hav-
irc been a mernber Of the State Exec
u:lye Committee on the Anu-saioon
LeaP-le since the organization OF that
movement in Tennessee. He was chair
man of the Nashville committee of one
hundred that at one time cleansed mu-
nicipal politics in that city. But he
is more than a rcforner, he is mem
Der of many national religious and
educ ational committees: has long been
a member OF the international Board
Of Directors of Christian Endeavor;
was president of the last international
Convention of the Young Mems Chris
tan Association; was the first general
secretary of the National Religious Ed
ucation Association and Of the Presby-
terrain brotherhood and has had the
highest office in his church, the mod
eratorship of the General Assembly.
In the course OF his afternoon adj
dress Or. Landrith took what he play
fully termed "a crack at creation.
Confidently predicting that the legal
lied liquor traffic in America " nuld be
a grewsome corpse in ten years be-
cause. since God is omnipotent the
saloon is not immortal" he quickly
passed from prophecy to history; told
the story of TenneSsee's regeneration
from distillery protection to homo pro-
lection. all because in that state the
church of God had destroyed the sa-
loon of the devil; caricatured the
pious old fraud who prays for prohi-
bition every other day in the year and
votes for license on election day; and
urged that mo Christian man can at
ford to belong to any political party
he should merely be a member OF 1t
and when his party is wrong he should
quit il and stay right till his party
gets right. as it will surely do If all
cNAiN4tS It(llllS ihVii NAii ESe St'OA' N-''N'
patriotic principle"
"A man ought TO be so loyal TO his
political party" he exclaimed, that he
will rebuke its rotterness. He is his
party's best friend who stands by 1t
when it is right and defeats il when 1t
is wrong Any other attitude toward
ones political party renders the parti-
san traitor to his government and
will result in converting the party it
self into a reasonable institution richly
mertins federal annihilatton.
Political parties are just as bad as
the good citizen lets them become;
and they would be just as good as the
resolutely right minded would make
Them. Either of them would adopt the
Deealogue as its platform and the
Golden Rule as its campaign slogan If
1t were sure that thereby it could get
woodrow Wilson out OF the White
house or keep him in it. But it is only
The brewer, the distiller and their hired
serts that are uniformly Independent in
politics. They always vote as they
pray Thus far enough of us have been
praying for prohibition and voting our
Straight party tickets TO enable the
AQuor traffic to have its prayers an
s~ered. II is past my finding out how
d man can always vote straight party
ticket and not be crooked himself"
Other aphorisms emitted during the
delivery Of this unique address Of this
native son Of the South, who punctu-
a'ed his arguments and appeal with
aomely and quaint stories from the
soil, We're:
When right meets wrong you have
no right to pray for peace; you can
only fight for peace and pray for VIC
tory
The Church Of God could do what
i" would, if It would 90 what it could.
preacher Is merely an expert in
morals, specialist in right and wrong:
ana when good meets bad even in pol
,''os' ne ought to be the first man to
We consulted and not the last one to
speak out.