Licking Valley courier., 1917-06-14
GUMPTION, -"Hz@~
Which is plain Common Sense in United States
language, without Educational Furbelows.
BY T.. II. .HONERNIALE.
Dare You Stand Up,for Clean Elections?


Dare You Stand Upfor Clean Elections?
Words of commendaton pouring in on every hand,
by letter and by spoken words in regard to the fight that
is being fought in these columns for clean elections, and
these assurances of support and cooperation indeed
very encouraging In fact public sentiment seems to be
rpor the movement and indications point very clearly
tosN revulsion of public sentiment that it is pretty
safe Reelection to forecast the defeat of the candidates
who uNc money and liquor in the coming primary.
ThAwork of organization rapidly taking substantial
shape and will soon be aforce to be reckoned with One
good citizens writes to inquire why time should be wasted
in presenting arguments in favor of thing so obviously
right and wants to speed up on the organization and the
work He is right and hope in next issue to be able to
announce that an organization of good citizens has been
perfected to work earnestly for the elimination Of the
of booze and Doodle in elections.
And now while we wait for the committee report let's
indulge in a bit of retrospection.
All over the county you hear the complaints arising
from the impatient taxpayers that county affairs are in
bad way and there wall OF pessinsm in the tone that
indicates that heres little hope for better things Such
condition is alarming 1t reveals belief that the booze
hosting politician has stranglehod the politics Of
the county and are firmly entrenched power 1t hard
to get soldiers to enlist to lead, what appears to them,
forlorn hope
Churchmen, want you put to the acid test. Ii the
majority of the best citizens not in the churches there
is something radically wrong with the churches, which
conclusion reject Ergo, the majority of the good cti
zens being church members, whose fault is it that
who use booze and Doodle topAuence votes can elected
to office in this county, Don't squrm don't look around
at Jones and Smith-Pm talking AT YOU! Did YOU vote
for that kind of man at the last county election? Are you
thinking of voting for that kind of men this year? If you
are how going to square your conscience with your
God, or retain your relations with the church?
am directing this to YOU as a church member be-
cause have right to expect that your life and conduct
shall not bring reproach upon the Christian character you
profess. There is no excuse for deliberate wrong.
There is one thing that possibly the out-of-town
church members may not know, and may have escaped
the observation of the residents of town. and that is
that while have three churches in town. each having
resident pastor and all of them high types Of Christian
character and intellect there few of county Off
GERS who are regular church attendants
This may not have forcibe appeal to those who
are out of the church and not specially directed to hem
being lay to church members, but to those of
who believe that temporal affairs succeed best when
Jehovah smiles Oh the manner of its workings, the asco
of our county affairs is not surprising.
You may call this strong language hope you do
If knew how I'd make it stronger. But it's TRUTH and
truth requires flights Of rhetoric to uphold it. 1t may
offend and to that am wholly indifferent as am con-
scious of the dsnterestedness of my motives and il
uOpe Ile anger VIII WIdIl uld
will awake the church member realization of his duty
You good citizen, know that the use of whisky anC
money in elections is wrong. You know that as Christ
ian and good citizen you ought to fight this debaucher
and you don't. Why? Is it because you are too COW
ardy afraid you will njure your business, offend fen
of mjure your political prestige? want no business tina
clean life will njure; want no friend that the follow
ing of the dictates Of my conscience will Offend want
political prestige that is bought by comvance at unGod
practices.
Dare you, as either Christian or good citizen out
side of the church, enlist in this fight against corrupto
in elections, or will you, at critical time when God neec
you like Peter deny that you ever knew Him? If you al
game enough to submit your Christianity to this acid tes
write to either Rev. L. A. Fryman, Eld A. O. Allison {
Ed. c. M Summers pastors Of the Methodist, Bapth
and Christian churchs, respectively at West Liberty u
giving them your pledge not to support any candidate wi
uses whisky money to corrupt votes secure his ee
tion. These good men are the Captains in this work. a
only private in the ranks, but am neither afraid NJ
ashamed to fight in this cause.
FENT T..